Police Technologist: the position every police agency needs but almost none have
Technology has had a significant impact on policing in the last 40 years. The technologies police use today have been evolving at an exponential rate and their importance cannot be understated in today's complicated policing environment. To stay abreast of technological advances, thoughtful police leaders must understand the need for specialized personnel whose role it is to help them understand the many ethical, legal, community and practical ramifications of using very advanced technologies like artificial intelligence. This new position is called the “police technologist.”
What is a Technologist?
The role of “technologist” exists in many industries. They are professionals trained and knowledgeable in the practical application of both science and technology. In contrast to theorists, technologists specialize in turning theoretical concepts into tangible real-world solutions and can be found working across industries such as healthcare, manufacturing and computing. The help optimize existing systems while integrating emerging technologies and working closely with decision-makers to influence organizational policies regarding tech's ethical implications.
Police technologists serve as an intermediary between police leaders and the rapidly developing technological landscape, acting as the bridge between them and technological advances help that shape policing operations and strategies to control crime and disorder. They're not simply tech savvy individuals - these professionals understand the unique demands and ethical considerations associated with police work. They manage the implementation and evaluation of technology to maximize effectiveness while mitigating unintended social impacts.
Technology in Policing: A Double-Edged Sword
Police agencies are rapidly adopting cutting-edge technologies like predictive policing software, drones, facial recognition software, data mining and biometric analysis into their operations. While such technologies promise greater efficiency and effectiveness in policing, departments are often sold these technologies without understanding all their operational intricacies or ethical implications. In many cases, police leaders advocating for certain technologies, like predictive policing software, cannot explain even the basics of how its algorithms work. And yet, they make important deployment and enforcement decisions based on the results of the software’s analysis and suggestions.
Police technologies come with significant ethical concerns, including privacy issues and issues of racial or socio-economic bias, as well as the potential for misuse. Without an adequate knowledge of them, police leaders risk adopting systems which could inadvertently harm the very communities they are paid to protect. At a minimum, police leaders risk embarrassment or job security when things go bad after the use of a particular technology produces unintended consequences that upset elected leaders and their constituents.
The need for Police Technologists is Increasing
As we progress into the 21st century, the role of a Police Technologist becomes ever more vital for various reasons. Here are just a few of the more prominent ones:
Ethical Oversight: A police technologist's primary role should be providing ethical oversight when adopting technology. In this role, they can aid leadership by helping them make informed decisions, flagging potential ethical pitfalls before they lead to public relations catastrophe or costly legal proceedings. Frequently, their role may simply be to pose the question “Just because we can do this, should we?”
Policing technologies such as facial recognition and predictive policing often come under fire for perpetuating systemic biases. Accordingly, a police technologist with both technology and ethics knowledge can help manage these complexities successfully by conducting impact analyses, consulting with community leaders and ensuring that technology implementations undergo thorough ethical vetting processes. In addition, evaluations after implementation can gauge effectiveness and ensure unintended harm is not occurring.
Unintended Consequences: Generally, technologies often come with unintended side-effects, and policing technologies are no different. For instance, widespread surveillance could stifle free speech and assembly. A police technologist can work collaboratively with various departments, agencies and interested community members to conduct holistic analyses of new technologies - including scenario planning, simulations and community impact analyses to anticipate and reduce negative consequences.
Informed Purchasing: Due to limited budgets and high stakes, police departments need to make wise investments with limited resources and high stakes. Being a good steward of the taxpayers’ investment in public safety is an obligation falling on the shoulders of every police leader. Tech companies often market their products as silver bullets without adequate technical explanations. This can lead to costly errors that result from uninformed decision-making. A police technologist serves as a subject-matter expert during procurement processes by reviewing claims, conducting pilot tests, calculating return on investment (ROI) of new technologies while assuring financial responsibility alongside technological progress.
Policy Development: Technological advances often outpace legislative and policy development, leading to gaps in technology governance. An experienced police technologist can aid with internal policy development by taking into account legal standards, community needs, and international best practices when formulating internal police policies. This can serve as interim governance mechanisms while official legislation is being created and would ensure the department remains compliant with evolving norms.
Public Trust and Confidence: Fostering transparency around technology usage can go a long way toward increasing public trust in the police. A police technologist can serve as a public-facing expert, informing residents about department's technological policies. They can engage the public through outreach programs, Q&A sessions, social media posts or similar methods - explaining complex technologies in simple language while outlining safeguards in place to prevent misuse. They can also conduct internal “transparency audits” to ensure the agency is providing the maximum amount of openness about the technologies employed and the data used to track and evaluate their use.
Interdisciplinary Expertise: Police Technologists must possess an array of interdisciplinary skills. Not only must they possess expertise in technology but also in social sciences, ethics, law and community relations. Their multifaceted skill set will enable them to liaise between different units within a police force as well as externally with academics or concerned community members. In the future, such multifaceted understandings will be increasingly indispensable in meeting the complex challenges policing faces.
Conclusion
A police technologist's role in policing is not an optional add-on but an essential position in the future policing organizations. These technologists will possess the interdisciplinary expertise needed to help leadership navigate the increasingly complex ethical, social, and technological landscape in which 21st-century police departments operate. By carefully considering all facets of the policing environment they contribute not only to an increase in efficiency and effectiveness of police forces but also toward creating public perceptions that the police are effective, empathetic and jus
As technology rapidly evolves, policing cannot afford to stay behind in understanding its many impacts. Police technologists will provide an invaluable service, ensuring technology is used ethically and effectively in policing as well as serving to safeguard against its misuse. By embedding police technologists within agencies, policing can better navigate the complex moral and social landscape it often finds itself traversing. And in the future, this contribution will only become more valuable.
