Is technology making policing easier or is it invading privacy, rights of accused?
Predictive policing sounds like something out of a movie. The movie "Minority Report" is about police being able to predict crimes before they happen, essentially eliminating all criminal activity. While the level of predictive action described in that movie is still very much science fiction, new technology is being developed to help police become more efficient, and it might interfere with the rights of the accused.
Motorola Solutions and Ford, along with some other companies, have developed a prototype police car with a lot of new technology. This technology will reportedly allow police to monitor license plates of passing cars, setting off an alarm if the computer recognizes the plate as a potential suspect for a crime. Computer systems in the car could also be enabled to start paperwork on producing a citation before an officer even leaves the vehicle in a traffic stop.
This might sound like fun new technology for police to play with, but it could be devastating to a person's rights. Officers could be handing out citations without speaking to the people they are pulling over, and police could be pulling over people if the computer mistakenly recognizes a person's license plate.
Technology such as license plate recognition has already been reported in some parts of the country. People should understand their rights if they are ever pulled over for an alleged crime. They might be wise to speak with an experienced attorney who can help them navigate the legal system.
Source: Venture Beat, "Motorola's futuristic police car is loaded with computers and cameras," Dean Takahashi, Oct. 22, 2012
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