The Cutting Edge of Law Enforcement Technology
by David G. Boyd
By David G. Boyd, M.B.A., FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin
Mr. Boyd is the Director of Science and Technology at the National
Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice, Rockville,
Maryland. In 1972, a researcher from the U.S. Department of
Justice's National Institute of Justice (NIJ) stumbled upon heavy-
duty military tires made from a fiber that could stop bullets. This
material, perhaps best known by its trademark Kevlar, weaved its
way into the soft body armor worn by law enforcement personnel.
Since 1975, when NIJ first conducted field tests in 15 cities across
the country, bulletproof vests have saved the lives of thousands of
police officers.
Today, discoveries like this do not happen by accident. Rather, an
agreement between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the
Department of Defense (DOD) ensures that the high-tech wizardry
once employed solely by the military will be used to enhance the
capabilities of law enforcement. As a sign of their commitment, the
departments have formed an office whose mission is to move law
enforcement into the 21st century.
THE NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TECHNOLOGY CENTER
DOJ made a commitment to develop new technologies
for law enforcement long before its April 1994 Memorandum of
Understanding with DOD. Under the auspices of the NIJ, the
Technology Assessment Program Information Center (TAPIC) had
been setting performance standards for equipment, testing new
products, and disseminating test results to criminal justice agencies
since 1968.
TAPIC eventually changed its name, but not its basic mission. The
new National Law Enforcement Technology Center (NLETC) will
continue to help develop the technology that law enforcement
officers need to stay several steps ahead of criminals.
A COOPERATIVE EFFORT
NLETC works with several other government agencies to
accomplish its objectives. First, DOD's Advanced Research
Projects Agency (ARPA) identifies "dual-use" technologies_those
that could have both military and law enforcement applications.
Next, NLETC's Advisory Council, a group of more than 80 senior
Federal, State, and local law enforcement officials from the United
States and Canada, meets twice-yearly to prioritize the projects
identified by ARPA. Products that protect human lives, save agency
resources, or decrease the potential for liability claims against an
agency usually receive top priority.
The advisory council recommends such projects for NIJ funding. It
also serves as a "reality check," noting which applications would
fail to meet the requirements of law enforcement officers in real-
world situations.
In conjunction with the National Institute of Standards and
Technology's Office of Law Enforcement Standards, the advisory
council sets the standards to which the equipment must adhere.
Standardization involves establishing criteria and testing
procedures to evaluate whether the product or procedure meets the
performance requirements of the law enforcement officers who will
use it. Council members establish criteria with an administrator's
eye--one that often sees dollar signs. Accordingly, the cost of new
technology should not exceed its benefits to law enforcement.
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING
With projects identified, prioritized, and standardized, NLETC
disseminates the council's reports to research and development
concerns in NIJ, DOD, and private industry. In turn, these entities
create solicitations, which outline the projects for which NIJ will
provide funding. NIJ then accepts proposals from manufacturers
and laboratories interested in developing and testing the equipment
and awards grants to the firm whose proposal best meets the
previously established standards.
By this time, several years likely have passed. Developing and
testing a prototype in the laboratory and then in the field take
considerably more time. However, the time spent is well worth the
effort if it means safer, more effective products. Furthermore, once
NIJ sets standards for a product or technique, other agencies--both
public and private--can use the criteria to develop new or improved
products.
Finally, with testing complete, NLETC analyzes the data and
disseminates the results. It continues to publicize the information
gathered just as TAPIC did in the past: Through articles in criminal
justice publications, in technology bulletins, at criminal justice
conferences, and in its newsletter, newly christened Technology
Beat. The new center also is a place where researchers,
manufacturers, and practitioners can meet to exchange information.
Indeed, NLETC will make available "state-of-the-science"
technologies to benefit law enforcement officers across the country.
Many new products and procedures--some of which are described
here--already await the law enforcement seal of approval.
LESS-THAN-LETHAL TECHNOLOGIES
Developing less-than-lethal technologies represents a top priority
for law enforcement. In a 1985 landmark decision, the Supreme
Court ruled that deadly force is unjustified against an escaping,
nonviolent felon1 and called for the law enforcement community to
develop appropriate equipment to apprehend suspects safely.
In 1986, the Attorney General's Conference on Less-Than-Lethal
Weapons characterized the law enforcement officer's most common
tools--the nightstick and the gun--as inappropriate in many
instances, especially in hostage and barricade situations, which
require equipment that can stop a dangerous subject without
endangering innocent hostages or bystanders. Clearly, criminal
justice professionals need new approaches to capturing, subduing,
and detaining subjects.
Sticky Foam
One product under development is restraining or "sticky" foam, a
taffy-colored, gel-like substance that, when dispersed from a
pressurized shoulder-slung "gun," expands and turns into a glue
that sticks on contact. The Department of Energy developed it to
help secure nuclear weapon facilities by tripping up and entangling
trespassers. It originally was believed that police officers could
shoot the foam from a safe distance to stop fleeing suspects or to
disable violent individuals armed with weapons other than guns.
Unfortunately, laboratory tests on volunteer subjects showed that
the fairly large quantities required to achieve disabling effects made
cleanup difficult. Despite this drawback, the U.S. Marines
expressed an interest in sticky foam and have used it successfully
during recent peace-keeping operations in Somalia.
In addition, the foam may prove effective in quelling prison disturb-
ances by denying inmates access to certain areas, as may aqueous
foam, a kind of thick, artificial fog. Tests and evaluations continue
on these products, as NLETC explores their safety and
effectiveness. Strobe-and-Goggle Technology
Already in the prototype stages, strobe-and-goggle technology
employs a bright flashing light to blind and disorient subjects
during drug raids or assaults on barricaded structures, allowing
officers to enter the premises. In the past, these pyrotechnic flash-
light generators, or "flash-bang" devices, had limitations. They
sometimes generated extreme amounts of heat and light. Most
often, they disoriented subjects for too brief a time. Worse, the
officers who used them experienced the same effects as the
criminals.
The new prototype includes goggles that protect law enforcement
officers from the light's effects. In this case, the technology needed
to make the goggles already existed. Both military pilots and
commercial welders wear goggles designed to darken when exposed
to bright light. Backseat Airbag
New patrol cars have driver-side and passenger-side airbags, but
soon they may have back-seat airbags as well. With the ability to
activate and control the bag from the front seat, an officer could
subdue an unruly subject without harm to the individual. These
bags also could be used in prisons to control and, if necessary,
immobilize unruly prisoners. A similar technology might expel
unwilling detainees from their cells.
Remote-Control Barrier Strips
Law enforcement agencies face a myriad of potential liability
situations. Many such lawsuits spring not from the use of firearms
but from high-speed vehicular chases. In California last year, more
than 7,000 high-speed pursuits occurred. One out of five ended in
accidents, resulting in more than 1,200 injuries.2 About 1 percent
of all high-speed chases end with a fatality.3
In response to the need for safe ways to stop fleeing suspects, a
national laboratory is developing technology to allow police to
activate, by remote control, strips of needles that pop out of the
road and puncture the tires of fleeing vehicles. Then, the police will
retract the needles to chase the subject. The ability to activate the
system remotely will prevent injury to law enforcement and to
innocent civilians. NLETC anticipates evaluating a prototype strip
some time in 1995.
Fleeing Vehicle Tagging System
Ultimately, if law enforcement cannot find a harmless way to stop a
pursued vehicle, it happily will settle for a way of definitively
marking the vehicle to locate it at a later time. The same laboratory
developing retractable spiked strips is at work on a projectile
launcher system, which would allow officers to fire a "tagging"
projectile at a fleeing vehicle. Equipped with a tiny radio trans-
mitter, the object would stick to the car and allow police to track
the vehicle from a safe distance without endangering lives or
allowing the suspect to escape. OFFICER SAFETY
Less-than-lethal technologies that save the lives of innocent people
and protect agencies from liability lawsuits represent an important
area of research. However, officer safety remains a top priority, and
NLETC continues to sponsor projects designed to save officers'
lives. Smart Gun
One-sixth of all law enforcement officers killed each year are shot
with their own weapons.4 A national laboratory is testing a variety
of sensors, which, when placed in the handgrip of a weapon, would
"recognize" the authorized user and refuse to fire for anyone else.
The resulting "smart gun" never could be used against its owner. In
addition to saving the lives of law enforcement officers, smart guns
might save the lives of children who kill themselves, either
accidentally or intentionally, with their parents' weapons. Finally,
criminals who obtain weapons illegally could not fire them.
Personnel Monitoring System
Technology soon may make the standard police walkie-talkie
obsolete. Originally developed for Army medics, a personnel
monitoring system will enable law enforcement and other public
service personnel to remain in direct contact with their departments
at all times.
A miniature camera transmits full-color video of the scene; wireless
networks allow audio com-munication and data transmissions; a
Global Positioning System provides the officer's exact street
location; and a personal status monitor tracks the officer's vital
signs. As a result, an agency could locate and monitor an officer in
distress, quickly assess the situation, and respond accordingly.
INVESTIGATIVE TOOLS
The "perfect crime" becomes harder to commit every day. Emerging
technology allows law enforcement officers to piece together crime
scene clues where little evidence appears to exist.
The Magic Wand
In only 18 months and with a research grant of under $100,000, the
Alaska Crime Laboratory, together with a nationally known private
firm, developed and distributed the Fingerprint Visualization
System, named the "Magic Wand." It allows investigators to lift
prints from nonporous surfaces at the scene of the crime, not in the
lab. It helps police identify and apprehend suspects quickly.
The Fingerprint Visualization System allows prints to be developed
onsite in a matter of seconds using a portable, handheld device that
combines a superglue with a dye and reduces the procedure to one
simple step. With prints in hand, the investigator need only link
them to a suspect, a process that one day will be accomplished from
the officer's patrol vehicle.
Smart Car
Firefighters and mail carriers use specially designed trucks on the
job; yet, no vehicles have been designed specifically for police
work. Even cars with "police packages" usually come equipped
only with different paint, special lighting packages, and other
accessories. With limited buying power, law enforcement could not
even persuade Detroit automobile manufacturers to produce cars
without passenger-side airbags, which, if deployed, could turn
equipment mounted on the passenger side into dangerous
projectiles.
Still, some private firms that once held DOD contracts now have
focused their creative energies on law enforcement. Police vehicles
have become fertile ground for the seeds of science and technology.
The "smart car," already being used by the Anne Arundel County,
Maryland, Police Department and the Maryland State Police, is
ready to merge onto the information superhighway with computer
hardware and software designed to link officers on the street with
databases all over the country.
These systems allow officers to do more than write reports on
computers. They provide immediate access to wants and warrants
information, letting officers know what dangers they might face
before they even step from their patrol cars.
The computers also permit on-the-spot transmission and retrieval of
arrest records, fingerprints, and mugshots. Some day, they will hold
voice samples, giving law enforcement officers a complete offender
profile from the street. As departments acquire more smart cars and
network them so that they communicate with one another, a trip to
the station may be a rare occurrence for police officers in the
future.
CONCLUSION
Small police departments usually do not have the resources to
implement new techniques and technologies for fighting crime.
Even larger departments with the funds may not have access to the
information they need to make the right purchases. In fact, law
enforcement agencies as a group do not possess the buying power
to encourage manufacturers to research and develop products their
officers need at prices they can afford.
Adapting technology to serve in a field different from the one for
which it was intended frequently costs almost as much as
developing it from scratch. Multiple-use technologies save money
by targeting several fields, including the military, public service,
and law enforcement. With the National Law Enforcement
Technology Center, the Federal Government has reaffirmed its
commitment to identifying, developing, and manufacturing new
products and applications specifically designed with law
enforcement in mind.
Technology cannot fix every shortcoming. It cannot make up for
poor judgment or compensate for inadequate or nonexistent
training. It cannot fix the problems that result from poor officer
screening or selection, and it can never replace competent
leadership.
Technology can provide the tools to make law enforcement more
efficient and effective, limit the consequences of poor judgment,
and improve the safety of the police and the public. It can save
lives.
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