Understanding the Limits of Technology's Impact on Police Effectiveness

• NCJ Number: 251957
• Journal: Police Quarterly Volume: 20 Issue: 2 Dated: 2017 Pages: 135-163
• Author(s): Cynthia Lum; Christopher S. Koper; James Willis
• Date Published: 2017
• Length: 29 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2010-MU-MU-0019
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Report (Grant Sponsored); Issue Overview; Research (Applied/Empirical)

Annotation

This article presents findings from a mixed-methods, multi-agency study that examined factors that may mediate the connection between technology adoption and outcome effectiveness in policing.

Abstract

Although technology has become a major source of expenditure and innovation in law enforcement and is assumed to hold great potential for enhancing police work, the current state of research on technology in policing is unclear about the links between technologies and outcomes such as work efficiencies, effectiveness in crime control, or improved police-community relationships. The current study found that police view technology through technological and organizational frames determined by traditional and reactive policing approaches. These frames may limit technology's potential in the current reform era and cause unintended consequences. (Publisher abstract modified)