Leveraging Technology for Better Policing

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In his 2005 book, “The Singularity Is Near,” Ray Kurzweil predicted that by 2045, machines would become as smart as humans. Due to advancing technology, he's moved the expected arrival date up to as soon as 2029. In the same book Kurzweil applied Moore’s Law, that the capacity of a circuit chip would double every 18-24 months to all technologies from Artificial Intelligence (AI), biogenetics, to alternative energy, additive manufacturing/3D printing and virtual reality. He was right. We are now experiencing in real time, an accelerating development and improvement in these and other areas that will have a transformational change on our lives, the workplace and our culture. So, what does that mean for law enforcement, emergency services and other professions in the public safety area? 

Let me talk about five areas where I think this technological revolution will have the most significant impacts on public safety. 

1. Training: Folks have been playing games for years on their computers. The graphics and realism get better every year.  With the development of virtual reality (VR) headsets, gaming and simulation have moved into another realm of real-time experience with incredible graphics. Many companies have developed software that now allows public safety organizations to do realistic simulations with nothing more than a laptop and a headset. The small portable size eliminates the need for large, expensive hard stand facilities that many have purchased for training. Many have added the “tools” organizations use to make training completely realistic, to include interactive avatars for personnel to interact with. That said, whether it be weapons qualification, de-escalation training or simply running through the most common scenarios before a shift, modern VR at an affordable cost for smaller departments will allow for a better trained and capable organization. 
2. Personnel selection and evaluation: There are many advantages for the use of AI: medical evaluations, coding, writing reports etc. But one area I think it will really help is in the evaluation of people for specific jobs and careers. Finding the right person for the right job has always been a challenge. To find the person with the right character and temperament to serve in law enforcement is critical. AI’s ability to sort through data, test scores and recommendations of others will enhance our ability to pick the right people, and exclude those who are not a good fit. 
3. Reporting and Data management: Already being used and discussed is the use of AI to write post-shift and incident reports. It cannot replace the involvement of the officer but clearly a tool like ChatGPT can save officers a significant amount of time and most likely make their reports completer and more coherent. That said, the officer will still have to review and sign the report. Machine does the work; human approves. 
4. Robotics and Autonomy: The classic film “Robo Cop” hypothesized about a future where human police would be aided by humans like robots. Though that day has not yet come, autonomous capabilities are available right now to support law enforcement.  The number one example, in my opinion, is the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles/UAVs. It would not be difficult or overly expensive for every officer on patrol to have access to a small UAV to provide overwatch of their actions, to record events on scene, to approach first the door of a home or of an incident, allowing the officer to assess and decide before acting in seconds. Small UAVs cost under $1K and are easy to use. They could ride in a patrol car and be controlled by the officer on scene or by dispatch. Soon ground robots will be available, like those used by EOD teams, but with much more capability. I even know of a company that offers UAVs prepositioned in schools to respond to active shooters in less than a minute once activated by the school. Machines are here and are just going to get better. 
5. Health and Wellness: Monitoring our health, both physical and mental, is a never-ending process. Intelligent devices like Fitbit and the Apple watch are just the beginning of this capability. AI-based machines will eventually be able to talk to us, manage our workouts or even help us work through mentally traumatic events. Again, it will not give us the drive to work out, or the willingness to share our feelings but the capability will be there.  

Now some of what I have presented here may appear to be a stretch. I don’t think so. Some of these capabilities, like VR training and the use of UAVs, are here now. They just must be procured and employed by law enforcement and emergency services organizations. At the same time, law enforcement needs to engage with political leadership and the public to explain what they are doing what they hope to achieve by doing it. This will require close engagement and transparency during the entire process. Concurrently, boards for oversight and the establishment of policy for these changes will have to be created, lead, managed and continually updated as the technology changes and improves. If this all can be done, along with a strong will to change, I believe technology, if done thoughtfully and transparently, can make us better.