With all the changes and advancements taking place in our world today, it’s hard to predict what life will be like 10 years from now, let alone 20 years from now. Nevertheless, most experts agree that the world of law enforcement in the future will look quite different than it does today. This is likely to be changed through a combination of social pressures and increased cooperation with mental health/community providers. Here are the top challenges police departments will face in 2022.
Handling daily police data?
In 2012, less than 5 percent of police officers had access to body cameras. In 2022, nearly every officer will be using one. For some departments this will be a tool they embrace, and others it will be forced upon them. There are lots of opposing opinions about body cams and their use. We live in a world of edited sound bytes and video clips. They rarely tell the whole story, and often the story is completely wrong. Police departments are generating enormous amounts of data through video, logs, transcripts, etc. Having the tools to use this data correctly and ensure that others don’t use it incorrectly are going to be ongoing challenges for police departments. One of the challenges of having data on the public is that it is easy to get buried in FOI requests and having safeguards in place to make sure the data is used correctly. When you redact information on sexual abuse or domestic violence, departments are often accused of hiding information. Then there is the issue of trying to do your job under a social justice microscope and having everything you do recorded. Data can make it easier to do your job, or it can create more challenges for your department.
Will police training keep up with technology?
Sophisticated tools, such as artificial intelligence and biometric data scanners, are increasingly being adopted by police departments. Many of these tools require additional training for law enforcement officials to use them properly, but some say that money and time constraints could prevent officers from receiving enough in-depth training. It’s possible that police departments could face increased legal liability due to improperly trained or calibrated technologies, so it will be important for agencies to develop a strategy for equipping its members with appropriate skills.
Connecting your police department with community members
In order to more effectively do their jobs, police officers must be able to connect with community members. This means not only fostering connections with neighbors and business owners, but also other police departments, so that data sharing is seamless when an investigation requires it. These connections may be a challenge to make, but they are critical for future success of police departments as they move forward into a digitally-driven world.
This creates challenges in both privacy and data sharing. Should community mental health providers be given access to criminal histories? Alternatively, should mental health or prescription data be available to police? How many traffic stops could go differently if the officer knew that the person driving has a history of unmanaged diabetes, or that they are prescribed anti-psychotics? These are some of the challenging discussions that police departments need to have with their community and other community providers. People aren’t just one dimensional. There’s lots going on behind the scenes. We can each only do our part, but working together will make things more effective.
