About a week ago, one of the members in our Twin Cities chapter of Sisters in Crime gave a stimulating presentation on Minneapolis’ Intelligence Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC). His discussion on the emerging technologies now and soon to be available to police departments proved particularly provocative. Star Chaser, Shot Spotter, and Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) all use global positioning and tracking software to locate and identify crimes and criminals as they occur in real time.

The problem with the use of such software is twofold: it lures citizens into a false sense of security regarding the commitment of crimes while it compromises civil and privacy rights of the people it is designed to protect. Two ladies voiced such objections, and the official remarked that the ISAC staff was too busy (fighting crooks, I assume) to violate individuals’ civil liberties. Much as I have come to admire law enforcement officers’ commitment, dedication, and honesty, the potential for abuse by them and other parties remains.

Nor do these technologies do much to deter determined criminals. While software such as Shot Spotter does alleviate neighborhood violence, these packages by themselves seem to have little deterrent effect. Our overcrowded jails and prisons serve as information clearinghouses and network centers for criminals to learn how to circumvent the latest detection technologies. Like terrorists, the avoidance techniques learned are simple, inexpensive, and effective. For every gangbanger removed from the streets by Shotspotter, ten more criminals run successful wire fraud, pornography, and pyramid schemes via email or over the Internet without getting caught. Given the comparative risks and cost-benefits ratios between dishonest activity going straight, crime remains the more lucrative option.   

Everyone wants their neighborhoods free of violence, but citizens also need to feel free to use email or view the Internet without having their identities stolen or their credit cards maxed out. In addition, peoples’ rights and liberties should not be sacrificed to feel secure. More than electronic countervalence devices (though they help), law enforcement agencies need additional staff, from beat cops to computer forensic experts, to win the war on crime.