Mia
It’s an unfortunate fact that the crime rate is increasing on a daily basis and criminals are using technology to perpetrate more crimes. In the TV show Person of Interest, Finch(played by Micheal Emerson) built an artificial machine that could foresee future crimes and reveal either the perpetrator or victim’s social security number so that he and his enforcer Reese (Jim Caviezel) could intervene in premeditated murders before they happen. While such an AI does not exist yet, the criminal justice industry is working towards building technologies that could actually improve public safety.
Detection, Monitoring, and Positioning System
These are technologies that help in the detection and monitoring of crimes with the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning. These include the use of drones, a Global Positioning System, gunshot technology, license plate scanners, and surveillance cameras in curbing the crime rate. For example, by using gunshot technology, police can identify if there is an active shooter in a public place, how many shooters, how many shots have been fired, and the exact location of the shooter(s).
Rapid Identification system/Biometric Technology
There are technologies that make use of biometrics–fingerprints, facial recognition software, palm print, iris recognition to match criminals with their history. These biometrics can also be used in organizations that require limited access to certain areas as an extra means of security. According to the data obtained from 10-8 Systems, this offers the highest quality solutions at affordable prices while still enabling the police to be more equipped to save lives. For example, certain areas in an organization can be made inaccessible to unauthorized individuals through facial recognition.
In-Car Computers
Smart cars are advanced and extremely complex technologies. To the inexperienced, they probably sound like something out of a sci-fi movie. They are mainly powered by Engine Control Unit, Engine Control Module, and Powertrain Control Module. These types of computers are used to upload reports to the online police database to make data processing easier.
Assistive/Preventative Police
Criminal justice in collaboration with governments around the world is employing AI to predict and avert crimes. Law enforcement agencies and the private sector are working towards developing programs that will help predict premeditated crimes. This involves the use of data and algorithms to trail people’s involvement in crimes, to map out areas with higher crime rates, the type of weapon used, predict those that are likely to commit crimes, and assist the police in ensuring that those places of interest are offered more surveillance and more patrolling officers.
Cybercrime Detection
As technology progresses, malicious and unethical hackers continue to gain access to people’s data, steal them or reprogram them. AI and machine learning have the ability to detect these people by tracking network traffic fashion and user’s behavior. It can easily track down cybercriminal activity and alert the security team of any suspicious activity.
Robots
Don’t worry, robots are not about to replace the entire police force. However, the police department is leaning towards developing robots that could be used to perform mundane, repetitive, and dangerous tasks. With the use of these robots, locations that are too dangerous for humans can be accessed by robots. These robots can help identify potentially dangerous people and objects in the areas. They could also be programmed to detonate bombs improving the safety of the public without endangering the lives of police officers.
Natural Disaster Response
Natural disasters are on the rise thanks to climate change and urbanization. The number of people affected by natural disasters is also increasing every single year. AI is used in determining whether or not natural disasters like floods, fire outbreaks, or earthquakes will occur, the area it will hit the hardest, the relief system that would fail, and the actions that can be taken to mitigate the influence of the disaster.
The role of technology in public safety cannot be overemphasized. There are a lot of applications of artificial intelligence in public safety. These includes:
- Government, public, and private sector institutions.
- Public Safety Equipment dealer.
- Police and Emergency services.
Now more than ever, there is a need for governments to put on their thinking caps and decide on how to curb crimes with the use of cutting-edge technology.
Artificial intelligence is a very powerful tool that has a lot of potentials if used for the right purpose. When it falls into the wrong hands, the aftermath can be very disastrous. Governments and the criminal justice industry should work towards investing more in technologies that help keep the public safe.
