Introduction
The usage of computer equipment has massively increased since the late 1960s. There are a huge number of aspects that have powered this development. At first, physical labour was used extensively for crime-related work, and there was a practice of using a very small proportion of departmental resources for R& D in this field or scope. Interests changed in the 1960s when improvements in police department services were noticed, such as assigning dollars to gear and machinery. In 1968, the president changed recommendations from the Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration. It was suggested that computer-based technology should be introduced to the police department. This could play a significant part in police work. Resources were provided by the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (Colton, Kent W., 1979).
In today’s world, many challenges are being faced in the field of crime analysis, especially in terms of the collection, visualization, and analysis of data in fighting crime. Gathering and analyzing details about criminals in terms of who they are, where they belong, what their family background is, who they communicate with, and how they are connected and linked with other groups is a very difficult task using traditional investigation approaches and procedures. In this world of crime and terrorism, it is very significant to collect information about the links and networks of every single suspect. It is also very important to collect information about the suspect’s network members and their relationships with them, whether they are directly or indirectly related to each other. This will make criminal investigations easier; moreover, it will help generate concepts about suspects. However, sometimes, traditional procedures cannot be used to visualize and evaluate data gathered on the suspects. At the present time, when information technology plays a significant role in the daily life of every single person, it is easier to rely on information technology and digital systems in fighting crime.
Nowadays, reliable and effective systems, computer gear, applications, and well-equipped intelligent devices are being built to gather, investigate, and understand criminal records in a real-time working environment. The need for such systems that can effectively and efficiently analyze data regarding criminal activities and suspects is growing day by day in combating crime. These present systems and applications must be proficient in giving accurate results based on intelligence from basic or raw data. These applications must also have the capability of creating visual graphs, which will make it easier to generate new concepts about suspects from criminal records in order to understand and solve crimes easily.
Almost all societies in the modern world are disturbed by the day-by-day increase in criminal activities in every aspect of life, whether it is cybercrime or physical crime. Sometimes, these activities are executed by a single individual, and sometimes, an organized group is involved in committing a crime. Crime rates are rapidly increasing and vary from one country to another or from one region to another. Solving criminal cases has always been the responsibility of law enforcement specialists and criminal justice agencies. With the increase in the use of computer systems and applications to track crime, computer analysts and data examiners have already started working with law enforcement agencies and private detectives. This has increased the rate of solving crimes. The most reliable and efficient way of fighting crime these days cannot be imagined without the help of geographical reporting. Criminal actions all across the globe have become very complex, such that instant monitoring cannot be achieved without using intelligent devices and systems that can help law enforcement agencies graphically represent crime (Quist, Aphetsi, 2013).
Crime investigation procedures are required to analyze the connected sequence of criminal cases to determine the most feasible area of the suspect’s residence. Involving both qualitative and quantitative methods helps in developing an understanding of the spatial behavior of the suspect and concentrating the investigation on a smaller area of the community. These methods are usually used in cases of murder, physical violence, and rape, but also in suicide bombings, street crime, robbery, and other crimes. This strategy helps police officers and private detectives gather information on large-scale, complex crime investigations that usually involve hundreds or even thousands of suspects and ideas.
Detectives and police officers need to analyze the patterns of the whole case, and this task is crucial in fighting crime. Computer systems need to be ready to gather and capture information and perform different interpretation operations on it. In this interpretation, intelligence is used to control criminal activities and influence decision-making.
Applications nowadays are playing an important role in helping law enforcement agencies capture suspects in a matter of seconds or minutes, when this sometimes previously took months. An iOS application named FbF Mobile Match performs its functionality in combination with the FbF Mobile, which is an additional fingerprint-scanning device distributed by Fulcrum Biometrics LLC and other authorized retailers. The application is used as a fingerprint-gathering application. This is an actual fingerprint-scanner application that works when a device is detected by the application; it is not a normal application or a toy and is used for serious purposes by agencies and police detectives. One should not download or install this application if one has not already purchased the FbF Mobile One fingerprint device. This app does not work without the FbF Mobile device.
The mobile FbF device is authorized for use with all Apple devices like iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This application contains a Federal Bureau of Investigation-authorized fingerprint scanner that gathers FIPS-201 and PIV-licensed fingerprint photographs on an iOS device. It provides actual fingerprint pictures that exactly meet the criteria of the high standards of law enforcement identification. This app permits users to gather HD images of fingerprints, with a quality of up to 500 dpi, and HD thumbprint pictures. Moreover, users are capable of saving the pictures to their smartphone devices and sharing them by email or posting them on an FTP server.
Another law-enforcement-agency app named MABIS plays an important role in helping detectives and law enforcement agencies capture suspects. In today’s constant threat of terrorism, receiving real-time data about suspects is essential. QiSQi Identification Technologies developed the MABIS platform and app, which can register and identify fingerprints, faces, and irises in a fraction of a second. The app runs on a standard or rugged Android mobile phone, which makes it easy and fast to deploy without special hardware investments. Armed with the mobile and touchless fingerprint biometrics software solution of Diamond Fortress, fingerprints are acquired by the mobile camera, which delivers high-quality images. Face recognition has unique 2D/3D enhancement features, which deliver highly accurate information. With the implementation of iris recognition, MABIS is the first mobile phone platform to have all three major biometric identification algorithms. MABIS’ backend is powered by a high-speed, Minex-compliant AFIS, 2D/3D face recognition, and iris recognition, all using military- and police-grade algorithms with proven track records. MABIS is secured by SSL biometric access control, which manages and centralizes the administration of fingerprint, face, or voice verification.
A Must for Police Forces, Border Control, Citizen and Immigration Services
Computers play a big role in the criminal justice field. If we talk about computers, they have made it easier for witnesses to look for suspects’ pictures on computer screens. Only with the help of computers have DNA tests become possible, which are now a main source of identification between the innocent and the criminal in many cases. Computers take a short time to process information in labs, and real criminals from cases that may be 15 years old can now be charged for their misdeeds.
Mini-computers like laptops and notebooks are installed in police vehicles, which allows police officers to get the information they are looking for. They get the right information instantly instead of waiting to get back to the stations. Some new cars have wireless technologies and internet connections, making them even more reliable and convenient. This allows them to do great things in a matter of seconds.
As we have discussed before, computers allow the use of fingerprint scanners to get the exact required information wherever it is required by the police department. Agencies can now take anyone’s fingerprint from anywhere they want and process it to check whether it has any link with a criminal investigation or not (Hollywood, John, 2015).
Also, technology can be used to determine the cause of a fire in any building. Computers are used to process information to determine whether the fire was caused by petrol, gasoline, kerosene, or lighter fluid.
Computers are used at signals to measure traffic jams and make decisions according to the situation. Breaking traffic rules has become more difficult, and technology has made so many advancements that a car can be tracked using a camera and fined instantly. Stolen cars can easily be tracked nowadays, making it even more difficult for thieves to steal them.
So, there are a number of aspects in which technology plays a role in criminal justice. No matter which field we discuss, information technology has made impossible things possible.
Works Cited
Kester, Quist-Aphetsi. “Computer Aided Investigation: Visualization and Analysis of Data from Mobile Communication Devices Using Formal Concept Analysis.” arXiv preprint arXiv:1307.7788 (2013).
Colton, Kent W., and James M. Tien. “Technology transfer of computer-based applications in law enforcement.” The Journal of Technology Transfer 4.1 (1979): 63-76.
Hollywood, John S., et al. Using future Internet technologies to strengthen criminal justice. RAND Corporation, 2015.
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