Computers in Law Enforcement essays

Computers in Law Enforcement essays The Use of Computers in Law Enforcement A person living in todays world cant help but notice that most all businesses use computers. These businesses use computers to do many things, but it seems to me that most computer activities in the business world are for three main reasons: (1) identification of their product, (2) tracking of their product, and (3) communication of some kind, either with me as a customer, or with the place that supplies the business with their products to sell. As I started to gather information about the use of computers in law enforcement, a new area for me, I began to realize that computers in law enforcement seem to be used for the same three reasons as computers in business. In law enforcement, the product is the criminal. In order to identify the criminal, there are lots of databases that law enforcement officers can use, if they are up on the latest technology. Finger printing identification is available through the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System that has about 40 million fingerprints in it. Another database that police use is the National Crime Information Center 2000. This is a database on missing persons, stolen vehicles, stolen property, and criminal background checks. This is one that is used a lot by officers who have laptop computers in their cars. Another database is made completely of pictures, which are stored as images. These images are of things like, pictures of stolen things, pictures of tattoos and scars, mugshots of criminals, and pictures of signatures. Another database used by law enforcement is the National Instant Check System, which is a list of persons that cannot buy or carry firearms because of their past criminal history. This database started after the Brady Bill was passed. There are databases of license plates, drivers license numbers, social security numbers, and many other things to help law enforcement office ...