How does IoT benefit Law Enforcement?

“No man is above the law, and no man is below it, nor do we ask any man’s permission when we ask him to obey it.”

 

-Theodore Roosevelt

 

The laws, rules or regulations, different terms having similar meaning. It is important for the immersible growth of the citizens, cities and the country. Enforcing laws not only limit the criminal activities, but also bring harmony in the society. A disciplined society is more vulnerable to growth and development. 

 

The next thing that comes to mind is how to enforce these laws. Obviously laws are helpful and essential for society, but what are the ways by which we can implement these laws to their fullest worth. We can say that strengthening the police and law forces is a way. But can you ever imagine IoT devices assisting law enforcement?

  

In this blog, we will study the role of IoT in enforcing laws and regulations in society. 

 

Also Read | 11 Benefits of IoT in Public Sector

 

 

IoT and Law Enforcement

 

The contribution of the Internet of Things (IoT) is undoubtedly strong and uncountable in human lives. Be it pharmaceutical management or cybercrime. IoT is controlling each sphere of life. Law enforcement is also a working field of IoT.  Regulation of law and enforcement of legal rights and laws is essential to improve human existence. 

 

Laws not only secure the life of humans, but also protect the vulnerable from risks and damages. Laws play a critical role in ensuring the safety and security of a tribe and an area. Increasing criminal cases can be governed only by enforcing the right laws and policies.

 

But alone manpower and traditional policies cannot make this happen. Thus, the government has started using and upgrading the policies and police with better technology so that they can discharge their functions better.  

 

IoT is one of the latest innovations that has been utilized for better law enforcement and to enhance the reputation of agencies. Being dynamic in nature, IoT has brought numerous improvements and enrichment.

 

With the advent of real-time data, sensors, tracking and forecasting, IoT has been reshaping law enforcement. The applications and advantages of IoT in law enforcement can be expressed in words, here are the key points listed below. 

 

Also Read | IoT in Pharmaceutical Management

 

 

Advantages of IoT in the Law Enforcement

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IoT in Law Enforcement

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 Here are the listed key areas where IoT is making a bigger difference. The major advantages of IoT in law enforcement are as follows:

 

1. Crime detection

 

Security alarms and systems help in early detection of the crimes and records, thus reducing the chances of risks and frauds. The early detections prepare the public and others to take necessary precautions.

 

People living in cities have already employed their houses with safety cameras and CCTV validation. These IoT applications make the detections and identification of criminals easier. Even in case the criminal activity has been recorded, the case can be traced and solved by handling the real-time data to the police.

 

2. Proof gathering

 

IoT is a crucial reason in gathering proofs and validation. The IoT devices and technology make it easier and faster to collect evidence from a wide range of sources.

 

In modern days, virtual home assistants like Alexa and others collect several pieces of evidence and proofs on a daily basis. This evidence helps in solving crimes related stories and cases. The Fitbit murder history is itself a validating proof showing the importance of IoT in collecting proofs.

 

3. Wearable Tiny Devices

 

IoT and its technologies also help in creating wearables and equipment for different law related operations. We all have seen a camera pen or camera button in movies. This is nothing but an evolution in the IoT field.

 

This tiny equipment helps in flow of data from one device to another and helps in creating the real-time data and image of activity performed in different devices. By recording the exact activity that happened, such devices build public confidence by presenting proofs in front of them.

 

4. Health tracking devices for Law Officers

 

For enforcing laws well in the locality, the law officers should be healthy and strong in all three aspects, emotionally, physically and mentally. IoT serves that need of the field too. And, this has been an important application for both human force and police dogs.

 

With several health trackers, IoT guards the health of officers. For example, it records the vital signs of the officers, be it heart rate, blood pressure and other essential factors. On detecting a small abnormality, it reports the changes to the officers, preparing them early to take measures.

 

Also Read | Implementing IoT in Healthcare

 

5. IoT enabled firearms

 

IoT enabled firearms are the latest inventions to the field of law and crimes. It is helpful as this technology records exactly, how and when a firearm was used. The sensors in firearms include some form of authentication like biometrics. 

 

By capturing the vital evidence, it supports the lethal use of weapons and arms. Enabled by IoT it also enables holster information related to the use, like when the arm is unclipped or dispatched. Few of such firearms are also loaded with the cameras, which get activated when sensed high tension in the environment.

 

6. Unmanned Vehicles

 

Vehicles without manpower and drivers, the latest technology in automobiles is a boon for the law officers and their safety. Though, this technology has not been applied to underdeveloped countries like India.

 

But the developed countries like the USA and UK have employed fully automated cars and vehicles. The unmanned vehicles are used to chase the criminals and others while tracking them. Thus, it adds to the safety of officers and other human forces.

 

7. Drones

 

Drones are flying robots. They can be remotely controlled or can fly autonomously using a software-controlled flight system. They offer a new level of surveillance and are assisted with cameras. They can be of any form and any shape thus, pranking the criminals and culprits. 

 

Drone technology and its sensors help law enforcement devices with a better quality of surveillance. The agencies can also use drones to suspect chases, search and rescue the victims, event management, to evaluate and detect the risky areas around and other situations.

 

8. Crime Prediction

 

IoT also helps in predicting the rate and probability of crimes. The data-driven approach of IoT plays a vital role in crime prediction. The IoT devices, when aligned with artificial intelligence, help in capturing real time data from a variety of sources.

 

It can picture the upcoming event quickly from established data. The historic data also create a ‘heat mapping system’ and identify the criminal hotspots at the earliest possible time period. One such major example is a trial run by Dutch police to reduce nighttime violence.

 

9. The Smart Vehicle

 

Fully equipped smart vehicles are the other advent of IoT. The police vehicles are loaded with video cameras, intelligent routers, dashboard computers, even some are fitted with arms and alarms. These vehicles always rely on the best available network.

 

Easing the communication space between them, these vehicles also establish the best network connection between one another. For instance, at the time of emergency they can contact and communicate with the ambulances and fire trucks. Thus, monitoring the health and safety of the officers.

 

Also Read | IoT in Businesses

 

 

Cons of IoT in Law Enforcement

 

Every profit is followed by some risks and dangers. The cons of IoT in law enforcement are as follows:

 

1. Privacy Concerns

 

IoT means privacy concerns for everyone. It is a risk to the safety of both the citizens and the law officers. Though cams and CCTVs offer accountability and honesty, still, they are a threat to the personal information and identification of the individual.

 

The 24*7 attention is a huge privacy concern even to the officers. Their personal life and activities are at risk often. The evergreen security charges on law officers are a kind of undue burden on their shoulders.

 

2. Distractions

 

In the advantages section, we talked about smart vehicles for law officers. The smart vehicles are fed with other IoT chained and linked devices, like computer systems, real-time data sensors, and much more.

 

Though, this evolution has been brought for easing the life of law persons and the officers, but still sometimes it can cause troubles and distractions. Suppose an officer driving the car, see an incoming call on his car’s computer screen. This will indirectly distract him while driving and can even cause serious accidents too.

 

3. Tamper Proofs

 

Though, even collected on a real-time data scale. The proofs collected by IoT can be sometimes tampered in nature. Tamper here means damaging and irrelevant. Because more or less IoT is nothing but a variant of artificial intelligence. It has no brain of its own and works as per the data fed by the operators.

 

Thus, the proof collected sometimes can be invalid and irrelevant in nature. It can be manipulative in nature and can divert the common public and audience. The tamper proofs sometimes appear so original that they can even confuse the law persons and the officers. Thus, it is the greatest drawback of IoT.

 

Also Read | IoT in Insurance Industry

 

Obviously, the IoT and AI should be fused with human logics and emotions in every field to deliver proper justice. Just suppose how rude it would be if the wrong person is set free and an innocent human is punished on the behalf of the crime he had done. A bad bane. Right? Therefore, precautions must be followed for the same.

 

Despite the above listed cons, IoT has a great potential in improving law enforcement and public safety. If the ethical and moral questions arising for data privacy and data security can be solved, IoT would be no less than a boon for the law officers and society.

 

At the end, concluding this blog, by saying that IoT has a huge potential in increasing the community trust and confidence in the law enforcement agencies