The following is paid content sponsored by Axon,TASER International’s technology brand
By Police1 BrandFocus Staff
Since President Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century policing issued their final report in May 2015, police departments have been urged to implement a “guardian mindset” which has in turn created a debate between civilians, public figures, and police about which persona law officers should adopt in their day-to day policing: warrior or guardian.
The fact is that both warrior and guardian policing are necessary to effectively protect our cities and towns. The guardian protects and preserves, while the warrior engages aggressively in warfare.
“Policing is one of the hardest jobs there is,” said Luke Larson, President of TASER International. “Luckily, technology is developing in a way that it can be useful in a variety of contexts, from peacekeeping to use of force.”
Cutting-edge police technology is helping officers to be both guardians and warriors by gathering and sharing real-time intel between officers and agencies while holding police and civilians accountable for every encounter and promoting visibility.
Here are some of the ways technology is making warrior and guardian policing possible.
1. Body-worn cameras
As the technology evolves, new body-worn camera features allow officers to better pursue both policing mindsets. The sleek design of some body cameras make them non-invasive, decreasing the chance the device will be a hindrance, and simple controls mean officers can focus on the task at hand instead of the camera.
What this means for Guardians: The visibility that body cameras provide allows police to preserve peace by giving the public an unbiased look at every incident, start to finish. Body cameras have been shown to lead to decreased use-of-force, positive interactions, and peace of mind from the public who demand visibility into police encounters.
What this means for Warriors: Officers who may otherwise fear their use-of-force decisions will be questioned know that – thanks to their cameras – their actions are put into context, and can therefore be found justified. This gives them the confidence to use appropriate force and end threats for the safety of themselves and potential victims.
Features like Axon’s pre-event buffer capability allow officers to retrieve video from moments before they’ve hit record, ensuring that everything leading up to an event is accounted for.
“Our cameras are built around simplicity; we’ve taken the complexity out of the camera and put it into the software, while making both simple to use,” Larson said of the Axon Flex body camera. “All [officers] have to do is double-tap a large button to know they’re recording.”
2. Cloud-based digital evidence management technology
Evidence that is automatically uploaded and organized using metadata such as case numbers and GPS information eliminates the need for officers to return to the station after an incident and wait for digital evidence to upload.
What this means for Guardians: Quick retrieval of video makes it easy for command staff to oversee officers and ensure all protocols are met and citizen complaints are addressed. Plus the time saved from automatic uploading and filing also means more resources are available for community policing efforts.
What this means for Warriors: Eliminating the need for officers to manually upload and organize hours of video also means more time is available to be spent on patrol or in training, polishing the myriad of skills it takes to be a successful officer.
3. Mobile Apps
Apps for mobile video are particularly valuable, providing efficiency to agencies and visibility to communities. Officers often use their personal smart phones to collect photo and video evidence and conduct witness interviews – but risk losing their phones to subpoenas.
The Axon Capture app collects field evidence and instantly uploads it to Evidence.com, where it is securely stored and doesn’t remain on the phone.
What this means for Guardians: Officers have the freedom to collect as much evidence as they need without fear of their own privacy being compromised. Plus, the data security brings peace of mind to victims, who can be assured that their personal statements and other crime scene evidence are protected.
Axon View is another app that syncs with an officer’s body-worn camera so that video can be viewed, replayed and tagged. The ability to replay video has proven to be a huge advantage to officers, allowing them to write accurate, detailed reports – which can be invaluable months down the road when a case goes to court.
What this means for Warriors: When officers are able to replay video after an incident, they don’t have to fear they’ll forget some of the small details along the way that prompted them to take action. From the number of onlookers to the suspect’s tone and demeanor – every detail counts when it comes to explaining an officer’s logic, which can especially come under the microscope when force is used.
4. In-car video
As communities have increasingly come to expect all police interactions to be recorded, the value of dash cam video has grown to meet the high demands of its body camera counterpart. The events before and after an incident often occur in a police vehicle.
What this means for Guardians: Once-bulky video systems are becoming flexible; soon we’ll start seeing digital evidence that can be uploaded to a secure cloud wirelessly, saving valuable time. The ability to swap cameras between squad cars without heavy installation also saves time, allowing officers to spend more time on the street and less time back at the station.
What this means for Warriors: Features like HD video, pre-event buffer and rear-facing HD cameras help piece together a fuller story so that an officer’s perspective can be relayed to command staff and the public as accurately as possible, and any use-of-force that was used in the incident can be justified.
5. Technology platforms
When it comes to technology, so often it isn’t a single product that matters most, but how an array of software and hardware come together to create seamless processes that promote efficiency and decrease the chances of human error. Now more than ever, tech providers must partner together and leverage their strengths to provide product platforms that promote transparent, smart policing.
What this means for Guardians: Police agencies are being asked to do more with less, and forward-thinking police leaders are looking for features that allow them to work together to help fulfill a multi-faceted mission: to keep officers and their jobs safe, to keep them focused on the task at hand, and simultaneously keep the public safe and at ease by helping them better understand the profession.
What this means for Warriors: When hardware and software products work together as part of a connected platform, police and prosecutors can more effectively bring criminals to trial, secure convictions, and protect the public from dangerous individuals.
The future of platforms will enable auto-recording body cameras, live-streaming video, automated redaction that can blur faces to protect identities of victims and minors, and even evidence software that can identify retention schedules so that storage budgets are met. Meanwhile, the officers and command staff aren’t hindered by the details and can focus on what is most important: their safety, their training, and their communities.
The future of policing is here, and it requires both guardian and warrior mentalities to be successful. The above technologies help officers to better navigate both simultaneously.
For more information about the Axon technologies mentioned in this article, visit www.axon.io.