Discussion: Safety, Rights, and Trust

Week Six Discussion: Safety, Rights, and Trust

THIS IS ONLY TO BE USED AS A GUIDE TO HELP YOU FORM YOUR WORK….

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning

from failure” (Colin Powell, 2013, Philosiblog).

Smart police uniforms able to monitor and report on officers' stress levels and their

surrounding environment, driverless patrols, and virtual reality (biometrics) are only a few of the

possibilities that the near future holds for law enforcement. From bodycams to retina scans that

can I.D. someone or tell if they are intoxicated; the future of law enforcement is going to be full

of new technology in our digital world.

Explain how new technology can increase transparency and citizens in law enforcement?

The use of new technology in law enforcement has proven its positive results in the past. For

instance, DNA evidence has completely altered how the public feels about and trusts police

when it comes to “catching the bad guy”. The more technology advances the more chances for

citizens to realize that law enforcement is only trying to convict the correct person for the crime

they have committed. Bodycams are another way police are proving to the public that they are

just trying to uphold and enforce the law. They are showing that they have nothing to hide and

the officers who are not following the rules are being dealt with accordingly. How many of us can?

say we would want to be monitored via a camera our entire workday? We as citizens need to

respect and understand that if they are willing to change their ways of policing, then we need to

be willing to change our views.

How can new technology erode trust in law enforcement?

Technology is invented and designed by human beings, so, it will never be a flawless way to

protect the law. Besides when there are defects in these new ways of enforcing the law, they

need to be corrected. For example, the bias programming with facial recognition software. Here

in the U.S., the system does not distinguish between African American face algorithms correctly.

This is fixable, pricy, but can be rectified. In the meantime, though, it will only complicate and

cause more resentment and anger towards police in certain communities.

How does new technology complicate or clarify your perception of the balance between public trust and public safety?

This is a subject matter that since the horrific day of September 11, 2001, I have gradually

changed my view on little by little. I have always been a firm believer in less government control

and the more state control the better. Our Constitutional Rights need to not only be protected,

preserved, and valued but fought for. Our biggest responsibility and duty as American citizens

are to do so; against our government if need be. It is a hard question to answer, how do we find

the line between the overall safety of people (the government's responsibility) and the people’s

Constitutional Rights (e.g., privacy)? The only thing I can say to this is the future is not what the

Forefathers could have ever of foreseen and privacy other than in our own homes might just

be nonexistent in our new technical world. We will have to adapt.

References

Powell, C. (2013, October 15). Home of the examined life: quotes. Philosiblog. Retrieved from

https://philosblog.com/2013/10/15/there-are-no-secrets-to-success-it-is-the-result-ofpreparation-hard-work-learning-from-failure/

EFF. (2017, October 24). Street-level surveillance: Face recognition. Retrieved from

https://www.eff.org/pages/face-recognition

Find Biometrics. (2021). Facial recognition. Received from

https://findbiometrics.com/solutions/facial-recognition/

https://www.rpc.senate.gov/imo/media/image/Facial-Recognition.png

https://1gew6o3qn6vx9kp3s42ge0y1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wpcontent/uploads/prod/sites/5/2020/03/facialrecognition-1536x864.png