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Communication and Technology

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Communication and Technology
Carlos LR
CJA 304
September 9, 2013
Michael O'C

Communication and Technology
Specialized databases in the criminal justice system
According to "History of Fingerprints" (n.d.), in 1901, Sir Edward Henry, an Inspector General of Police in Bengal, India, develops the first system of classifying fingerprints. This system of classifying fingerprints was first adopted as the official system in England, and eventually spread throughout the world. Since then there has been an enormous leap forward on the process used for identifying a person through finger prints.
The process went from a lengthy detail examination of a finger print under a magnifying glass; to taking a person finger prints through a Live Scan machine and waiting for the results to return in the matter of seconds. It was not until 1905 that the United States Armed Forces adopted the finger print as a valid form of identification. It was subsequently use by police agencies. By 1980, the first computer database of fingerprints was developed in the United States. It was known as the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, (AFIS). In the present day, there are nearly 70 million cards, or nearly 700 million individual fingerprints entered in AFIS (AFIS. n.d.).
Specialized Databases
Firefighters, emergency medical services, and law enforcement personnel depend on receiving accurate and prompt information to perform their duties. Radio communications are limited to only convey information verbally, and dispatchers can only transmit information to one officer at the time.
Today, technological advances have made it easier for police departments to identify people through a series of databases that contain people’s personal and criminal history as well as photographic images, finger prints, and Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
Mobile Data Terminals (MDT)
It was not until the 1980s that these new technologies were available to law enforcement personnel. MDTs were place on patrol vehicles during this period. At first, only small text messages were transmitted.
MDTs have been adopted by most police agencies nationwide and through the use of Internet and modern computers any type of information is accessible, making easier for officers to determine who the interviewed is, and if he or she has anything pending with the law (Jerrad. 2010).
Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) The Automated Fingerprint Identification System provides the opportunity to search unidentified fingerprints and palm prints developed in cases in which the subject is unknown and to identify a subject whose true identity is in question. There are three separate systems that work under the same concept and are widely use throughout the country (AFIS. n.d.).
• The Secret Service Automated Fingerprint and Palm Print Identification System (AFIS)
• FBI's Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS)
• National Capital Region Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NCRAFIS)
The automated databases are populated by fingerprints and palm print records scanned electronically by live-scan booking stations or taken with black printer's ink. The databases reveal any derogatory information associated to the fingerprints taken (AFIS. n.d.). Live Scan
Live-scan is a system that electronically captures fingerprints and palm prints without using black fingerprint ink. The live-scan technology will provide a clean digitized scan of the fingerprints and palm prints that will be electronically transmitted to the FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) for an automated search against over 47,000,000 criminal fingerprint records (Live Scan. n.d.).
Facial Recognition
According to the Facial Recognition website (n.d.), this system is critical to protect national security as it quickly identifies people through iris and face recognition. It facilitates screening of people at airports and other locations. An operator captures the iris and facial images of an individual for matching with previously captured images or, if there is no match, for storing in a database for future reference. If the image matches up with another, relevant information of the individual fingerprints, criminal history, active warrants, and immigration records will pop onto the computer screen. If the individual had a history of violence, officers would know early on to isolate that person from the general population (Facial Recognition. n.d.).

Positive and Negative Effects of New Technologies on Communication The positive effects of all new technologies are tangible. Information is readily available to law enforcement, positive identification of people is faster and more accurate, and officer safety is higher. Monitoring and analyzing certain information can help develop intelligence that could prevent criminal activity and potential terrorist threats.
The negative effects of new technologies on communications are also tangible. Some of these systems are invasive, violate basic expectation of privacy and are border-line civil right violations. From full body scans at airports, to facial recognition systems, and as of present time courtesy of the NSA even private information such as e-mail, web search history, and social media activity are monitored and available to certain federal law enforcement agencies. The expectation of privacy of people is at risk when governmental agencies have so much access to data.
Which New Specialized Technologies You Might Want to Use? All the available systems are valuable sources of intelligence and they would be of great assistance to identify people, gather evidence, information, and secure more prosecutions. However, the potential for invasion of privacy and misuse of these powers are highly probable. Perhaps these technologies should be use only when there is reasonable suspicion of criminal activity, and not randomly without any consent from people.

References
AFIS. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://dhsconnect.dhs.gov/org/comp/usss/Pages/AFIS.aspx
Facial Recognition. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://epic.org/privacy/facerecognition/
History of Fingerprints. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.crimescene-forensics.com/History_of_Fingerprints.html
Jerrad, J. (2010). Going Mobile. Retrieved from http://www.lawofficer.com/article/technology-and-communications/going-mobile-0
Live Scan. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://dhsconnect.dhs.gov/org/comp/usss/Pages/Live-Scan.aspx
Mobile Data for Public Safety. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.911dispatch.com/info/mobiledata.html

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