Using Video Surveillance Technology by Law Enforcement

Using Video Surveillance Technology by Law Enforcement
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Using Video Surveillance Technology by Law Enforcement
Over the last decade, technology has been improved at an extraordinary rate reaching an advanced level. Virtually all departments in different countries utilize one or two concepts of technology. Among the societal aspects is security, which calls for an urgent and appropriate action. Security is one major challenge in many nations, especially the developed ones that are still looking up to exploring other sectors with an aim of maintaining their current level. Technological development is evident in many areas, with different people having access to the knowledge. Research shows that currently, the most threatening and troublesome thugs have advanced knowledge in technology (Ratcliffe, 2006). The same is true with other criminals like drug barons. Other individuals who have advanced and improved the application of technological knowledge are serial killers in different states and nations. Others are terrorists who have also devised a means of tracking their enemies. Research reveals that the former Western enemy, the late Osama Bin Laden had a lot of technological knowhow and could easily locate his enemies and bring them down at his own time. If it were not for his smartness in technology, reaching the World Trade Center would have remained a dream (Dempsey, 2010). Amidst the well-trained US security personnel, he managed to bring down a big part of the great New York City down leaving many people dead and injured. For this reason, security organizations and personnel have taken a step to come up with appropriate and relevant ways of curbing criminal activities and ensuring that state laws or constitutions are followed to the latter. This essay will look into one of the mostly used technology by most law enforcement personnel or police officers, Video surveillance (Ratcliffe, 2006). Video surveillance is mainly done using the device commonly known as CCTV (Closed Circuit Television).
CCTVs have become common device or necessity in public places such as city or town streets where pedestrians walk, public or national parks, parking areas, hotels and cafeterias, public transport areas such as airports, stadiums, movie theatres, learning institutions and big or executive offices. CCTV is a system whereby a given number of video cameras are placed strategically and connected in a closed loop or circuit.
Current CCTV installations have cameras that are connected to control rooms where individual operators watch televisions keeping the track of all the processes that take place within the boundary of the location or area being surveyed. Many of the CCTVs are equipped with recording facilities or selected images within the focus. The devices are also equipped with image multiplex recording system, whereby camera-to-camera switching of images is possible enabling o...