Research Links Technology With Decline in Crime
After decades of soaring statistics, crime in the U.S. has plunged. According to a new report from the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law1, in the last quarter century crime on both a national and city level dropped dramatically and remain near historic lows. Is the digital revolution driving this downward trend?
Over the last two decades, technology has fundamentally changed the way people connect, altering the risks and rewards of criminal behavior and making it harder to commit crimes. Nowhere is this more evident than New York City. The city’s 80% drop in crime over the last 26 years represents the largest crime decline on record.
NYPD chief of crime control strategies Dermot Shea attributes the new lows to the department’s ability to better track crime patterns, which comes down to improvements in technology and good, old-fashioned police work.2
Technology Assists Law Enforcement
In many precincts, hunches and gut feelings are being replaced by “predictive policing” in successfully suppressing criminal behavior. Predictive policing is the use of data collection, analysis, and technology to track existing trends and conditions and develop efficient and effective strategies to suppress crime. CompStat, the system used by NYPD since 1994, uses data-crunching algorithms and analysis to monitor trends across the city, helping officers combat crime and improve the quality of life for everyone in New York City.
Personal surveillance provides guardianship over ourselves and our environment. Body-worn cameras have helped reduce escalation of conflict around police searches and arrests, by moderating the behavior of both the police and those they are dealing with.
The proliferation of cell phones in society has increased the surveillance ability of civilians, putting them within a finger-swipe of 9-1-1. The risk of being caught is increased exponentially with this technology, raising potential offender’s apprehension and perceived costs of crime.
Technology Key In Crime Prevention
When it comes to hardening the target, simple changes can make an enormous difference. One the biggest drops among all crime categories, in New York and a throughout the U.S. has been in auto theft. Technologies like car immobilizers, key fobs, central locking and tracking devices have made stealing cars more difficult, less lucrative and more likely to land a perpetrator in jail.
The same thing is true for home and business security technologies. For business owners, property managers and residents, security systems provide a feeling of safety, knowing it is designed to react and prevent break-ins. Smart technology has completely transformed the way we protect and monitor our homes and businesses. Making it possible to stop crimes before they happen and create a greater sense of safety and security.