In a recent excerpt that our class read entitled “Imposters and Incorrigible Rogues,” European authorities found themselves clueless as to how to discover and convict recidivists (people who were serial crime committers). They used several methods including photography for facial recognition and even evolutionary studies that related to the structure of a person’s head (Lombroso). None of the methods that were used proved to be consistently successful because criminals were smart as they would change their name, move to a different area and return with even more vengence, leaving authorities with no leads as to who could’ve possibly been a repeat offender. If during the 19th Centruy technology had been as developed as it is today, I believe that there would indeed be less crimes committed as more criminals would essentially be caught and more people who follow a criminal lifestyle would be more accepting to a change of heart. One of the new technological gadgets that is being developed and considered for production is “a laser-guided, GPS tracking system, launched from the front grille of the squad car and guided by a laser-sight targeting system.” This gadget will be used to reduce and prevent dangerous high speed chases that affect local traffic and nearby streets in all states. Police can simply attach this sticky transmitter to the criminal or suspected criminals’ car and watch his/her every move while also constructing potential plans to take down the “bad guy.” If a gadget like this was used to offset all of the hard labor that authorities put into finding the repeat offenders of the 19th century, not only would time be saved, but also the lives of the general population that was affected by the acts of these unethical individuals. Another form of technology that is being used now to find wanted criminals is Facecrook. The Bergen County Police Department(NJ) launched this website to encourage People who discover criminals to post whatever information they now anonymously. This use of social media can be beneficial to authorities because of the anonymity factor that people constantly worry about and easy use. The increasing use of social media has become such a phenomenon that police departments around the U.S. are also providing direct hotlines that any one can text to further their efforts of finding criminals at large. Any of these methods could’ve proved to be innovative and effective during the 19th Century.
For Futher Information….http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312953,00.html
http://fox8.com/2012/04/03/new-service-accepts-anonymous-texts-to-help-catch-criminals/
Travis Shillingford
Too bad they did not have facebook or social networking sites back then. If someone commited a crime in Town A…they could go to Town B C D if they moved quick enough make more robberies and then become rich. If you think about the progression of events for a robbery back then you can understand my point. Robber robs a bank in Town A, eye witnesses (all that can not be fully relied on) then the police arrive and then the sketch and the description is all wrong because no one can get their story right. And by the time that sketch is posted up around the Town and sent to other Towns this guy is long gone.
Thank God for modern day technology and Facecrook. I had never heard about this before . it would be interesting to see if long term this will lower down the crime in Bergen County. And I will bet that if it is reduced in the area it will be considered for New Jersey and if it proves to be successful over time probably adopted nationally.
One risk is that as the authorities use higher and better technology, criminals get smarter and faster as well. It will be interesting to see what the future holds.
It is no secret that technology plays a significant factor in our everyday lives within today’s society. Social media websites like Facebook serve as an efficient tool for gathering the facts. Facebook advantages are far greater than just posting pictures and keeping in touch with previous classmates, current friends and distant relatives. It is not surprising to say the least that Facebook has found its way into helping authority figures track down those individuals who have committed crimes and those who were convicted and labeled recidivists. In my opinion using technology to help solve crimes is a great and effective research tool. Technology is a way in which we as individuals come together. Everywhere you turn everyone has some sort of social media page either on Facebook or Twitter or plugged into technology with the use of either an iPod, iPhone, iPad or any other Apple device, Mac or PC for that matter. In an article titled “How Solving Media is Solving Crimes” Ned Smith states that four out of five federal agencies use various social media platforms and websites to help and assist in federal investigations. Facebook and YouTube appear to be the most widely used platforms for determining criminal activity, locations as well as identifying people. Federal investigators believe that using social media websites helps them to solve the case more quickly. I guess it’s safe to say that as time continues the significance of using social media websites for criminal investigations will continue to rise as well.
“How Solving Media is Solving Crimes” article below:
http://news.yahoo.com/solving-media-solving-crimes-143414207.html