American Indian Report - June 2008 - (Page 10)

ART A FEW YEARS AGO, the must-have tools for police departments were laptops and mobile data terminals for patrol cars, software to automate dispatch and records management systems for the back office. Today, the buzz products are auto vehicle locators, guns with digital cams attached, hand-held thermal imaging devices, vehicle voice command systems, night vision imaging devices and robots. Technology is one of those things a police force should never be behind on, not if it can improve its ability to protect lives and property. But it’s not always easy to keep pace with it. It’s a fast-moving curve and funding is not always plentiful enough to purchase it. That’s the reality for most of nation’s police departments. In Indian Country, it’s tougher to keep up. About a decade ago, most tribal departments did not even have the basics, like patrol cars and radios. Some are still without them. Thus here, it’s about catching up to what agencies serving off-reservation cities and towns have. With technologies evolving at the speed of light, will it ever catch up? Thanks to more federal and state funding opportunities and economic development in tribal communities, particularly the emergence of casinos, there are more of these time- and life-saving tools than ever before in tribal departments. In fact, several have technologies that are super cutting-edge. n Catching up with the Curve Law Enforcement Technology in Indian Country: By Michelle Tirado 10 June 2008 American Indian Report

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of American Indian Report - June 2008

American Indian Report - June 2008 Contents Ethics & Standards of Conduct: Governing Work Habits of Elected Officials Congress: Activity on the Hill Catching Up with the Curve Grants: Police Equipment Assistance from the Federal Government The Pottery Project Neighbors Helping Neighbors Where They Belong Spreading the Word “Poverty is Not a Part of Our Culture” Strategic Planning: Step 1 — An Assessment of Now Saving the Samala Language

American Indian Report - June 2008

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