scholarly journals Enhancing camera surveillance using computer vision: a research note

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 292-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haroon Idrees ◽  
Mubarak Shah ◽  
Ray Surette
Keyword(s):  
Computer Vision ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Police Department ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Surveillance Camera ◽  
Surveillance Cameras ◽  
Computer Vision Technology ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The growth of police operated surveillance cameras has out-paced the ability of humans to monitor them effectively. Computer vision is a possible solution. An ongoing research project on the application of computer vision within a municipal police department is described. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach Following the demystification of computer vision technology, its potential for police agencies is developed within a focus on computer vision as a solution for two common surveillance camera tasks (live monitoring of multiple surveillance cameras and summarizing archived video files). Three unaddressed research questions (can specialized computer vision applications for law enforcement be developed at this time, how will computer vision be utilized within existing public safety camera monitoring rooms, and what are the system-wide impacts of a computer vision capability on local criminal justice systems) are considered. Findings Despite computer vision becoming accessible to law enforcement agencies the impact of computer vision has not been discussed or adequately researched. There is little knowledge of computer vision or its potential in the field. Originality/value This paper introduces and discusses computer vision from a law enforcement perspective and will be valuable to police personnel tasked with monitoring large camera networks and considering computer vision as a system upgrade.

Measuring the impact of police representativeness on communities

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 773-790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maren B. Trochmann ◽  
Angela Gover
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Use Of Force ◽  
Police Department ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Police Departments ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Us ◽  
Community Conflict ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the representativeness of police departments, i.e. the extent to which the demographics of sworn police officers mirror their local constituency’s demographic makeup, has an effect on communities. The study seeks to explain whether community complaints about police use of force are related to the representativeness of the police department. Design/methodology/approach The study examines the relationships between use of force complaints lodged against a police department and the representativeness of the police vis-à-vis their community using ordinary least squares regression and city fixed-effects models. The stratified sample of 100 large US cities uses data from the US Census Equal Employment Opportunity Survey and the Bureau of Justice Statistics Law Enforcement Management and Administration Statistics Survey from several points-in-time. Findings The analysis suggests that racial makeup and, to a lesser extent, local residency of police departments might matter in reducing community conflict with police, as represented by use of force complaints. However, the fixed-effects model suggests that unobserved community-level characteristics and context matter more than police departments’ representativeness. Originality/value This study seeks to provide a unique perspective and empirical evidence on community conflict with police by integrating the public administration theory of representative bureaucracy with criminal justice theories of policing legitimacy. The findings have implications for urban policing as well as law enforcement human capital and public management practices, which is essential to understand current crises in police-citizen relations in the US, especially in minority communities.

Officers' perceptions regarding the unexpected effects of body-worn cameras

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 390-402
Author(s):  
Jordan C. Pickering
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThroughout the last decade, a number of empirical studies have assessed the effectiveness of body-worn cameras (BWCs) among law enforcement agencies across the United States. The purpose of this paper is to examine officers' perceptions regarding the impact this technology has had on police-community relations, as well as the working relationship between police and other actors in the criminal justice system (e.g. prosecutors, jurors).Design/methodology/approachThe author conducted focus groups with officers (n = 89) from two local law enforcement agencies in California that had adopted BWCs in recent years. Participating officers discussed advantages and disadvantages they associated with BWCs, as well as how BWCs have impacted their relationship with the public and justice system personnel.FindingsOfficers recognized advantages to using BWCs, including the potential for positive changes in police behavior and the ability to protect officers against false citizen complaints. Officers also identified a number of disadvantages (or consequences) they associate with BWCs, such as the depreciation of credibility behind an officer's word and the impact of video footage on prosecutorial decision-making.Originality/valuePrior studies have gathered officers' perceptions regarding BWCs, but very few have assessed whether and how the use of this technology by law enforcement influences other actors within the criminal justice system. The findings from this study may prompt further empirical consideration regarding BWCs, especially with regard to whether police use of this technology significantly impacts citizens' trust in the police and how their use may impact prosecutorial and juror decision-making.

Contrasting emotional labor and burnout in civilian and sworn law enforcement personnel

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 314-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian T. Adams ◽  
Sharon H. Mastracci
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Emotional Exhaustion ◽  
Emotional Labor ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Police Department ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Law Enforcement Personnel ◽  
Civilian Employees ◽  
Sheriff's Department

PurposeThis study introduces emotional labor into an analysis of multiple dimensions of burnout in sworn and civilian employees across three law enforcement agencies.Design/methodology/approachUsing data from a survey of law enforcement employees in a metropolitan police department, a full-service sheriff's department, and a state corrections agency located in the western United States (n = 1,921), we test the explanatory power of an emotional labor-based model of burnout.FindingsResults partially confirm the lone prior study to examine civilian and sworn personnel. Sworn and civilian employees experience variant levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, though the underlying emotional labor correlates are significantly related to burnout for both groups. Further, we extend prior results by capturing multiple facets of burnout as well as contributing an emotional labor explanation for burnout, while controlling for individual demographic characteristics and agency type.Research limitations/implicationsLaw enforcement agencies rely upon non-sworn employees to support their missions. The experience of non-sworn law enforcement personnel is under-researched in both the emotional labor and law enforcement organizational literature. Burnout is a phenomenon that has high costs for both employees and organizations, particularly in the law enforcement context. Investigating the emotional labor experience of employees is critical for practitioners who are tasked with effectively managing both groups.Originality/valueOne previous study has investigated the emotional labor of civilians in law enforcement and used community-level predictions for burnout. This study builds on those findings by capturing two facets of burnout rather than the lone gauge of burnout used in the previous study. Furthermore, we use an emotional labor model to investigate emotional exhaustion and depersonalization reported by sworn and civilian personnel.

Money laundering through raw diamonds

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian Maximilian Johannes Teichmann ◽  
Marie-Christin Falker
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Money Laundering ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Compliance Officers ◽  
German Speaking ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Combat Money Laundering

Purpose This paper aims to illustrate how illegally obtained funds are laundered through raw diamonds in Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Design/methodology/approach To identify specific money laundering techniques involving raw diamonds, this study used a qualitative content analysis of data collected from 60 semi-standardized interviews with both criminals and prevention experts and a quantitative survey of 200 compliance officers. Findings Raw diamonds are extraordinarily suitable for money laundering in European German-speaking countries. In particular, they may be used in all three stages of the laundering process, namely, placement, layering and integration. Research limitations/implications Because the qualitative findings are based on semi-standardized interviews, their insights are limited to the perspectives of the 60 interviewees. Practical implications Identifying gaps in existing anti-money laundering mechanisms should provide compliance officers, law enforcement agencies and legislators with valuable insights into how criminals operate. Originality/value While prior studies focus on the methods used by organizations to combat money laundering and how to improve anti-money laundering measures, this paper investigates how money launderers operate to avoid detection, thereby illustrating authentic experiences. Its findings provide valuable insights into the minds of money launderers and combines criminal perspective with that of prevention experts.

How do social skills enable nascent entrepreneurs to enact perseverance strategies in the face of challenges? A comparative case study of success and failure

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 517-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wadid Lamine ◽  
Sarfraz Mian ◽  
Alain Fayolle
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
New Technology ◽  
New Ventures ◽  
Nascent Entrepreneurs ◽  
Entrepreneurial Process ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Start Up ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – This paper seeks to advance ongoing research in entrepreneurial perseverance. While the concept of perseverance is not new, few researchers paid attention to behavioural persistence in the entrepreneurial context. The purpose of this paper is to explore the emergence of new technology based firms (NTBF) by focusing on the role of nascent entrepreneurs’ social skills in the meeting the changes of entrepreneurial perseverance. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper the authors study the start-up phase of entrepreneurial process. The authors opted for a longitudinal case study approach in order to enhance the knowledge on entrepreneurs’ social skills and perseverance. For triangulation purpose the data were gathered using four different information sources. The use of Nvivo8 as the data analysis tool helped to impose a discipline and structure which facilitated the extraction of core insights. Findings – This paper contributes to the understanding of the entrepreneurial perseverance in the context of new venture creation. Particularly, reading the entrepreneurial process through the lens of the perseverance strategies model (Van Gelderen, 2012) provided a way to identify and then to assess the impact of the social skills on the overall entrepreneurial perseverance and their combined impact on the performance of NTBF creation process. In doing so, the authors identify the impact of entrepreneurs’ social skills to deal with a series of entrepreneurial problems such as scarcity of resources, uncertainty and ambiguity and consequently their impact on the likelihood of survival for new ventures. The issues that arose mostly reflected the inherent complexity of technology transfer processes, the university and entrepreneurs’ diverging cultures, and the very characteristics of the start-up phase of NTBFs. The findings reveal how social skills impact the entrepreneurial paths and probable outcomes. Research limitations/implications – This paper contributes to the understanding of the entrepreneurial perseverance in the context of NTBF creation. The findings reveal how social skills and perseverance impact the entrepreneurial paths and probable outcomes. Practical implications – The paper has implications for entrepreneurial support mechanisms such as technology business incubators in helping them to improve the efficacy and efficiency of their assistance to entrepreneurs through the development of their skill-sets and perseverance and providing enabling networking. In addition, the research has implications for entrepreneurship education and training. Indeed, there is an urgent need to design and implement courses and programs aiming at developing soft skills in entrepreneurship. Originality/value – In exploring networking and issues of perseverance for nascent entrepreneurs operating in new technology-based sectors, which the authors consider as an under searched area in entrepreneurial literature.

FATCA violation underlies latest US tax and securities fraud charges

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-76
Author(s):  
Miriam Fisher ◽  
Brian McManus
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Tax Compliance ◽  
Financial Fraud ◽  
Securities Fraud ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – To explain the details and implications of a September 9, 2014 federal indictment, US v. Robert Bandfield, the first time a Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) violation has been charged as an “overt act” in furtherance of a tax conspiracy and securities fraud. Design/methodology/approach – Provides background, including the enactment of FATCA and the details of the indictment; describes an undercover investigation conducted by President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force; and discusses the warnings this indictment sends to the global financial community. Findings – The indictment confirms the coordinated and aggressive tactics US law enforcement is now employing to investigate and prosecute offshore financial fraud. Practical implications – Banks and financial service providers need to be aware of the impact of enhanced US regulatory obligations and implement appropriate compliance measures. These institutions must also remain sensitive to risks presented by unscrupulous customers. Finally, they must be ready to manage appropriately information-gathering and investigatory inquiries originating with US authorities. Originality/value – Practical guidance from experienced tax controversy lawyers.

Measuring Complexity: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Approach

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 380-391
Author(s):  
John C. Reed ◽  
George E. Higgins
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Organizational Change ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Police Department ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Policies And Procedures ◽  
Confirmatory Factor

This study examines complexity as a measure of support for organizational redirection. This study considers whether 16 items (culture, mission, values, decentralization, policies and procedures, administrative reporting practices, weapons, contract, pay, benefits, patrol boundaries, equalization of workload, size of boundaries, communications, 10-codes, and car numbers) appropriately characterized a suppressed measure of complexity related to complex organizational change, a police department merger. The current study utilizes data collected from 390 sworn officers from two merged law enforcement agencies in Kentucky. The results of the structural equation model analysis supported the view that four factors (mission, logistics, benefits, and policy) fashion an underlying construct for measuring complexity related to organizational change/redirection. The implications of these findings are also considered.

scholarly journals The Protection of the Rights to Life and Health in Emergencies: An Examination of the Handling of Covid-19 Pandemic in Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-279
Author(s):  
BONTUR LUGARD Sunday
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
World War Ii ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Video Camera ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Continuous Training ◽  
Moral Duties ◽  
Entire Society ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact

The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) is inarguably the most disrupting occurrence in human affairs since the World War II. This virus left governments, communities and systems with the legal, social and moral duties to protect from its impacts. However, some of the approaches adopted towards protecting the victims, potential victims, and the entire society, especially in Nigeria, caused more harm than the disease itself. This work reviews the impact of the curtailment measures adopted by governments in Nigeria and their adverse bearing on human rights, especially the right to life as a sacrosanct and universal right. It further examines how law enforcement agencies’ operations - within the confines of the institutional and international best practices - their non-adherence to the rules of engagement or principles of ethical operations have resulted in the violation of human rights, rather than protecting them. It also analyses the impact of the virus on the right to health and access to medical facilities in times of emergencies in Nigeria and concludes that both rights were either violated or not realized within the context of the ‘war’ against the COVID-19 pandemic. This work advocates for the continuous training on human rights responsibilities of law enforcement agents, a more rigorous recruitment process with a minimum qualification from school certificate to ordinary national diploma, the use of video camera in the course of operations, among others that would help safeguard the rights of citizens in times of emergencies like the COVID-19.

scholarly journals Criminal networks analysis in missing data scenarios through graph distances

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0255067
Author(s):  
Annamaria Ficara ◽  
Lucia Cavallaro ◽  
Francesco Curreri ◽  
Giacomo Fiumara ◽  
Pasquale De Meo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Incomplete Data ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Criminal Networks ◽  
Criminal Organizations ◽  
Edge Removal ◽  
Graph Distances ◽  
Intentional Deception ◽  
Node Removal ◽  
The Impact

Data collected in criminal investigations may suffer from issues like: (i) incompleteness, due to the covert nature of criminal organizations; (ii) incorrectness, caused by either unintentional data collection errors or intentional deception by criminals; (iii) inconsistency, when the same information is collected into law enforcement databases multiple times, or in different formats. In this paper we analyze nine real criminal networks of different nature (i.e., Mafia networks, criminal street gangs and terrorist organizations) in order to quantify the impact of incomplete data, and to determine which network type is most affected by it. The networks are firstly pruned using two specific methods: (i) random edge removal, simulating the scenario in which the Law Enforcement Agencies fail to intercept some calls, or to spot sporadic meetings among suspects; (ii) node removal, modeling the situation in which some suspects cannot be intercepted or investigated. Finally we compute spectral distances (i.e., Adjacency, Laplacian and normalized Laplacian Spectral Distances) and matrix distances (i.e., Root Euclidean Distance) between the complete and pruned networks, which we compare using statistical analysis. Our investigation identifies two main features: first, the overall understanding of the criminal networks remains high even with incomplete data on criminal interactions (i.e., when 10% of edges are removed); second, removing even a small fraction of suspects not investigated (i.e., 2% of nodes are removed) may lead to significant misinterpretation of the overall network.

scholarly journals THE PLACE OF ADMINISTRATIVE LAW STANDARDS IN THE LEGAL SYSTEM PRINCIPLES OF INTERACTION OF JUDICIAL EXPERT INSTITUTIONS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES

2020 ◽  
pp. 258-264
Author(s):  
А. О. Полянський
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Public Relations ◽  
Legal Status ◽  
Legal Regulation ◽  
Administrative Law ◽  
Legal Basis ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Legal Principles ◽  
Forensic Institutions ◽  
The Impact

The relevance of the article is that the effectiveness and efficiency of interaction between forensic agencies and law enforcement agencies depends on many factors, one of which is a properly "constructed" system of legal acts. At the same time, the special nature of the interaction of these entities, the attraction of its content to the administrative and legal sphere, as well as the specifics of forensic institutions and law enforcement agencies in general necessitates a detailed review of legal principles in this area and determining the place of administrative and legal regulation. The purpose of the article is to establish a system of legal bases for the interaction of forensic institutions with law enforcement agencies, as well as to determine the place of administrative and legal regulation among them. It is established that the legal basis of interaction of forensic institutions with law enforcement agencies is a system of regulations and their provisions governing the legal status of forensic institutions and law enforcement agencies, as well as the content and procedure of interaction of these entities. It is proved that administrative-legal regulation is a type of branch of the general-legal category of legal regulation, which occurs with the help of administrative law and determines the impact of law on public relations of a special nature arising from the activities of public administration. That is, we are talking about the relationship of power and management influence that prevails in the work of public authorities, local governments and so on. This is a purposeful, comprehensive, streamlining impact of law on public relations in the sphere of government, which occurs through the rules of administrative law, which are part of the system of legal principles outlined above. It is emphasized that the legal basis for the interaction of forensic institutions and law enforcement agencies have an administrative and legal basis, which is expressed in a large number of rules of administrative law, enshrined in regulations of various legal force. This situation is due to the fact that the norms of this branch of law determine: the administrative and legal status of forensic institutions and law enforcement agencies; functions, powers and tasks assigned to law enforcement agencies and forensic institutions; mechanisms of interaction of forensic institutions and law enforcement agencies in performing their functions defined by law; organizational and practical goals of this interaction; etc.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document