Giving Compass' Take:

• Police departments across the country are using smart tech to improve public safety, but critics worry that they may infringe on civil rights.

• How can philanthropy support the implementation of effective and fair tech? 

• Find out how better policing can lower the crime rate. 

Autonomous cars and dockless scooters might top the current buzz-worthy smart city innovations list, but cities are advancing in countless ways not related to those trends, or even to transportation. Police departments are one municipal entity adding technological advances that sometimes slip under the public radar.

Perhaps the most widely known technology advancing in the police space is body cameras, which complement the more limited police cruiser dashcam. About one-third of the active law enforcement agencies in the U.S. use or are looking into the devices. The Chicago Police Department announced late last year that all 7,000 of its patrol officers have been outfitted with bodycams, making it the largest single deployment of the devices in the country.

Police are also exploring innovations such as drones, which, according to a recent study, have seen an 82% increase in use by public safety agencies in just the last year. Hartford, CT uses the devices as part of its expanded surveillance program to chase fleeing suspects and track down stolen vehicles. Louisville, KY submitted an application to the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to deploy drones where the city's new ShotSpotter technology has detected gun shots.

Just as with other smart technologies, those that police departments adopt come with varying levels of public hesitation and concern. Law enforcement officials report engaging in extensive educational processes to test and use the products in ways that protect citizens’ security and civil liberties. Departments might draw up their own guidelines for use, defer to the city’s technology use standards, or collaborate with other city leaders to draw up mutually agreeable conditions.

Read the full article about police adopting smart tech by Katie Pyzyk at Smart Cities Dive.