The problem
While there have been significant advancements in some types of law enforcement technologies, such as DNA identification and forensic analysis, several major categories of crime lack the technologies necessary to enforce the law. For example, investigations for traffic accidents can often close roads and disrupt the travel of thousands of people. “White-collar crimes” of many types are typically difficult to detect and therefore prosecute. Even when it is known that criminal fraud has taken place, it is often not clear who were the perpetrators and who were unknowing accomplices. Moreover, the growing phenomenon of cybercrime proceeds with minimal detection or prosecution. Better detection and evidence gathering technologies are essential for a fair and equitable society, and for the public’s confidence in the administration of justice.
Importance and scale
Crime imperils the integrity and therefore the effective operation of both the financial marketplaces and the Internet itself. Better detection and evidence gathering technologies are essential for a fair and equitable society, and for the public’s confidence in the administration of justice.
A technology whose demand is really being driven by government agencies, like law enforcement and border control, is biometric scan technology. In fact, the US has created a new office known as the Office of Biometric Identity Management to support Homeland Security in the areas of travel and trade. Biometric authentication intended to be rolled out for transportation workers and merchants for increased security and to prevent unlawful movement.
In North America, Biometrics is a $11.1 billion market (based on 2018 figures), and most of its revenue comes from government agencies, which make up 61.8% of the revenues. While privacy concerns may hinder this market, the level of security associated with biometrics makes the technology attractive. Interoperability and the price sensitive nature of government customers are described as two main concerns for this market.
Tackling cybercrime is a major problem for law enforcement due to the likelihood of remote criminal activity and available technologies that allow criminals to obfuscate who and where they are. In the US, Internet Crime Complaint Centre (IC3), part of the FBI, has seen the loses from cybercrime rise from $800.5 million in 2014 to $2.706 billion in 2018.
Since law enforcement agencies are physically investigating crime scenes, it may not be surprising they are also a large customer base for DNA forensic testing. In the US, law enforcement agencies make up 41.4% of the revenues for forensic labs, making them the second highest customer base. The forensic DNA testing industry generates $3.3 billion in revenue each year in the US.
Additional project details
More information about this project will be shared during the kickoff meeting. Students will receive all the details they need at that time.