Digital Photography and Law Enforcement

Most are familiar with law enforcement’s “Mug Shot”. Hopefully, you’re familiar with it because you watch TV or know someone who works in that field versus having had one taken of yourself after being arrested. The mug shot is probably the most well known use of photography in the law enforcement field. Another well known area where law enforcement has used photography is in the preservation of evidence. When there is a crime, law enforcement officials will send a photographer to take pictures of the scene to preserve the details in a pictorial format. Since digital photography became affordable, it has been combined with computer technology to enhance the two previously described events in law enforcement, but has also added other interesting abilities and tools for finding and capturing the bad guys.

The “mug shot”, or “booking photograph”, was invented by Allan Pinkerton in the 19th century. It is used to keep record of arrested individuals. It could then be used by other law enforcement and victims to identify them. They used to be stored in binders and files. But now, using digital photography and computers, the images are stored in a database along with all the detailed information about the individual. This information is now available 24/7, instead of only when the records office was open. The photographs and records are now being shared much more easily between cities, states and agencies.

Digital photography has had a huge impact on evidence preservation. The cost savings alone is enormous. Multiple photos can be taken at no extra cost. There is no film to buy or processing to pay for. Digital photography also makes the process much faster. No one has to wait any longer for the film to be processed and printed. The photos can be automatically uploaded to a computer where they can be immediately available anyone who has access.

Higher quality, less expensive surveillance cameras are available that can be used to monitor public areas recording crimes when they happen. These photos or videos are digital stored on computers and can later be used in court. San Antonio has recently installed several of these cameras in downtown areas that are known for crime.

Computers and digital imaging can also help catch the criminal. Databases of known criminals are maintained and cameras along with computer software capable of comparing images of people can help identify these criminals. These facial recognition systems can scan thousands of people in crowded places and notify police when one of them is identified.

Digital image quality and enhancing technology has allowed law enforcement to do amazing things to help identify perpetrators. By using imaging techniques with computer software, images can be greatly enhanced to allow improved recognition. Removing unimportant details from an image, reconstructing incomplete or broken images, and improving clarity of details can all make the job of the detectives much easier and the life of the criminal much worse.

Although digital photography in law enforcement is becoming more and more accepted, it has not come without controversy. On of the tests that the courts use to determine admissibility of evidence is that the evidence has not been altered. Digital photos are easily altered with computer software. It is important that agencies develop procedures and processes to preserve the accuracy and security of the images or the courts will not allow them to be used as evidence.

So what does the future hold for law enforcement and the use of digital photography? More ways to identify criminals amongst us is likely get a lot of attention. We should look for things such as satellites and software that can identify people on the ground by the shape and movement of their shadows. The use of digital imaging and biometrics to identify people will continue to grow to new heights. And of course, we should probably look forward to all the controversy that will surround it regarding privacy issues.