Introduction
Communication is very important in relaying information amongst a group of individuals, officers, and or organizations. In the process of communication, it is always important that the means used should be understood by both the senders and the recipients of information being relayed. This paper gives a description of the appropriate process an officer should follow when in the process of communicating with another officer, department, and or the dispatch center after or before the occurrence of an incident. It also examines the use of technology in the communication process and further looks at the potential technological advancement that will be used in the communication process in the future.
The process of communication
Within a formal setting, there is always a chain of command to be followed by all relevant personnel. This chain of command constitutes the process to be followed by an officer when in the process of communicating with another officer, department, or an organization’s dispatch center before and after the occurrence of an incident. Before an incident, an officer will only communicate to a fellow officer or the dispatch center; after having the correct information on where the incident is to occur and the likely person to commit the incident.
This will enable other officers to relay the same information either to the rest of the officers or the dispatch center where necessary. In this case, communication takes place through the wired process in which the officers present in the likely area of crime are alerted to take precautionary measures to deal with the suspect or suspects. However, after an incident has occurred, the officer-involved informs the relevant officers via available communication technologies about the incident. Or the information can be relayed to the dispatch center where the decision to send an investigator to the scene of the incident may be resolved.
Technological tools in the communication process
One of the technological tools that might be used in the communication process is a mobile application for the officers. There are several mobile communication technologies used by officers. These mobile technologies include the use and implementation of PDA, the 3G network set up, Mobile Data Terminal, mobile phones, and personal radios which are in most cases used by response teams as they use automobiles, especially vehicles. The use of mobile communication technology has made communication more effective and has enabled easy coordination amongst all the officers and their relevant departments (Wakefield, 2009).
The use of internet communication technology has also been vital in the operations and interpersonal communication amongst the officers. The use of the internet has also contributed towards making the works and coordination amongst the officers to be effective and efficient. The nature of work done by the officers requires quick relay of information from any part of the nation, and in a broader sense, from any part of the world (Fetterman, 2001).
The use of the internet has ensured the possibility of relaying information to any department, officer, or dispatch center from any location and with high speed. Amongst other communication technologies are faxes and telephone technologies. Though some of them are old, they are relevant to the work of the officers since they help them in communicating especially in less developed areas where mobile network is a problem.
How the current technology might be used to communicate more effectively within the various areas of criminal justice
Several convicted criminals need constant police monitoring techniques. The techniques used should be able to relay information about the whereabout of such criminals and what they are doing. This will enable the chip to communicate the activities of the convicts. For instance, chronic child sexual predators placed on probation can be implanted with the chip so that any of their forbidden moves can be electronically monitored (Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India, Microsoft Corporation, 2000).
Mobile phones can be used to relay information to officers present where crime is suspected to occur. This saves time that would have been spent by officers if they were located in a far place. Besides, mobile technology can also be used to track criminals wherever they are; this is especially effective where the streets are lined with surveillance cameras that capture all the activities within the streets in which they are located (Hewitt& Regoli, 2009).
The use of the internet can also be used to share criminal information about a criminal or convict. In this case, information can be relayed to all relevant departments of the police and therefore help in tracking the criminal record of a criminal. For instance, the number of criminal incidences an arrested criminal might have committed before, the place of commission, and the nature of crimes committed. The use of the internet also facilitates the interchange of files between relevant departments and the court during trial proceedings against a suspected criminal.
Future technologies to be used in furthering communication
It is possible that in the future the criminal justice system will make use of the internet to pass judgment or convict suspected criminals without necessarily presenting them in court. In this case, the prosecutors, the judges, suspects, and the advocates will not have to be present in a physical courtroom to initiate court proceedings. All these people may be located in different places such as buildings or town centers but within legally specified jurisdictions. Moreover, the communication process may also involve the exchange of written statements via a chat room or real-time email messages. If this happens, it will be a great breakthrough in the criminal justice system; the communication will be fast and real-time and without interferences that may arise in a physical court (Siegel, 2008).
Conclusion
The process of communication amongst officers is vital in terms of coordinating activities within the criminal justice system. The communication should always be in a manner that every concerned individual officer comprehends. It is also important that officers have their codified means of communication which are not understood by the members of the general public. The officers have made use of technological advancements such as the police mobile phone, faxes, telephones, and specifically the internet.
There are also possibilities that there will be new technologies in the future to facilitate communication in the justice system. This may include a situation where court proceedings are conducted outside the court and the parties involved may be located in different places. Other technological innovations may also mean the improvement of the currently existing communication technologies. This may redefine the criminal justice system landscape.
References
Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India, Microsoft Corporation. (2000). India in the knowledge millennium: backgrounder, December 18-20, 1999, Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. New Delhi: Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India.
Fetterman, D. (2001). Foundations of empowerment evaluation. California: SAGE.
Hewitt, J. & Regoli, R. (2009). Exploring Criminal Justice: The Essentials. New York: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Siegel, L. (2008). Essentials of Criminal Justice. London: Cengage Learning.
Wakefield, A. (2009). The SAGE Dictionary of Policing. New York: SAGE Publications Ltd.