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The Metropolitan Police Department of Las Vegas is made up of over 6,200 employees. The organization has a sizable budget of $1.5 billion, but almost all of it is typically dedicated to employees’ salaries and benefits every year.
According to Sheriff Kevin McMahill, over 90% of that money goes directly towards employee salaries.
This leaves only 10% of the police department’s budget to cover everything else. Therefore, the police department hasn’t been investing as much as it should in technological advancements that could improve the agency’s effectiveness. Thankfully, a reputable citizen, Ben Horowitz, has been privately investing in the department. Reports suggest Horowitz alone has donated over $7.5 million to the department. Horowitz’s goal is for the LVMPD to become the “most technologically advanced police department in the world.”
The LVMPD used those funds to invest in new computer terminals, emergency call technology, public safety technologies, and the updating of various facilities’ technologies.
Horowitz, in public online interviews, has stated that he believes the key to reducing crime and making everyone safer is better intelligence. In general, better technology equals better intelligence.
Sheriff McMahill believes that better technology can help the department target the area’s hotspots. McMahill says that at least 75% of all crime occurs in 10 specific areas in the Metropolitan’s jurisdiction. McMahill believes that if a technology bubble could envelop these areas, it could reduce crime in the Vegas area by up to 80%.
A technology bubble could be established with the use of drones and camera feeds. This type of technology can give officers better real-time intelligence through live feeds.
Technological advancements can produce great results for police departments, but it’s also possible for increased technology to increase the number of false arrests of innocent citizens.
Suppose you’ve recently been accused of a crime, and the police are using specific technological advancements as evidence against you. In that case, it’s important to get informed regarding your rights and options quickly. Unfortunately, a judge or jury is more likely to trust technology and see it as infallible, which can be devastating to your case. You’ll need a strong legal advocate by your side to produce enough evidence to show the judge or a jury that technology fails and can sometimes cause false arrests.
Two leading technologies causing innocent people to get wrongfully arrested are facial recognition and AI. If LVMPD drones are equipped with these technologies, then the chances of wrongful arrests occurring throughout the city could increase. For instance, imagine that a drone “witnesses” and records a crime occurring. Police run that video through facial recognition software, wrongly identifying YOU as the suspect. While the original footage may be blurry, the department may still arrest you and use the technology as proof that you’re guilty.
To argue against your charges, you’ll need to prove that the software was wrong, and that’s no easy feat.
Here at LV Criminal Defense, we are ready to fight for you. Schedule a case review with our team of defense attorneys now to discuss your recent arrest.
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