The Taser Debate: Technology vs. Effectiveness

How technology has impacted policing has come up on this show far more than you would expect, if you think about it. So, when listener of the show Matt Stroud got in touch to talk about his new book about the impact of technology on policing, I said: yes please. The book is coming out this week, it's called Thin Blue Lie: The failure of high tech policing. Reading the book, a couple of things surprised me. As you'll hear, policing wasn't very tech or data driven until very recently, and like in other areas, it just seems like throwing technology at a problem, does not solve everything magically. In fact, there can be serious unintended consequences. And also, I was surprised how much the theme and anecdotes in the book lined up with some of the things we've discussed on this show. IE: technology is a tool, but data and gadgets still need a human element to be used effectively, especially when you're dealing with, you know, humans. Subscribe to the Premium, Ad-Free Feed!

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