Public safety is defined as the collective effort to reduce risk and
threats to individuals within communities. Through the testing of
materials, investigating accidents, treatment of medical
emergencies, arresting perpetrators of violent crimes, and
responding to threats of natural disasters by implementing the
proper resources – these are all aspects of public safety that
directly contribute to the stability and prosperity of a society.
Historically, there have been generally accepted tactics by which
public safety has been preserved, such as law enforcement patrols,
emergency dispatch call response, and a predictive risk analysis
that guides response and recovery efforts. However, due to emerging
technologies, public safety is a significantly different field today
than it was ten years ago and is destined to be even further removed
from its traditional organizational structure in the next few years.
From advanced surveillance and real-time communications to
predictive analytics and smart city innovations, technology is only
becoming more of a cornerstone for keeping communities safe. This
means critical safety efforts can be more whole and efficient than
ever before, engaging communities and authorities as constant
advocates to combat threats as they happen and heading off risks
before they ever materialize. The more that the innovation space
continues to evolve, the more necessary technology will be for the
future of public safety, reconfiguring how we protect communities
and how we enable citizens to call attention in real time to the
real and potential threats that face their hometowns in a connected
world.
Modern technology and intelligence have greatly enhanced crime
prevention and detection. Most common places and high crime areas
are under surveillance by sophisticated cameras, facial recognition,
and license plate recognition systems. CCTV cameras are mainly used
for monitoring triangles, where many people walk, and public places
provide visual coverage for monitoring. The information is recorded,
which can be accessed later. These cameras help the police monitor
activities, prevent crimes, and assist when required to investigate.
Facial recognition techniques used to recognize individuals in video
feeds or images and match them against a known offenders’ database
can improve surveillance efficiency and help catch criminals more
quickly, therefore enforcing public safety standards. Likewise,
license plate recognition systems can be automated for speedy and
accurate detection and tracking of vehicles, leading to a quick
response in case of an incident or improvements in city traffic
management. Because these surveillance technologies are
prevention-focused, the natural detection system of those
technologies reduces the risks of offenses and, therefore, creates a
safer community through proactive monitoring and timely response.
The use of modern technologies such as GPS (Global Positioning
System) tracking systems, real-time communication systems, and
mobile apps can fit into the emergency response framework and allow
for better management and response to emergencies in real-time. For
instance, GPS tracking systems allow emergency responders to
determine the actual location of an incident so they can dispatch
the appropriate way and, at the same time, ensure prompt response
which is especially relevant to life-threatening situations. In
addition, real-time communication systems mainly consist of
dedicated networks for emergency responders and incorporate
emergency services, agencies, law enforcement, and medical officials
on interoperable networks to help coordinate information
transmission and situational reports during emergencies.
Specific case studies have been presented that show such
implementations lead to improved response times and improved
outcomes. In some cities such as New York and London, integrated
emergency response systems using a combination of GPS-enabled
dispatch systems and mobile apps for citizens to report emergencies
and provide feedback on their status helps the dispatch center keep
track of units across the city and direct them towards emergencies
such as natural disasters, fires, medical emergencies, and are much
more effective in coordinating the efforts of all emergency
personnel. In this way, technologies are increasingly improving
emergency responses and, hence, can enhance public safety in diverse
urban settings.
Predictive policing harnesses the power of AI and advanced data
analytics to forecast crime patterns and identify potential
hotspots, revolutionizing law enforcement strategies to prevent
crime proactively. AI algorithms analyze vast datasets, including
historical crime data, socioeconomic factors, weather patterns, and
demographic information, to detect patterns and trends that human
analysts may overlook. By predicting where and when crimes are
likely to occur, law enforcement agencies can allocate resources
more effectively, deploy patrols preemptively, and implement
targeted interventions to mitigate risks.
However, the widespread adoption of predictive policing raises
ethical concerns about data privacy, bias, and transparency. Issues
of privacy are raised as predictive policing heavily relies on the
collection and analysis of personal information, including people
who might not have committed crimes but have been captured in
predictive models due to associative details. Predictive models can
also be biased in that historical data imbues existing policies with
certain inequalities that might allow for more surveillance and
enforcement of neighbors in marginalized communities, reinforcing
and exacerbating existing inequalities.
Smart cities use IoT devices, smart sensors, and connected
infrastructures to enhance the overall public safety for future
smart cities in real-time by collecting and analyzing big data to be
more proactive. IoT devices and sensors built in infrastructures,
such as street lights and traffic signals, gather and transmit data
related to environmental conditions, average pedestrian and
vehicular flows, and public safety crises and emergencies
continuously. Real-time data will provide authorities with better
insight into the system status of the city so that they can detect
abnormal situations more timely and, therefore, can send out
emergency responders to overcome potential threats, resulting in
more advanced situational awareness and decision-making.
Through real-time data collection and monitoring, these systems can
help us proactively improve safety in general. For example,
predictive analytics allows us to anticipate traffic flows and
congestion to produce pre-emptive planning of traffic flows to
facilitate access for emergency vehicles in response to situations
that deserve immediate attention. Smart sensors that monitor
environmental conditions such as air quality or explosive emissions
can alert people to hazardous conditions and prompt precautionary
measures to ensure the general well-being of citizens. But beyond
monitoring and managing emergencies in real-time, smart and
sensitized infrastructures also tie in the physical infrastructure
to facilitate communication between emergency services. A failure to
be proactive, connected, and coordinated usually results in delayed
responses and lower efficiencies.
Cyber threats to public safety systems endanger critical infrastructure and mission-critical data that power community safety and operational continuity. Digital systems and equipment are interconnected across and within organizational boundaries, and new technologies pervade all aspects of public safety work. All of these factors make public safety systems vulnerable to ransomware, data breaches, and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, among other cyber threats. These threats can compromise public safety by targeting emergency communication networks, systems involved in keeping watch on the public, such as surveillance equipment, drones, and cameras, or mission-critical data stored and shared among public safety organizations and teams.
To address these challenges, robust cybersecurity strategies are essential to safeguarding public safety systems and infrastructure. Key strategies include:
You can do a lot to improve public safety yourself by working within
and sharing with the community through online social media and more
traditional avenues.
Social media is a dynamic platform for sharing public safety
announcements, notifying residents of potentially dangerous
circumstances, and providing crime prevention tips. Police
departments can use social media to issue alerts, request assistance
from the public, and engage directly with community members.
Agencies can build a bridge of trust, increase transparency, and
spread safety messages to a larger audience when utilizing social
media.
Community forums and digital spaces provide a space for dialogue and
collaboration between residents, local organizations, and the
police. Such forums allow open discussions about the concerns in the
neighborhood, uses of emergency preparedness, police resources, etc.
Civic responsibility projects encourage their neighbors to be
proactive in ensuring the safety of their neighborhood by reporting
suspicious activities, joining police and citizen partnership
programs, and advocating for increased safety activities.
Successful public safety education campaigns disseminate
multifarious informative videos, graphics, and tools in order to
encourage residents to actively take measures to disrupt the crime
syndicate’s operations, better respond to emergencies, and avoid
falling prey to internet scams. When they adopt front-footed
approaches fueled by safety information, citizens become more
invulnerable to risk and feel a kind of ‘communal’ obligation to
preserve ‘public’ wellbeing.
The future of public safety will be completely reshaped by emerging technologies such as drones, AI-powered analytics, and biometrics, as well as how communities and police departments manage safety challenges and respond to crises.
Drones are used for surveillance, search and rescue, and disaster response to provide aerial overviews and real-views or video to increase situational awareness and operational efficiencies. AI-driven analytics allow for predictive policing to make sense of vast amounts of data, buildings, transportation, and video to reach crime prevention capabilities based on statistical analysis of past data. Biometric systems such as face and fingerprint recognition ensure the identification and security of people attending public and private events and those who need higher security, including people entering buildings or entering police stations.
Moving forward, they will begin to see these technologies as critical for future public safety challenges, including cyber security, urbanization, and natural disasters. For example, they will leverage AI to develop decision-making capabilities for intervention, including proactive humanitarian action based on data provided in real-time. Drones will be used in emergencies for rapid deployment and remote monitoring of hazardous environments.
Technologies will allow public safety agencies to cooperate more easily across jurisdictions and maintain a level of interoperability that public safety agencies currently do not enjoy. We’ll see better use of data analytics to inform evidence-based decision-making, police patrol distributions, and improve emergency response and resource allocation. Biometrics makes people and places safer, preventing intrusions into public spaces, economic infrastructure, or other critical areas.
Technology shapes public safety. By providing proactive and efficient protection for communities around the world, technology brings together law enforcement, experts, and the broader community to better anticipate threats and better respond to them. From surveillance systems and artificial intelligence (AI) in the form of predictive modeling and technologies that help integrate information about and from different actors in times of crisis, there’s no denying how technology is transforming the field of public safety for the better. Eventually, with more ethical deployment and responsible integration of these technologies, questions of civil liberties and public trust can also be addressed, finding functional solutions that ensure that all members of society can access the collective benefits that safeguarding the public entails.