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Inventor W.V. Adams creates patents the first modern handcuffs.
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Boston is the first city to issue pistols to their officers.
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Fire and police departments in Albany, New York begin using telegraphs.
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A fingerprinting classification system developed by Sir Edward Richard Henry is first used in Scotland Yard.
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The Boston Police department imlements the two-way radio.
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Radar is introduced to traffic police.
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The New Orleans police department begins usinga a vacuum tube calculator with a punch card sorter and collator that summerizes arrests and warrants.
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The TASER stun gun is introduced. This device shoots two wire connected darts into the victim and sends a 50,000 volt shock into their body, temporarily disabling the offender. By 1985, every state police department used TASERS.
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Alabama speaker of the House placed the first eve 911 call only 35 days after AT&T announced its creation.
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The National Institute of Justice initiated a project that leads to the development of lightweight, flexible, and comfortable protective body armor for the police. The body armor is made from Kevlar, a fabric originally developed to replace steel belting for radial tires. The soft body armor introduced by the Institute is credited with saving the lives of more than 2,000 police officers since its inception into the law enforcement community
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Pepperspray, or Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray, is a chemical agent used to cause pain and temporary blindness in the victims eyes. In 1986, this compound was first used as a force alternative by law enforcement.
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Automatic Liscense Plate Recognition system is developed at Cambridge University in response to multiple terrorist attacks.
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More than 90 percent of U.S. police departments serving a population of 50,000 or more are using computers. Many are using them for such relatively sophisticated applications as criminal investigations, budgeting, dispatch, and manpower allocation.
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The FBI's Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System is launched. This system connects law enforcement agencies and the FBI with fingerprint data, mugshots and other criminal records.
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The Tampa Police Department uses a little known technology to scan the faces of over seventy thousand fans at the Super Bowl for known terroists and criminals.
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Facebook, a popular social network launched. It is now an important tool for law enforcement to connect to the public and track criminals.
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StarChase, allows officers to deploy a device similar to a dart from the front of their cars. The device sticks to the back of the vehicle police are pursuing and helps track the suspect without the use of a high speed chase.
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The TruNarc system by Thermo Fisher Scientific is developed. This device tests the base of substances to see if they are common narcotics.
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TASER International's innovative body worn camera is announced.
