The acquisition and implementation of risk technologies by Canadian police services

Abstract

Most Canadian police services have rapidly acquired and implemented a range of technological advancements in recent years. This rapid adoption of technologies has left a significant gap in our empirical and theoretical understanding of how police make decisions about which technologies to acquire. While existing research has focused on technology’s impact at the organizational level (e.g., post-implementation evaluations), the macro-level contexts that shape technological acquisition by the police is undertheorized and underexamined. The current study examines the acquisition and implementation of risk technologies (i.e., all technologies operationally used by police services to collect data in mass volumes for the purpose of immediate or future risk assessment) by Canadian municipal/regional police services through a tri-phased methodological approach, including: 1) a national survey, 2) semi-structured interviews with police personnel implicated in technological decision-making, and 3) a content analysis of 71 police services’ formal strategic plans. Findings revealed a stark disconnect between formal and informal technology acquisition processes within services, alongside a lengthy list of economic, institutional, and societal influences on said decision-making. Second, results highlight a shifting role of police in the era of evidence-based policing (EBP) and rapid technological advancement towards that of knowledge workers who fulfill ever-evolving demands for information and consumers of private sector technologies. Results are then used to substantiate a call for accountability through collaborative decision-making, formal strategic planning, and external research partnerships.