The Importance of Data, AI and More Within Law Enforcement at IACP Technology Conference 2025

Posted on by George Vit

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Technology Conference 2025 is an annual law enforcement conference that hosts public safety professionals and technology thought leaders to discuss new solutions, techniques and trainings to equip the industry for success. With a strong law enforcement portfolio and deep industry ties, Carahsoft offers unmatched insight into the challenges agencies face today.

By bridging the gap between top software providers and law enforcement agencies, Carahsoft’s Law Enforcement Technology Team helps both sworn and civilian personnel streamline operations, enhance decision-making and drive greater efficiency across all aspects of public safety.

Carahsoft and over 20 of our vendors, including Cellebrite, Zebra, Saferwatch, Blackberry and Magnet Forensics, attended and ran demos of their solutions across data management and analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), emerging technology, forensics, and device security.

Here are the 5 most relevant themes featured at the IACP Technology Conference 2025.

Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Law Enforcement

At IACP Tech, discussions centered around integrating AI into law enforcement to increase efficiency while balancing transparency and accountability to real-time threats. In the panel “Transforming Policing with AI: Efficiency, Accuracy and Ethical Considerations for Report Writing,” panelists underscored how AI can streamline administrative tasks, reduce the time officers spend on documentation and improve the overall accuracy and quality of police reports. Speakers also highlighted that the integration of AI must be accompanied by transparency and accountability. They stressed the importance of clearly disclosing when reports are generated or supported by AI to maintain public trust and uphold ethical standards. In the panel “Curb Your AI Through Privacy Impact Assessments,” speaker Nora Kurzova, the State Auditor of the State of Utah Office, explored the ethical implications that come with predictive AI in law enforcement. Kurzova drew attention to bias present in predictive tools, stressing the importance of human oversight to correct potential biases. With rigorous evaluations of the decisions that automated systems enact, law enforcement can ensure fairness and a positive impact on communities.

Carahsoft, IACP 2025, blog, embedded image, 2025

Emerging Technologies in Law Enforcement

For modern criminal investigations, law enforcement faces growing complexity in managing and analyzing mass volumes of digital data. As the volume of data generated by connected devices continues to surge, investigators must adapt software that enables timely and efficient data recovery. Critical evidence can come from a variety of sources, such as Nest cameras, smart rings, thermostats and even gaming consoles. Human augmentation technologies, including smart glasses, brain-computer interfaces and mixed reality devices, were all identified as new frontiers that officers could utilize during investigations. By utilizing unconventional data points as corroborative tools and avenues for new leads, law enforcement can increase its investigative awareness.

Breakthroughs in Digital Forensics

At the panel “Advancements in Criminal Investigations: Increasing Solve Rates with Technology,” speaker Ed O’Carroll, a retired Major of the Crimes Bureau from the Fairfax County Police Department, emphasized the transformative impact of advanced investigative technologies in resolving challenging criminal cases. Advancements in digital forensics, genetic genealogy and rapid DNA testing have all transcended the abilities of law enforcement, enabling the solving of difficult cases. As IT continues to evolve, law enforcement can utilize strategic partnerships with technology organizations to improve its digital forensics capabilities and reduce backlogs. With recent technological breakthroughs, skilled crime analysts and forensic professionals can maximize their potential through these revolutionary tools.

The Importance of Interoperable Data in Public Safety

Law enforcement depends on thorough and accurate analytics to improve and maintain capabilities. In the panel “Breaking the Data Chains: Advocating Open and Interoperable Solutions in Public Safety,” speakers explored the evolving role of data in public safety, with a strong emphasis on the importance of interoperability and open standards. Adopting open data standards enables seamless data exchange across systems and jurisdictions. Panelists called for greater vendor transparency and urged public safety agencies to include open data access provisions in their contracts to avoid vendor lock-in. Ultimately, by strengthening data sharing practices, public safety agencies can enhance operational effectiveness and fulfill mission objectives.

Tailored, Interactive Training with Artificial Intelligence

Law enforcement agencies are increasingly utilizing AI and virtual reality technologies to address resource constraints during training. In the panel “How Your Records Management Process Can Work for You—Leveraging RMS Functional Standards,” speaker Jeff Smythe discussed a statewide effort to revise curriculum by embedding AI tools into courses. By synthesizing practical data and automation, law enforcement can improve training and service quality.

Examples of this include:

Utilizing real-world body camera footage to create simulated scenarios for training

Collecting best practices to develop AI-powered virtual reality scenarios that feature immediate feedback and debriefing capabilities

Implementing automated virtual reality scenarios to train soft skills, such as employee counseling and community engagement

By simulating realistic, frequent tech-enhanced training, employers can significantly improve officer readiness and skill retention. AI and virtual tools offer scalable solutions to deliver consistent, high-quality training in an evolving public safety environment.

As law enforcement professionals handle sensitive and vital information, the protection of that information and data is essential to carrying out fair and accurate investigations and procedures. Through tailored training, data analytics and AI, law enforcement can improve capabilities and focus resources on protecting civilians.

To learn more about public safety related technology, visit Carahsoft’s law enforcement portfolio to explore solutions showcased at IACP Technology Conference. For additional research into the key takeaways that industry and Government leaders presented at IACP Technology Conference, view Carahsoft’s full synopsis of key sessions from the tradeshow. 

Mobilizing Law Enforcement Agencies Through Technology and Security Innovations at IACP 2023

Posted on by George Vit

Law enforcement professionals provide a crucial function in society. By leveraging modern technology advancements, agencies can achieve that quality of service and keep the American people safe from ongoing threats. The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Annual Conference and Exposition 2023 offered law enforcement agencies and security professionals the opportunity to learn from experts in the top fields, develop partnerships and get access to technologies that will aid in navigating the current landscape.

Securing Sensitive Law Enforcement Data

A reoccurring challenge for law enforcement is an increase in ransomware attacks against them. Agencies reported a significant jump in attacks in the last two years, from 34% of departments reporting a ransomware hack in 2021, to nearly 69% in 2023. The average ransomware payment increased 500% in 2023 to over $1 million and over 25% of these attacks began with a phishing or malicious email. To combat this, agencies and departments must strengthen their cybersecurity postures and align with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. Speakers at IACP provided five themes of questions agencies should ask to evaluate their cyber readiness:

Identify: Is our agency able to find weak spots, prioritize our response to them and track them? Have we done asset management, risk assessments and supply chain risk management?
Protect: Is our “front door” locked? Are we taking proactive measures to protect our data today? Have we implemented identity and access management (IAM), awareness and training and overall data security procedures?
Detect: Can we tell when something goes wrong? Can we identify issues confidently and quickly in the case of an anomaly?
Respond: How do we respond when bad things happen? Have we instituted clear communication, analysis, mitigation and response planning?
Recover: Are we ready to recover and learn from an incident and make the necessary changes to ensure it does not happen again?

Addressing these questions and acting on them means committing to fostering a culture of security and secure best practices. There are many technologies that can aid in this endeavor including artificial intelligence (AI) Ops, which assesses system patterns and behaviors to identify and surface anomalies; IAM, which provides an extra layer of authentication through biometrics and contextual authorization; and cloud and virtual environments, which agencies can employ in combination with infrastructure-as-a-service to enhance security.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) has released two new updates to its security policy, Versions 5.9.1 and 5.9.2, based on the key pillars of data confidentiality, integrity and availability. These policies now require initial security training for personnel who need access to Department of Justice (DOJ) materials as well as the completion of yearly training for the extent of their access time. In conjunction with these policies are key technologies to safeguard data such as IAM, multi-factor authentication (MFA), system monitoring and others. Employing these solutions and safety measures boost community trust in law enforcement and the security of digital evidence. CJIS policies also reiterate to law enforcement officers the importance of doing their due diligence in securing both the data and their vital tools that otherwise could be rendered obsolete in the event of an attack. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has dedicated funding for state agencies to help with this endeavor of protecting the LE cyber space.

Rising Innovative Technologies for Law Enforcement Agencies

Implementation of body worn cameras (BWC) has been a growing initiative for law enforcement (LE) agencies for the last several years. With the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Body Worn Camera Policy and Implementation Program (BWCPIP) more departments are able to receive grant funding and training for BWCs allowing more widespread usage of the technology especially in small, rural or tribal LE agencies. So far, this program has provided over $180 million in funding towards this effort. To support these BWC data advancements and further the technology benefits, LE agencies are looking for cloud storage and organization solutions, interoperability for data sharing, AI algorithms to efficiently tag videos and analytics software to pull relevant insights.

AI in the law enforcement field also provides many other time saving benefits including automating some procedures and everyday tasks like report writing. Before implementing AI, agencies must audit their current processes to assess the specific use cases and preemptively address any challenges. Establishing guidelines for AI usage by law enforcement, not only assists internally with governance and accountability, but also helps build public trust by delineating the technology capabilities.

Drones are another up-and-coming technology displaying value across public safety and emergency response. In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in 2022, LE agencies deployed unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and, through these drones, were able to conduct situation assessments, wide area searches, mapping of critical roadways to expedite the movement of resources and more. This UAS teaming approach has increased the speed and efficiency of first responders, as well as the ability to easily share the information with other agencies.

Whether it is body worn cameras and drones, or AI, cloud and other solutions, security must be baked into the technology and operational processes. As partners in this current landscape, every party involved both in law enforcement and industry has the responsibility to educate themselves and maximize collaboration and the technologies available to continue to make the United States a safe place.

To learn more about Carahsoft’s Law Enforcement Technology Solutions, visit our vertical portfolio and start your journey to enabling a safer tomorrow.

*The information contained in this blog has been written based off the thought-leadership discussions presented by speakers at the IACP Annual Conference and Exposition 2023.*

IACP Conference 2022 Recap: Exploring Cybersecurity and Data Analysis

Posted on by Madeline Williams-Potter

Both law enforcement professionals and technology providers gathered at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference 2022 to discuss current challenges in the field and latest technology resources to meet the needs of the police force. Based on a commitment to advance safer communities through thought leadership, experts focused on utilizing technology modernization to address the growing issues of cybersecurity and maximizing resources through effective data analysis.

CYBERSECURITY

Smartphone Use for Police Operations: Law enforcement agencies have found many benefits from providing officers in the field with smartphones including increased officer safety through GPS tracking, easy access to a camera, body-worn incident tagging, similar functionality to in-vehicle mobile data terminals (MDTs) and support to in-vehicle, in-field and in-station operations. The challenge, however, is achieving compliance and instituting cybersecurity strategies to ensure the safety of the data, device and officer. The Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Security policy applies to all parties dealing with criminal justice information (CJI) and incorporates guidelines on wireless networking, data encryption and remote access. Mobile device management (MDM), a way to manage agency smartphones, is a requirement for any agency wanting to access, transmit or store criminal justice data using mobile devices. Agencies must institute elements such as:

Multi-factor authentication
Regular updates and maintenance
Remote device locking and setting lock capabilities
Remote wiping of device
Folder or disk level encryption
Detection of unauthorized configurations, software or applications
Location tracking of agency-controlled devices
Prevention of unpatched devices from accessing CJI or CJI systems

Ransomware: The recent increase of ransomware and impact of successful attacks is driving urgency within law enforcement agencies to institute stronger cybersecurity strategies. Disruptions to police systems cause 911 calls to be rerouted, CAD systems to be disrupted, email and phone systems to be disabled as well as other repercussions. Cybercriminals also threaten to leak confidential informant, victim and officer details if the police do not pay the ransom. Investigations conducted to identify possible ransomware attack patterns revealed that there was no geographic methodology behind the hacks but that the common link was, any vulnerability found in an agency’s system was exploited.

Ransomware remains the largest type of attacks against public safety agencies. Police departments make up about 22% of attacks on public safety and from 2020-2021, approximately $800 million was spent towards restoring operations due to ransomware attacks. The increase in ransomware can be attributed to the decrease of technological skills required to launch an attack, particularly in the form of ransomware-as-a-software (RaaS).

To protect an agency’s critical data, law enforcement institutions should adopt National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework principles such as:

Know your network: Examine all hardware, software, data flows and applications
Know your adversary: Who is attacking and how might they do it?
Patch, Patch, Patch: While sometimes difficult to execute operationally, it is essential
Know what normal looks like: It is the only way to detect abnormal
Educate your users: Cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility
Know how to respond to a cyber-attack: Train hard, fight easy

Cybersecurity and Digital Integrity: In this current digital age, many agencies experience cyber fatigue, struggling to manage all the technology, digest the data and maintain sufficient security. The extensive number of devices such as internet of things (IoT) devices, vendor devices or other forms of technology running through the agency’s network create vulnerabilities and often result in cyber breaches. Being able to ingest all the data safely and effectively is critical to the justice system’s mission. All technology, even the most cutting-edge, still requires the implementation of cybersecurity. As a frame of reference, experts reminded that IT systems necessitate just as much security as physical evidence management and keeping the chain of custody intact.

Cyber incidents and data loss within law enforcement agencies endangers not only the public’s safety but also their trust in police officials. Inter-agency sharing of breaches is a key element to mitigate risk and promote transparency. Agencies can also facilitate trust within the community by proactively communicating their use of technology and the protection strategies in place to safeguard public data. Ultimately, technology should be implemented in conjunction with the correct cybersecurity measures to avoid opening additional vulnerabilities and successfully enhance safety and community trust.

DATA ANALYSIS

Modernizing Investigations in the Digital Age: Experts attest to the power of properly employed technology within the law enforcement field. By innovating with current technology and adopting other digital resources, agencies can transform the public safety landscape and offer significant value-adds to those who protect the community daily. To modernize the investigation workflow and process the substantial amounts of digital evidence, law enforcement administrations must focus on training personnel properly, instilling an understanding of the importance of securing digital evidence, keeping the chain of custody on digital evidence intact and demonstrating for other agencies the technology benefits to promote interagency collaboration and support.

Currently, 95% of crimes have a digital component involved through phone records, social media, security cameras etc. making the data analysis a crucial part of cases. This quantity of digital evidence extending across multiple aspects of investigations, the technical sophistication of criminals, public scrutiny and lack of resources can make it a challenge to store and manage. However, harnessing technology platforms that can analyze, track, store and share the data easily shifts the situation from being an underutilized burden to an integral wealth of information and efficiency booster.

Body Worn Cameras and Public Trust: Many law enforcement agencies have implemented widespread usage of body worn cameras (BWC) to increase transparency and build trust within their communities. According to a 2018 report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), 80% of law enforcement agencies have acquired body-worn cameras however 99% of that footage was never analyzed. Without the tools to catalog, analyze and apply the data, ROI on BWCs is severely impeded and the technology is rendered obsolete.

To remedy this situation, public safety offices are looking to create a fully indexed and automated database of events linked to multiple applications: supervision, performance evaluation, training, officer safety and wellness, community trust and transparency, risk management, etc.

This analysis and processing of BWC footage is possible through Multi-Modal Analysis (MMA) which integrates natural language processing (NLP) and computer vision (CV). Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) empower this technology to analyze the content of the camera footage and train the computer systems to optimize the material for easy evaluation of officer and citizen behavior. Public officials can then take these insights and formulate strategies of how officers can better influence interactions. Agencies plan to begin the adoption process of this solution starting in 2023. This will provide a new capacity to measure and evaluate officers in action and strengthen community trust through measurable outcomes and enhanced accountability.

Multimedia Evidence and Data Analytics Programs: Law enforcement agencies are often faced with the challenge of overwhelming amounts of data collected during cases. Officers gather three types of data:

Operational data—traffic stops, field interviews, calls for service, criminal incident, tips and informants
Non-operational data—human resources, training records, disciplinary files etc.
Digital evidence—video footage, news media, pictures, social media etc.

Unless it is handled properly, all of this information needing to be analyzed and managed can shutdown police IT systems and slow down the investigation. To solve this difficulty, public safety administrators created the Digital Content Analysis Platform (DCAP), which consists of several vetted tools to process the material. In addition to these resources, the key aspects needed for a successful data analysis program are:

Organizational planning & strategy
Proper implementation
Maintenance of architecture
Standardized processes
Proper and continuous training
Technical support and assistance
Communication and clear goal setting
Development of technical skills or robust outsourced managed services
Public safety mindset change

When law enforcement leadership prioritize the effort and commit the funding to these initiatives, it enables police departments to take basic reports and transition to software dashboards that make reports more efficient and easily digestible.

As law enforcement agencies seek to improve operations for the benefit of police officers and the communities they serve, utilizing technology plays a major role. Taking the data available and extracting insights through tech software enables police to operate data-driven strategies which contribute to a significant reduction of violent crime in cities across the country. By implementing the correct cybersecurity procedures alongside these IT solutions, law enforcement can be assured of the safety as well as the greatest benefits from the technology. Law enforcement agencies must unify under the mission of building trust within the community and maximizing every resource to protect public safety.

Visit Carahsoft’s Law Enforcement portfolio, bringing together industry-leading software and hardware solutions to support Federal, State and Local public safety agencies. Alongside our vendor partners, Carahsoft provides policing and investigative technologies to support mission objectives.

*The information contained in this blog has been written based off the thought-leadership discussions presented by speakers at IACP 2022.*

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