TECH-ENHANCED COPS ⟩ Police Technology Now Resembles What Was Recently Portrayed as Futuristic in Sci-Fi Blockbusters

PredPol’s algorithm, developed by social scientists at the University of Chicago, uses data from violent and property crime reports, analyzing patterns across time and geography to more accurately predict future criminal activity. It uncovers trends that help forecast where crimes are most likely to occur, much like a crystal ball for urban policing.

In director Paul Verhoeven’s iconic 1987 dystopian RoboCop (starring Peter Weller) a severely injured police officer is resurrected as an unstoppable, bulletproof cyborg endowed with superhuman strength. While patrolling cyborgs aren’t expected to become a reality anytime soon, research institutions like DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) have long been developing exoskeletons—mechanical suits designed to enhance human strength and endurance. However, their application in law enforcement remains distant. Nonetheless, the film’s vision of automated targeting systems and seamless connections to central databases has already become part of our present.

An automated, self-targeting, drone-defense robot is now being tested on Boston Dynamics' Spot robot dog platform. Today, around 1,000 robot dogs—most of them unarmed—are already deployed in both security and industrial sectors. These machines represent an evolution of the early bomb-disposal robots, first used in 1972 when British Lieutenant Colonel Peter Miller developed them in response to a series of bombings in Northern Ireland. What once seemed like sci-fi fantasy is becoming an operational reality, as even the most futuristic concepts inch closer to everyday use.

In Ridley Scott's sci-fi thriller Blade Runner (1982), starring the legendary Harrison Ford, detectives hunting replicants—bioengineered beings—used a device to identify suspects by tracking their breathing, heart rate, iris scans, and other external characteristics to distinguish between humans and hybrids. Today, law enforcement agencies around the world widely employ biometric tools, such as facial recognition and iris scanning, to identify suspects and individuals.

In the 1993 action movie Demolition Man, starring Sylvester Stallone, a hyper-regulated future society is depicted where law enforcement leans heavily on automated systems. What once seemed like far-fetched science fiction at the time of the film’s release is now edging closer to reality. Police drones, intended to assist or even replace human officers, are no longer a futuristic fantasy—they are already being deployed in pilot projects across Sweden and the Netherlands, with Estonia poised to adopt similar technology.

Drones can be invaluable in surveillance and traffic monitoring, assisting police officers in locating a suspect or maintaining order in public spaces. However, they don’t operate autonomously; they are piloted by humans from a control center.

In Demolition Man, the city of San Angeles features an automated system of moral oversight. Citizens would receive automatic fines for swearing in public. Similarly, in Singapore, artificial intelligence and surveillance systems are used to fine citizens for offenses like littering or jaywalking. A new AI-based system called Balefire is also in development, designed to automatically detect people smoking in prohibited areas.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's superstar status was cemented with his leading role in the 1990 movie Total Recall, where synthetic police officers patrol the streets to maintain order. Autonomous robots ensuring public safety are now a reality. For instance, Dubai employs robotic security guards that assist those in need, provide information, and monitor their surroundings.

In one memorable scene, secret agent Carl Hauser (played by Schwarzenegger) uses a mask of an overweight woman to evade his pursuers. Today, both criminals and law enforcement have moved beyond physical masks, with the rise of digital disguises enabled by deepfake technology offering even greater possibilities for deception and concealment.

The company Knightscope has pioneered autonomous security robots for public spaces like shopping malls, with models such as the K5. These machines, with their sleek, cylindrical design, evoke images of household appliances or even the iconic R2-D2 from George Lucas's Star Wars series.

In Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight (2008), billionaire industrialist and security innovator Bruce Wayne—better known as Batman—leverages cutting-edge technology developed by his company to counter Gotham City’s broken law enforcement system.

One of his most remarkable tools is an advanced sonar system that allows him to peer through walls, generating a real-time 3D map of a skyscraper taken over by the villainous Joker. This technology provides a precise, all-encompassing view of every room, object, and individual within the building. What once seemed like pure science fiction is rapidly becoming a reality. Today, advanced systems, including tomography technologies, are being tested and deployed, allowing special forces to capture vital visual information in high-stakes situations like hostage crises—without ever having to physically enter the space.

The Estonian Police are on the verge of adopting a muon tomography system capable of remotely generating detailed 3D images of vehicles passing through border control points, revealing both living and non-living objects within. These innovations greatly enhance safety and operational efficiency, yet they possess an eerie quality, as technology already exists that allows SWAT teams to see through building walls before entering a room.

In democratic societies, even highly invasive technologies can be regulated to prevent arbitrary use by authorities, ensuring adherence to agreed-upon restrictions. However, the relationship between police and the public is not without tension in all democracies.

After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the role and attitude of the police in the United States became more militarized, exacerbating longstanding issues such as racial bias within law enforcement. Following the violent activism of the Black Lives Matter movement in U.S. cities and the accompanying calls to "Defund the Police," many law enforcement agencies have had to reevaluate their roles and approaches and to make use of technology such as bodycams to further transparency and build trust.

Western law enforcement agencies for some years now widely use body cameras. In James Cameron's 1986 blockbuster Aliens, U.S. Marines fighting extraterrestrial creatures on another planet use helmet-mounted cameras—a concept that seemed quite futuristic at the time.

In authoritarian societies, advanced technology plays a key role in empowering repressive regimes. In his newly published book The Sentinel State: Surveillance and the Survival of Dictatorship in China (Harvard University Press, 2024), Chinese-American political scientist Minxin Pei explores the technologies the Chinese government employs to monitor and control its population. Pei, a professor of political science at Claremont McKenna College in California, details how the Chinese Communist Party has built one of the world's most extensive and sophisticated surveillance systems to maintain its power and neutralize political threats.

The technologies developed by the Chinese government to control its citizens are highly versatile and deeply integrated into the country’s political system. Launched as early as 1998, the Golden Shield project combines various surveillance technologies with national databases. This centralized platform enables police and security forces to monitor the political compliance of the population.

In addition to extensive surveillance networks, the system incorporates advanced data mining tools and real-time data collection and sharing between various security agencies. It also allows for the censorship and blocking of online content, a crucial capability for maintaining political stability in a modern authoritarian regime.

Based on the Golden Shield, China developed the Skynet system, one of the world’s largest video surveillance networks. This system, consisting of millions of high-definition cameras installed in public spaces across China, was launched in the early 2010s. It employs artificial intelligence and facial recognition software to monitor citizens' activities in real-time.

The Skynet captures images and records videos in streets, parks, public transport, and government buildings. Its capabilities extend far beyond traditional law enforcement, as it can identify individuals based on their social or political profiles. For instance, the system can cross-reference recorded faces with national ID registries, criminal databases, and blacklists of political dissidents.

In 2017, BBC reporter John Sudworth conducted an experiment in collaboration with authorities in the city of Guiyang, southwestern China. He asked the police to find him in the city, which has a population of five million. It took law enforcement just seven minutes to locate him using facial recognition technology.

Following the Skynet system, China introduced the Sharp Eyes initiative, expanding surveillance into rural areas and residential neighborhoods. Sharp Eyes operates on the principle of "every citizen is a surveillance camera": it allows citizens to view public security camera footage on their TV screens or mobile apps and report suspicious activities to local authorities. This decentralized surveillance network encourages citizens to monitor and report on one another.

China’s surveillance society is further supported by an organizational structure optimized for such control. Cities and towns are divided into small sectors, each overseen by a so-called Grid Manager. These local managers report daily activities of residents to local authorities. Equipped with mobile devices and apps, they can report suspicious behavior or expressions of dissent. One of their objectives is to instill in citizens a constant sense of being monitored.

In more remote regions, particularly in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwest China, where the government represses ethnic minorities, extensive DNA and biometric data collection is in place. Authorities have collected DNA samples, fingerprints, iris scans, and voice samples from millions of Uyghurs. This data is stored in national databases and used to monitor ethnic or politically active groups. In Xinjiang, data collection is especially aggressive, with checkpoints, police stations, and mobile units gathering biometric and other personal information to track and suppress potential dissent.

Pei delves deeply into the social credit system, in which each Chinese citizen is assigned a score based on evidence of "pro-social" or "anti-social" behavior and perceived political loyalty. Based on this score, the government can reward or punish individuals. The system allows for public shaming, such as disclosing the names of debtors, and imposing additional penalties, such as restricting access to certain public services, bank loans, luxury hotels, and restaurants. However, Pei notes that the system’s full implementation is still in progress, and there is not yet clear evidence of its overall effectiveness.

In a more nuanced and informal way, the "social credit" system has its parallels in Western societies, where it manifests as "cancel culture." The fundamental difference, of course, is that in democracies, the state can only "cancel" individuals in specific, legally sanctioned circumstances, usually related to national security, and even then, it must be based on verifiable facts. Additionally, individuals have the right to challenge such actions in court.

The advancement of digital totalitarianism has been significantly fueled by the modern epidemic of smartphone dependency. The tracking of mobile phone locations and usage has become a critical tool in the Chinese Communist Party’s arsenal of repression. It is especially useful for identifying and apprehending participants in unsanctioned protests or other forms of dissent.

Chinese telecommunications companies are legally obligated to retain and provide personalized communication data to the government. During the COVID-19 pandemic, location tracking became a commonplace method for enforcing quarantine measures. This data, combined with extensive surveillance networks, allows authorities to map the real-time activities of political activists, monitor their movements, and preemptively dismantle organized dissent.