By: Kendall Upton
Updated: January 14, 2026
Essential tech skills for today’s criminal justice professionals
Technology plays a pivotal role in today’s criminal justice system. From the law enforcement officer accessing a database of crime records to the forensic scientist analyzing fingerprints, criminal justice professionals depend on numerous technologies to do their jobs with diligence and efficiency.
The technology skills you need for any given criminal justice job depends on the exact position and industry. A cyber security specialist, for instance, probably won’t ever need to know how to do DNA analysis. Still, a basic understanding of these technologies—whether or not you specifically must master how to use them—is essential for most criminal justice professionals.
In this Article
Basic computer literacy skills
Almost every job in every industry requires some basic computer literacy. Criminal justice professionals are no different.
A firm understanding of elementary computer technology is essential for your success:
In addition, criminal justice professionals should understand fundamental cyber security best practices. This includes things like being able to recognize phishing scams, secure data handling and password protection.
Surveillance and monitoring
Use of surveillance and monitoring technology is common for careers in law enforcement, security (including cyber security), corrections and more.
While you may learn about these technologies in an academic program, most criminal justice professionals actually learn how to use them on the job:
Surveillance cameras:
They monitor the activity of a given area and can help criminal justice professionals identify criminals and incriminating behavior.
Global Positioning Systems (GPS):
Besides helping us navigate to exact locations, GPS technology is often integrated into other systems that criminal justice professionals use. For instance, GPS technology helps law enforcement agencies determine which officer is closest to a crime scene.
Cell phone tracking:
Digital footprints revealing an offender’s whereabouts, text messages and phone call histories from cell phones provide valuable information to digital forensic experts and law enforcement professionals alike.
License plate scanning:
License plate scanning technology allows police officers to immediately check if a vehicle is stolen or if there is a warrant out for the driver.
Drones:
Law enforcement agencies use drones to capture aerial footage of an area, monitor large crowds, track suspects and more.
Forensic technology
Forensic science technicians naturally use forensic technology the most, but many law enforcement professionals collect and process forensic evidence as well. Even professionals that don’t handle forensic evidence directly, like lawyers and paralegals, need to understand how evidence is collected and what it means for a criminal case.
Forensic professionals also often use large databases to search for a match and identify from whom (or what) the evidence originated. Consider some of these forensic technology skills you may need as a criminal justice professional, depending on what subfield you go into:
DNA analysis:
Forensic scientists take biological samples—blood, hair, saliva and more—and use a technique called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to make copies of specific DNA sequences. From there, they can use various techniques like short tandem repeat (STR) analysis to create unique DNA profiles.
Fingerprinting:
Forensic fingerprint experts collect and analyze fingerprints. Fingerprint databases can include fingerprints from crime scenes, arrests, job applicants, gun ownership applicants and more.
Digital forensics:
Many digital forensic experts are law enforcement professionals with advanced computer skills. Civilians can also specialize in digital forensics. Either way, these professionals use their knowledge of programming languages and experience in penetration testing and professional hacking to recover data from computers and identify security breaches.
Biometrics:
DNA and fingerprints are technically examples of biometrics, but today this term usually includes the collection and analysis of other biometric data like eye movement, facial recognition and more.
Ballistics:
Ballistics experts analyze firearms from crime scenes and other traces of weapon usage such as casings, bullet holes, footprints, tire tracks and more.
Data systems and analysis
Many criminal justice professionals must input and access data in various digital systems and databases on a regular basis. Police records, biometric data, crime trends—all this information has to be stored somewhere. Data entry and analysis, therefore, is an incredibly important skill for criminal justice professionals.
Depending on what you do and who you work for, however, any data entry and analysis duties may be limited to smaller, more local databases for your city, county or state.
There are also many national databases that integrate data from these smaller systems across the country. Linking local data within these larger systems allows criminal justice professionals to quickly access a greater breadth of data that could be the key to finding and apprehending a criminal.
Here are just a few examples of big data systems you may come across as a criminal justice professional:
National Crime Information Center (NCIC): Since 1967, the NCIC has been a digital index of missing persons and criminal information that is contributed by and accessible to criminal justice agencies nationwide.
Combined DNA Index System (CODIS): Federal, state and local forensic laboratories use this digital database to exchange and compare DNA profiles.
Law Enforcement Enterprise Portal (LEEP): LEEP provides web-based investigative tools and analytical resources for law enforcement agencies, intelligence groups and criminal justice entities on a secure networking platform.
Next Generation Identification (NGI): The NGI is a relatively newer system that stores biometric data, including fingerprints, palm prints, facial recognition and more. According to the FBI’s website, it’s the world’s largest and most efficient electronic repository of biometric and criminal history information.
National Data Exchange (N-DEx): N-DEx complements other FBI systems like the NCIC, Interstate Identification Index (III) and NGI. The N-DEx provides access to information not found in other systems, such as incident reports, Department of Justice (DOJ) case files, corrections data and more.
Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS): A national automated fingerprint identification and criminal history system maintained by the FBI.
National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS): The NICS is a background check system that conducts background checks on people who are attempting to purchase a firearm or explosive.
International Justice and Public Safety Network (Nlets): The Nlets is a national and international information exchange system for law enforcement, criminal justice and public safety information.
Ethical considerations
Rapidly evolving technology inevitably presents new ethical concerns. After all, professionals that misuse these technologies can violate civil rights and cause legal problems. Excessive surveillance, for instance, could lead to privacy violations. Facial recognition software is often criticized for this reason.
It’s incredibly important, therefore, that criminal justice professionals understand the ethical and legal ramifications of misusing any given technology within their training. Additionally, tech developers, legal professionals and lawmakers must work together to determine which technologies are acceptable to begin with and/or how they ought to be regulated to protect peoples’ rights. This is especially true in light of the development and implementation of artificial intelligence and machine learning software.
Next steps
Criminal justice professionals can develop a plethora of technology skills depending on their specific occupation. Some professionals may develop expertise with a very specific set of technologies, while others may have an elementary understanding of many different forms of tech. If you’re thinking about going into the criminal justice field, you’ll begin to learn about many of these technology skills in a criminal justice degree program. To learn more, hit our Find Schools button to explore what a criminal justice degree could do for your career.