Trends in law enforcement in 2026 will not be entirely about technology. But, like it did last year, thoughtful use of technology will play an undeniably large role in policing, whether tech is the focus or simply playing a supporting role. Here’s a quick overview of some developing trends that have caught our attention at Spokeo, and how we see them impacting law enforcement.
1. Data-driven Policing
Criminal investigations and arrests are core functions of any LEA, and new approaches to data (like social media intelligence, or SOCMINT) facilitate investigations in many ways, but they’re not the only core functions. It’s said that “an army marches on its stomach,” which simply means that a force is only as good as its logistics. That holds true for policing, too: a well-managed force will be more effective in its use of personnel, material, and its financial resources.
Much of this boils down to how well an LEA collects and utilizes data. For example, commercial truck and car fleets use intelligent telematics to record data on usage and mileage, and police forces can leverage the same tools to schedule maintenance and provide detailed data about incidents involving the LEA’s vehicles. That reduces downtime and costs, increases officer safety, and could even protect the LEA against fraudulent injury claims and potential civil suits. Similarly, software tools (often AI-driven) can help manage budgeting and scheduling, track staffing needs, predict how many personnel are needed on a given shift, and adjust schedules accordingly.
2. Balancing AI tools with Human Oversight
Various forms of AI-driven software have become well-established in LEAs over the past several years. High-visibility examples include tools to collate and analyze data from license plate readers and cameras, facial-recognition software, and products designed to lift some of the administrative burden (“paperwork,” though paper is less common) from field staff.
It’s important to recognize that there are valid questions and potential issues with all of these tools. In a recent case, just days before the time of writing, an AI tool that generates written reports from bodycam audio reported that the officer involved had turned into a frog. Other issues are less amusing: Facial recognition has a high error rate, for example, especially with people of color; and New York City’s audit of its gunshot detection vendor showed poor overall performance.
In 2026, it will be important for AI tools to receive careful and empathetic oversight from humans who are trained to recognize and counter potential biases in the algorithm, especially when drawing trends from data. Otherwise, LEAs risk undermining community relations by targeting individuals or communities on spurious grounds.
3. Realizing the Potential of the “Internet of Things”
The so-called “Internet of Things” (IoT) is a collective name for devices with some form of wireless internet connectivity and a range of sensors or functions. These range from explicitly law-enforcement devices, like license-plate readers, to consumer devices such as robotic vacuums or smart speakers. All of them generate data that can be accessed in some circumstances by LEAs: Directly from department-owned devices, indirectly through agreements with vendors, or as part of a formal investigation through a search warrant or subpoena.
Their investigative potential is clear. LEAs in large urban areas can draw on these and other sources to set up a formal Real Time Crime Center (RTCC)/Real Time Intelligence Center (RTIC), on the model pioneered by the NYPD. Smaller agencies can achieve similar benefits informally through automated data collection and information-sharing agreements with other agencies. But the benefits of in-house IoT devices shouldn’t be overlooked. As described in our first trend, data from those devices can be used for smarter management of vehicles and other departmental resources. And sensors in the vehicles, bodycams, and other sensors worn by officers can give field staff an added level of security and protection from liability or civil suits.
4. Tackling the Problem of Encrypted Communications
Suspects and persons of interest have their choice of communications channels, and some of them are less than secure if you have access to good sources of open-source or social-media intelligence. We’ve written previously about using SOCMINT to penetrate scams, detect money mules, or identify anonymous online posters, for example. But encrypted communications through iMessages, Signal, VoIP telephone services, and social media DMs are much harder to penetrate. Like tracing a “burner” phone to its owner, it’s a challenge, but not an insurmountable one.
Some avenues of attack turn criminals’ tools against them. For example, European police penetrated an encrypted chat service called EncroChat by successfully installing malware on their servers, leading to massive seizures and some 6,500 arrests, though the admissibility of the evidence was hotly debated. More practical options might include using a tool like Spokeo for Law Enforcement to map a suspect’s social media connections, then monitor their open communications on the platform for security lapses. “Turning” an informant with access to the encrypted chat, or gaining access through a device that’s unlocked at the time of an arrest, are other options. Simple human error also happens (case in point: in 2025, administration officials notoriously added a magazine editor to an encrypted discussion of military matters) and can sometimes break a case.
5. Countering the Perishability of Suspects’ Personal Data
Keeping the public data of suspects, acquaintances, and known criminals accurate and up to date is an ongoing issue, but it’s gaining importance. A large percentage of Americans are unbanked or underbanked, meaning they’re hard to find in databases that rely on financial data. Shared accommodations are common, with roommates and extended families helping each other pay rent and utilities, which means addresses change frequently, and utility bills are no longer helpful. People may use VoIP telephone services, instead of a carrier-assigned phone number, to reduce their costs.
None of this is nefarious. Those are things that law-abiding citizens do, especially those who are young and/or low-income. But many potential suspects lead similar lives, and it means keeping your data up to date and searchable is crucial to quick identification when a person of interest crosses your path. Here again, Spokeo for Law Enforcement can help by providing a stream of updated information, which can be tracked down simply by searching the outdated information you currently have. It can also be used for batch searches to trace a group of suspects at once or to update and freshen your existing files through its powerful Application Programming Interface (API).
6. Renewed Focus on Data Security and Oversight
As LEAs collectively seek out and retain ever-greater quantities of personal data on individuals, the need for accountability and data security grows right along with it. For criminals and hackers, breaking into data from police forces can provide a great deal of marketable information, as well as potentially sensitive data about current investigations, officers’ identities, or those of confidential informants. Internal security measures, to detect and prevent misuse of the LEA’s data by its personnel, are also critically important.
Any force that isn’t currently focusing its attention on oversight and data security is putting itself at risk, not only of compromised operations, but also of civil liability over stolen data. LEAs with their own in-house IT services may want to budget for regular, ongoing penetration testing by third-party consultants. Those who don’t have the resources for in-house IT should scrutinize their third-party partners’ data-security arrangements closely and how their contract language addresses liability for potential breaches.
Law Enforcement Technology Demands Good Data
A consistent through-line in all of these trends is the central role played by technology. Some tech tools (IoT) gather data directly, others collate it from a variety of primary sources, and yet others (often AI-directed) analyze the connected data to parse out what’s important. The quality of the information and decisions coming out of those tools will almost invariably reflect the quality of the data going in.
That’s where Spokeo can play a crucial role, by providing broader, deeper, and more up-to-date data than your current sources. Its unparalleled strength in social media intelligence, in particular, can give your investigators fresh tools for countering especially thorny cases, from cyberstalking to picking apart a synthetic identity to find the criminals behind it.
For information about how Spokeo can help your department close more cases, to see a demonstration, or to arrange a free hands-on trial on your own premises, reach out to our team today through the contact information on our Law Enforcement page.
Sources
Oxford Reference: An Army Marches On its Stomach
Munich RE: How Telematics is Changing Public Sector Fleet Management
The Policing Project: How Policing Agencies Use AI
Fox 13 News (Salt Lake City): How Utah Police Departments are Using AI to Keep Streets Safer
The Washington Post: Police ignore Standards After Facial Recognition Matches
New York City Comptroller Mark Levine: Audit Report on the New York City Police Department’s Oversight of Its Agreement with Shotspotter Inc. for the Gunshot Detection and Location System
Police1: Practical AI: Real-World Applications and Limitations in Law Enforcement
Police1: At NYPD’s Real Time Crime Center, the Future of Policing Has Arrived
CSO Online: Encrochat Bust Leads to 6,500 Arrests, Seizure of $1 Billion in Assets
The Atlantic: The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me its War Plans
IBM: What is Penetration Testing?