Top 10 Future Law Enforcement Technologies

Military and law enforcement has a tough job to do. Fighting crime and terror, defeating risks the world over, and creating a safe environment for civilians to raise families and enjoy freedoms. Law Enforcement technology has come a long way since the days of the Old west Gunslingers. The technology starting to breakthrough, and that which is on the horizon, is some of the most fascinating that has ever been seen. Law Enforcement technology is taking great leaps forward, in some cases literally (see number 3 on the list).

10

Smells and Sounds

Stink bombs? Really? Yes, Really. The first generation of riot controlling sound and scent based deterrents are in use now, with an excellent track record and several high profile successful victories. Last year in one of the most dangerous waterways anywhere on the globe, pirates attempting to board a civilian cruise ship were effectively deterred with a sound producing device made to keep birds from doing their business in sensitive areas. These machines which aim highly concentrated sound waves at potential threats render the target unable to use hands as they cover their ears. Called LRAD (Long Range acoustic device – pictured above), the equipment can provide accurate and effective deterrence for riot control and secured building defense. It projects a 95+ decibel sound profile at the target causing immediate inefficiency, and requiring the target to seek a different position or change their once aggressive stance to that of a grandmother in front of a speaker at a rock concert. Future versions boast longer ranges, wider effective fields of sound, and more intense sound projection. Combined with other emerging technologies, like scent based deterrents which can cause vomiting, inability to focus, dulling of sensory capability, and a desire to relocate, this technology can be effective riot control or defense for a high risk area. Scents are now starting in the test phases for effectiveness and potential replacement of high pressure water hoses and rubber and bean bag projectiles for such situations. Scents like Skunk, and feces, and even some concentrations of more commonly-thought-of-as-pleasant chemicals can incapacitate in some cases. In almost all cases, they can break down a target’s will to maintain an aggressive position. Smell has the unique ability to both build up and break down barriers simultaneously depending on how they are used.

9

Metabolic supplements

The future of energy science also includes supplements for human consumption, which can tailor the energy needs of a soldier or law enforcement officer to the support he has available. The ability to forget about having to support fundamental human needs could offer an incredible enhancement to the future law enforcement agent. Being able to control which energy gets used where, allows (theoretically) agents and officers to be faster, stronger smarter, and longer lasting than the opposition. It’s a bit like Viagra for the entire body. Products and procedures which would allow the genetic re-engineering of the metabolism, not only makes overweight people everywhere drool, it makes it possible for a soldier, officer or agent to function at peak capacity without the need to stop and eat, or even worry about eating for days at a time. In reality it’s not as far-fetched as it may seem. Scientists in several well respected labs have already made excellent headway in developing injections that can re-engineer human metabolic processes.

8

Unmanned drones

Perhaps the future of border protection and drug enforcement agencies, unmanned drones and robots allow law enforcement to obtain surveillance and complete missions without being in harm’s way, and without introducing the potential for human error into the mix. Drones can currently: provide high quality images and video, track targets of extreme interest from beyond detectable ranges, and even complete tactical bombing runs. This is just the start. As the technologies continue to improve, agencies someday see entire offensives completed by unmanned “cost effective” (relative to current technologies) drones with multiple purposes. Currently the drones are typically singular in purpose, used for a very specific jobs and only great at one thing. Future models promise more capabilities, and even more precision for mission completion. Unmanned drones are currently used to provide intelligence from restricted airspace, and to track terrorists and drug traffickers, the drones are quickly being snapped up by law enforcement agencies to assist in ever more dangerous situations.

7

OICW gun

After a brutal standoff in Los Angeles, Ca, where local law enforcement were forced to borrow firepower from local gun shops to level the odds against a heavily fortified and well equipped duo of bank robbers, agencies began to adopt Military weapons systems as standard equipment. The OICW XM-8 and XM-29 should be no exception when it is released for production. Started sometime in the late 1990’s with a view to the replacing of an aging design in the M-16/M-4 infantry weapon, the OICW has had its fair share of delays, redesigns and future proofing. It’s likely that the jointly worked project (collaboration between Heckler and Koch and the US department of Defense) will debut in late 2012. Aside from having an intimidating look, the OICW Bullpup style weapon combines an infantry rifle with a 25 mm grenade launcher capable of firing the next generation of HEI-T (High-Explosive Incendiary with tracer) ammunition. These are being dubbed the ammunition of the future with the capability of using range defined explosive charges to allow for a complete weapon system to be carried by each soldier or law enforcement office who is given one. The ammunition can be dialed in to do any number of “tricks” including: exploding over a target (like a wall), entering into a building before exploding, and range finding the enemy for strategic maneuvers from over 400 meters away. With qualities like this, it blows video game arsenals out of the water, and provides law enforcement with firepower never before seen.

6

Dragon skin armor

The material technology has existed for decades, but the build specific technology is truly futuristic. If there is such a thing as futuristic dragons, that is. Dragon skin achieves a level of personnel protection unmatched by current techniques and materials by utilizing a stacked, scaled design to provide layers of fabric based lightweight ballistic armor, combined with high strength ceramic armored composites. Dragon Skin, a brand name produced by Pinnacle Armor allows movement (light weight, flexible, form fitting), and unmatched ballistic protection (nearly three times the protection for the same weight). With top secret development facilities, and a ton of VC and Government funding options, Dragon skin looks poised to bring the future of infantry combat to the here and now. Because of the unique combinations of materials and the top-secret design elements, the makers and testers of this futuristic armor claim that the armor can mitigate both penetration potential, AND blunt force absorption of muzzle energy, allowing Military and law enforcement users protection against high velocity, high mass ammunition’s fired from small arms. This technology truly skews the playing field in favor of law enforcement agencies.

Microwave technologies ADS

Has a chicken breast ever gone into a microwave oven without an absolute massacre being the end result? The ADS system (Active Denial System) aims to do the same thing to pesky rioters, high risk threats, and otherwise heavily shielded and protected targets. Now in its advanced testing stages within the military facilities, it’s entirely likely that Law enforcement will be the number one consumer of this technology for its unmatched abilities within the riot and mob control scenario. High frequency targeted microwaves are projected at an offender sparking a reaction in the water carrying (read: all) molecules and fatty tissues, causing the target to heat up from the inside out. Immediately, the target is unable to continue in the same fashion as before, they are in immense pain, and too uncomfortable to continue as a threat. It provides a biological reaction in the body, incapacitating the target and rendering them effectively useless for a longer period of time than other “non-lethal” methods.

4

Metal storm stacked munitions

Metal storm weapons (MAUL, Firestorm, Redback) may not be true Future Law Enforcement technologies as they already exist. Rather, the “simple” technology behind the complex pieces produced by Metal Storm conceals the future proof capabilities. Stacked munitions allow for rapid deployment of ammunition, accelerated reloading for continued engagement, and the safest, most foolproof operation of a weapon – which is paramount until law enforcement can find a way to take the human factor out of the combat equation. The MAUL is an add-on system which allows law enforcement to add five shotgun shell sized munitions to their current entry weapons. This could facilitate door breaching, riot control, or lethal munitions where before those tools would have been too cumbersome to carry, or require additional personnel. Firestorm is a 40mm stacked munitions grenade launcher, which allows border patrol and other remotely operating law enforcement groups a system of backup and protection against larger groups, or high threat targets. The Firestorm can launch 24,000 grenade rounds a minute, operated from safety via an internet connection, RF, and dc power. Redback is a high volume rail gun, the backbone perhaps of the Metalstorm brand, it truly unleashes a storm of metal upon its targets with multiple barrel builds, and stacked in line munitions, this machine rains down hell on its targets.

3

Exoskeleton HULC suit/Robocop

Half man, half robot, all cop. Exoskeleton armor has been in existence to brutal effect for thousands of years – Think Cockroaches and Crabs. It’s pretty difficult to mortally wound a cockroach, and even if it happens, the roach can still function with amazing capabilities for up to a few months. The HULC suit is another product in the Military to Law Enforcement distribution model. It’s a power assisted suit of armor which can be combined with other pieces of defensive and offensive technology to make hybrid law enforcement personnel. It can sense the direction that a wearer wants to move in, and help propel them forward towards their target. It can prevent muscle strain and over usage by deploying special enhancements to lighten the load on the human inside of it. It runs on jet fuel for 72 hours, and enhances strength, speed, endurance and, most likely, morale for all involved on the same side as the suit. The coolest part about the HULC suit? It’s not the only suit on the market, the Sarcos suit is another viable contender for the space, with the only operational difference being the power supply and some additional enhancements. The six million dollar man and Robocop might look cool, but this suit defines cool. It’s the coolest new technology, and probably on the top of every gadget lover’s wish list.

2

Nanotechnology

In some circles, Nanotechnology is being dubbed the future of just about everything; these “critters” have the potential to rule the future of law enforcement in ways that span from the mundane to the inconceivable. From fabrics so slick they can resist and prevent knife thrusts, to nano tech fingerprint rendering from cases decades old, this technology has so many possibilities that it couldn’t possibly be quantified at the current level of understanding. Nanotechnology can improve everything from bullet proof armored fabrics, to the effect bullets have on the body once coming in contact with a target’s flesh, to reproducing latent evidence from crime scenes by using biological remnants of DNA and other particles. Biologically enhanced weapons can further be strengthened and even controlled using nanotechnology, allowing for drastic changes to the cloak and dagger world of spy games. Nanotechnology gives law enforcement hope of one day operating with a lower rate of failure and risk by being able to control outcomes, and protect against changing threats with legions of tiny “bugs” to carry out the dirty work. Nanotechnology – creating a new respect for the scrubbing bubbles in bathrooms all across the United States.

1

Metamaterial cloaking camouflage

Cloak and Dagger is an excellent platform for usage, and maybe even a potential brand name for this technology, which at its current stage employs hundreds of thousands of mirrored holographic discs to blend into an environment. The potential for operatives, snipers and entry teams to avoid detection by sight makes it almost an unfair fight. Law enforcement by fear alone? It’s a distinct possibility that simply knowing law enforcement can act counter to a criminal without their knowledge could decrease criminal activity at even the highest threat levels. Currently only in its infancy, metamaterial cloaking is one of the more widely desired, and closely watched, technologies especially in the law enforcement space, as it has the opportunity to have the single biggest impact on human personnel and law enforcement procedure of any other conceived technology. Future designs will likely include a combination of shape changing liquids/materials and highly faceted reflective discs which can also absorb color and light to further disguise the user in a more natural way. It has worked for Harry Potter, and within the decade it may provide an amazing supplement to law enforcement agencies in the fight against terror, and all manner of other criminal activity.

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Top 10 Sushi Bites

To my surprise, this website has yet to post (until now) a top ten list about sushi. It has been mentioned numerous times, notably on the lists “Top 10 Luxury Foods” and “Top 10 Bizarre Restaurants,” but has never had a list on its own. So I’ve taken the initiative.
These are the top 10 most delicious bites of sushi. I’ve chosen items that are reasonably available on the market, and that, like Jamie Frater’s “Top 10 Korean Food You Have to Try,” represent a variety that any self-respecting sushi eater should set the goal to try in their lifetime. Naturally, this list is very personal opinion based, but to give some brief credentials on me, I am a sushi chef and have made sushi on a professional level since 2005, and have been eating sushi since long before that, both Stateside and in Japan. My selections are intended for a board spectrum of sushi eaters, ranging from the beginner (even the “sushi virgin” as we like to say), to even the most well-versed “sushi snobs” among us.
By “Sushi Bites” I’ve included items that are both, as a matter of semantics, sushi and sashimi. This covers most all sushi-related techniques and ingredients involving raw fish and cooked fish, with or without sushi rice. I also tried to give both the English and Japanese names for things.
I’ve also done my best to describe the individual tastes of the items, but that is difficult writing territory with certain limitations. (How would you describe the taste of salt, for example, other than saying “salty”?) Besides all that, I hope to provide good information and a lot of new trivia knowledge to each reader, as any list ought to do.
Enjoy.

10

Unagi (Eel)

We’ll start with an easy one in eel. Unagi (the freshwater variety of eel, as opposed to its marine brother Anago) has long been a mainstay in Japan, and has recently surged in popularity in the United States too. It is described as rubbery but not chewy, earthy and mushroomy, if that makes sense. Probably the most chicken-like sushi meat, it isn’t too big of a leap for first-timers once they get over the fact that it’s an eel.
Almost all sushi restaurants get it farm-raised, pre-packaged and grilled in a teriyaki-like sauce, making a taste that incorporates elements of sugar, soy sauce, sesame seeds and sugar, and for the most part that is widely consistent from restaurant to restaurant. It’s also not uncommon for it to be served warm, which is unique for sushi.
In the US, a common item featuring Unagi is the inside-out style of sushi roll (Uramaki style) known as the Caterpillar. There is no exact definition of a Caterpillar Roll, as each restaurant usually has their own version, but it usually pairs Unagi with avocado (the important thing) and various other ingredients. [Image Source]

9

Tako (Octopus)

Also rubbery, the meat cut from an Octopus tentacle can be quite dense and chewy. It has a subtle, cleanly delicious taste that gives it a particular, yet loyal, fan base.
Most all Nigiri-style sushi (that is, slices of fish on top of a hand-formed ball of rice) will contain a small amount of hot wasabi. (This is applied at the chef’s discretion, and Unagi is the typical exception to this practice). The taste of Tako, however, is exceptionally enhanced by the wasabi and so it might be given much more than the other pieces, on average. What is also special about Tako is that instead of being cut by a single, one-directional motion, as is the rule for cutting other fish, it is cut in many short and quick sawing motions, resulting in a corrugated surface. This was originally done as a way of demonstrating to customers that the specimen was parasite-free, but it stuck as a tradition.
Outside of Japan, the whole octopus is thoroughly boiled before it is carved, resulting in a very opaque white flesh and a dark purple skin. In Japan it is served similarly, although it can sometimes also be served raw and grey, and a lot chewier.

8

Basashi (Horse)

Attitudes towards the human consumption of horse meat depend on the region. It is vastly most popular in East Asian countries, Japan, China and Korea, where it is a frequent delicacy. Elsewhere in the world it is less common, but present; places like South America, the Middle East and Continental Europe. It is far more scarcely available in the UK, Australia and Canada, and least of all in the United States, where it strongly opposed and viewed by many as taboo.
In Japanese, Horse meat is generally referred to as Sakura-niku (which means “cherry blossom steak”), but when it is cut into thin slices and served sashimi style, it is called Basashi. It is very lean and fairly tender, tasting close to other rare-prepared red meat like beef and mutton (more so beef, but definitely distinct from beef). It actually contains much less fat than beef, and twice the iron. Without a doubt, the best garnish for Basashi is freshly grated ginger and diced onions. This is a must. [Image Source]

7

Tobiko

Tobiko is the roe (ovaries) harvested from flying fish. It is used as a component in many Japanese dishes, and in the US it is most commonly seen on the outside of California Roll or “Golden” California Rolls. However, it earns a spot on our list for when it is served as the primary ingredient, in a style known as Gunkan-maki or “Battleship Style.”
Plain Tobiko is orange, salty in taste, and crunchy in texture. Occasionally it is served with a raw quail egg cracked directly on top of the battleship piece, with a Shiso leaf (think of a mint leaf, but not exactly). This is a very fancy item with, needless to say, a complex flavor.
Tobiko comes in an assortment of alternative flavors and colors; wasabi (green), squid ink (black), spicy hot (red), and yuzu, a citrus fruit (yellow). Often Tobiko is substituted with the cheaper Masago (roe of capelin), but Masago eggs are slightly smaller in size, messier, and a lot brighter orange. It’s easy to tell the difference when they are side by side, so it just takes experience to know what you are looking at.

6

Toro

Perhaps the single most extensively used wild-caught fish in sushi, on a global scale, is the Bluefin Tuna. It is so overfished, in fact, that it is very threatened as a species, which in turn is considered a major sustainability risk to the world oceans as a system. A Greenpeace activist once told me that there are more frozen Bluefin tunas than live ones. For this reason, a lot of people, including myself, have started to avoid Bluefin more and more. Now having said that, as long as you’re not eating it everyday, I would be the last person to cast aspersions.
The Bluefin (Maguro) yields different cuts for sushi. The greater part of the fish, and therefore the most common and the cheapest, is called Akami. This is a dark red cut that comes from the spine and tail. Moving closer to the head, the Chu-Toro is a fattier flesh with a richer flavor, and from there, moving toward the anterior belly, is the Toro, the most marbled and the most highly valued. The absolute fattiest cut of Toro is referred to as the O-Toro or Oho-Toro. This piece melts in your mouth like butter.

Salmon Skin Roll

Together with tuna, salmon invariably constitutes any chef’s top-selling fish, both in volume and for profit. Because of this fact, chefs inescapably find themselves with a seemingly endless surplus of salmon skin, which is cut off and not included in the nigiri, sashimi and other rolls. With all the extra skin around (granted, the chef must make a conscious effort to scale the fish and save the skin, instead of discarding it indiscriminately), there is always the possibility that a chef will be happy to make a Salmon Skin Roll, even if it’s not on the menu.
The skin, a speckled gradient of white, silver and black, tastes like a combination of the fish itself and the pungent seawater in which it lived. It should be baked or broiled beforehand, which makes its overall prevailing quality one of “toasty.” Hard to describe beyond that. Sometimes the skin is smoked, which is a flavor all by itself, but that also can be a real treat. Either way, it is rolled up into something routinely called a B.C. Roll (British Columbia) or Philadelphia Roll (indicating cream cheese) with other things such as cucumbers or crab, or whatever. But believe me, the salmon skin is what you will taste.

4

Amaebi (Sweet Shrimp)

Amaebi is the translucent, delicate tails of shrimp that are served raw as either nigiri or sashimi. It should not be confused with Ebi, the type of sushi shrimp that are more familiar to the layman: bigger, plainer tasting, always cooked, frequently over-cooked, and which would be disgusting and probably unsafe were it served raw. Amaebi is commonly serves with either Tobiko or Ikura (salmon eggs) on top.
The Amaebi shrimp, in addition to being very scrumptious, are furthermore intriguing in that, insomuch as the traditional sushi experience is concerned, they present the closest thing to eating a live organism (fringe practices notwithstanding). What will happen is that in one brief sequence the chef will separate the tail from the abdomen, manually remove the shell and the barb from the tail, cleans the venous cavity, and commences with the presentation of the dish, which often includes the immediately detached head. I hesitate to say that it’s a live food, though, because at this point survival for the animal is of course an impossibility, although if the customer is lucky some minor twitching will occur. Let’s just say this: It certainly won’t be the least-alive thing you will ever try in your life.

3

Shime Saba

Shime Saba is the sushi name for a Mackerel (Saba) that has been pickled. It is very potently flavored, too intensely for some, very vinegary and salty (naturally, from the curing process), very fishy (in a good way), and very, very oily. Eating more than one piece at a sitting would definitely be over-doing it. Unless you just really love it, I suppose.
It also has a notorious aftertaste which I won’t even attempt to describe. Shime Saba is definitely one of those things that people either love or hate. Most, I have found, eventually admit they love it.
The flesh is a very mundane light-tan color, but the skin is very shiny, silvery, with salamander-like blotchy stripes that can be very blue in tone (not unlike a Na’vi’s skin from the movie Avatar). To my knowledge, a slice of Shime Saba sushi is the only naturally occurring instance of blue meat. For that reason alone you simply must try it if you haven’t. [Image Source]

2

Yellowtail with Jalapeños

In sushi parlance, “Yellowtail” (Hamachi) refers to a species of fish whose common English name is Japanese Amberjack. This is not to be confused with Yellowtail Amberjack, whose sushi name is Hiramasa, and that is also sometimes called Mossback or White Salmon. Nor is it to be confused, which it often is, with any species of tuna or mackerel, such as the Skipjack, whose sushi name is Katsuo, or the Yellowfin, which falls under the umbrella term “Maguro,” or Japanese Jack Mackerel, the whose sushi name is Aji, not to be confused with the Ahi, the Hawaiian name for Yellowfin. Hamachi should be common enough to avoid all this disorder, but it’s always good to know what you’re eating, exactly.
Hamachi has a full, savory flavor due to its high fat content. In fact, during the winter months, the flesh can be so saturated with fat that it will not even hold soy sauce and might actually repel it. Its color can be inconsistent, but it shouldn’t be too white (when it is thereby known as Inada), or red (thereby known as Buri), but should be a heavy pink color, not translucent at all, with a sort of brown tint to it. It will turn more tan as it becomes less fresh, so it should differently be nice and pink. A fresh cut of hamachi is much more flavorful, and at least as buttery, as any cut of Maguro.
God knows why, but Hamachi is just awesome with Jalapeños. This is a relatively new trend, but it is spreading like wildfire, especially with two of America’s top celebrity Japanese chefs, Nobu Nobuyuki and Masaharu Morimoto (the Iron Chef), each offering their own signature take on the combination.

1

Fugu Sashi

Fugu (pufferfish, or blowfish) must surely be one of the most, if not the most, dangerous glamour food that exists, and the most glamorous danger food that exists. Prepared sashimi-style, it is called Fugu Sashi. It is notorious because of the lethal poison contained in the fish’s liver, intestines and skin. When contaminated by the poison, which can be as much 140,000 times as powerful as cocaine, humans will gradually become fully paralyzed until they die from asphyxiation from not being able to breath. This is all while they remain completely conscious. There is no known antidote.
Fugu laws in Japan are very strict, and chefs require special licensing that goes well beyond that of an average sushi chef. There are Fugu restaurants in New York City, but it is very expensive and the chefs must complete the same demanding Japanese licensure.
To be forthright, the chances of a person dying from eating Fugu are rather low (about the same as dying skydiving). The danger is real and present, however, and this feeling of risk (particularly when you are the first person at the table to try a piece) is very exciting and one of the reasons Fugu is so celebrated. The other reason, and I must emphasize this, is because of how amazingly delicious it is.
Described as “sublime” and “addictive,” the flavor is very subtle and clean, like octopus, but not tough in any way, nor rubbery, nor chewy. Like Hamachi or Toro, it has a mild fishy taste, extremely mild, but it’s there. It has a very smooth, very uniform texture (unlike hamachi or toro, which have grain lines running through them and can be flaky). Even when prepared perfectly, trace amounts of poison come through, and it cause the eater’s mouth to go a little numb; not so much that they can’t feel it, but enough that if they had a cut on their tongue, it wouldn’t hurt anymore.
Fugu is fragile and very transparent. Traditionally it is served on a plate that has a picture of a chrysanthemum flower on it (the Emperor’s symbol) and the detail of the flower should be visible through the super-thin sashimi cuts. The Fugu itself is also typically arranged in the pattern of the flower. The flavor is so soft that you can sit and eat a ton of it in one sitting, which is a good thing.
I’ve only tried it once in my life, but it was the best meal I’ve ever had.

+

Kimbap

If you are not a fan of sushi or don’t like raw fish products, try Korean kimbap (김밥). Kimbap looks like sushi but it is made with cooked vegetables and meat or fish. The rice is more heavily seasoned so it doesn’t require soy sauce. Kimbap is also wrapped in a different type of seaweed which has a subtly different flavor to sushi. While sushi is popular in Korea, kimbap is the real favorite. You should definitely give kimbap a try if you haven’t had it before – it really is quite delicious. Here is a recipe for making it at home – it is quite easy (as can be attested to by the photo above which was made by Listverse’s founder Jamie Frater. If he can do it, anyone can! [Image Source]

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