Ohio Police Employ QR Codes to Fight Crimes in the State
On the 18th of July 2024, the Columbus Police Department (CPD) began implementing new technology to identify criminals. The tech? The humble but effective QR code.
This QR-powered initiative started during their investigations into the death of Alexa Stakely. The 29-year-old mother was killed after she was hit by a suspected thief fleeing away in her car with her young son still inside the vehicle.
To help identify crime suspects faster, police are now using QR codes to reach out to citizens. When scanned, concerned citizens can send hints, videos, and images to the police department.
These codes would be deployed in areas around the city whenever investigators need additional assistance.
This isn’t the first time the department has issued QR codes for the same purposes. During investigations into the mass shootings in Short North, Columbus, police also sought the help of citizens with their codes.
Locals have seen this method of identifying suspects positively, with one praising it for its user-friendliness.
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Versatility in the face of crime
The CPD isn’t the only one using a QR code generator with logo to fight crime. Police from Sacramento, California have also generated QR codes for the same purpose, leading to nearly 200 submissions in 2022.
Even volunteer organizations have begun using QR codes as a means to collect leads, videos, and photos.
One in particular is the Kansas City Crime Stoppers, a program under the Kansas City Metro Crime Commission. In response to a series of high-profile mass shootings in the country, the group distributed QR codes to local schools and other spots in their city.
QR codes aren’t just a means to submit tips and evidence. In fact, their versatility has allowed other police departments to generate QR codes for their own purposes.
For example, police at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) began issuing “stop cards” to gather feedback on their officers. Each card comes with a feedback QR code that people can scan to give their ratings and comments.
According to John Venuti, VCU police chief and the associate vice president for public safety, using QR codes this way shows that the department takes police interactions seriously.
QR codes are also being used to provide resources to victims of domestic abuse in DuPage County, Illinois. Meant to be a discrete way of seeking help, and the QR code directs users to a specially-made dummy website.
A link will then take users to a real website with information that can help victims. These include where to go for legal aid, how to get orders of protection, the court process for prosecuting abusers, and much more.
Meanwhile, police in Franklin, Tennessee are using QR codes to fill their ranks with more officers. QR code stickers were placed on patrol cars to spread the word so interested parties could quickly sign up.
Police all over the world see QR code potential
Using QR codes as a tool to combat crime is also becoming increasingly popular worldwide as police departments generate their unique use cases.
In 2023, the National Police Traffic Corps of Indonesia (Korlantas) began developing chips and QR codes for vehicle license plates. With QR codes on license plates, police will be able to determine whether the plate is genuine or counterfeit.
This initiative was the result of a need to bring more public awareness to traffic laws. According to Inspector General Firman Shantyabudi, lawbreakers would remove their license plates when officers ticket them.
In the same year, Nova Scotia’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) created a QR code to raise awareness about human trafficking. Printing them on posters and stickers, the RCMP’s Human Trafficking Unit’s goal was to help citizens recognize signs of human trafficking and report it.
According to Corporal David Lane, traffickers operate in the open because people lack the knowledge to help identify and report them. With QR codes, anyone in Nova Scotia can access this knowledge.
Another recent use of QR codes by police officers can be found in the state of Maharashtra, India. In 2020, Nagpur police used QR codes to ensure officers were patrolling their assigned beats.
The results of this “e-beat policing” convinced the higher-ups to begin implementing QR code-based patrols across the entire state. This practice continues in 2024 as Nagpur Police increase the number of places to visit from 1,500 to 2,000.
Risks remain as organizations urge caution
While more police departments use QR codes, government agencies, and cybersecurity companies continue to urge the public to be careful when scanning codes.
Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) officials issued a warning in early 2024 regarding QR code scams. According to their warning, over $150 million of losses were reported in 2023 due to fraudulent QR codes.
These QR codes were used to steal private information and take users’ money by misdirecting payments.
On the other hand, Kaspersky, the world-famous cybersecurity company, contributed to the fight against malicious QR codes by providing resources to their users, where they can learn QR code history, how they work, and how to stay safe from scams.
Despite the risks, the fact that police officers all over the world are adopting QR codes is a testament to their power and effectiveness. As the years go by, citizens can expect to see more QR codes as law enforcement works to fulfill their duty.
