A Model for Technology Acceptance in Law

EnforcementA Case Study involving Lawful Intercept

Technology at a Prosecutor's OfficeBy

Vincent GisontiMay 4, 2012

What is technology acceptance?

Gattiker (1984) defined technology acceptance as “an individual’s psychological state with regard to his or her voluntary or intended use of a particular technology.”

Morris (1996) defined technology acceptance as “the degree to which an individual decides to use a technology.”

Why study technology acceptance?

An important area of research

Many technology acceptance models

User population, technology and context

What is a Mandatory Use Environment

Sørebø & Eikebrokk (2008) defined this term as an environment “consisting of an information system that users have to use in order to fulfill tasks that are required for their job assignments.”

Brown et al, (2002) defined a mandatory use environment as “one in which employees must use a specific system in order to perform their work tasks and to keep their jobs.”

Why study technology acceptance in a law enforcement?

Lack of research in technology acceptance

Bias in law enforcement research

Criminal Justice System

Why study technology acceptance in a prosecutor’s office?

Technology acceptance is dependent on user population, technology and the context in which the technology is used.

Distinct role and responsibilities

Distinct mission

Why study technology acceptance in a prosecutor’s office?

To date there has been no technology acceptance research involving prosecutor’s offices.

What are Law Enforcement Technologies?

Police Technologies

Legal Technologies

What is Lawful Intercept Technology?

Court-ordered electronic eavesdropping

A potent but controversial tool

Why Study Lawful Intercept Technology?

Why Study Lawful Intercept Technology?

• Challenges and Criticism– Network security– Vulnerability– Privacy– Minimization, Professional Hearing, and

Entextualization– Statistics– Advances in telecommunications

Why Study Lawful Intercept Technology?

To date there has been no technology acceptance research of lawful intercept technology.

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Law Enforcement Technology Acceptance Model (LEM)

Intention

Attitude

Subjective Norm

Perceived Behavioral

Control

Relative Advantage

Compatibility

Complexity

Observability

Peer Influence

Subordinate Influence

Superior Influence

Computer Self-Efficacy

Top Mgmt Support

User Support

IS Professionalism

User Training

Availability

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Research Questions

• What factors influence technology acceptance of lawful intercept technology in a law enforcement setting?

• How do these technology acceptance factors influence each other?

• Do the values of these factors differ between and among investigators and attorneys in the law enforcement domain?

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Method

• Combination of qualitative and quantitative methods has been found to provide a fuller understanding of the research questions being investigated. (Akbulut, 2003; Lapczynski, 2004; Saviak, 2007)

• Qualitative method will involve interviews of six investigators and two attorneys

• Quantitative method will involve a survey of 150 investigators and 25 attorneys

• Analysis using standard techniques

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Research Contributions

• Theoretical Contributions• This study responds to the need for and improves the

understanding of technology acceptance, in general, and mandatory-use environments, specifically.

• This study responds to the need for and improves the understanding of technology acceptance in a previously unstudied domain, prosecutor's offices, a vital and distinct component of the criminal justice system.

• This study responds to the need for and improves the understanding of technology acceptance of a previously unstudied technology, lawful intercept technology, one of the most potent and controversial technologies used by law enforcement.

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Research Contributions

• Practical Contributions• The literature asserts that awareness of technology acceptance

factors will help aid in the development of policies, guide the implementation of technology, and improve the productivity and efficiency of users. (Mullen, 1996; Akbulut, 2003; Colvin and Goh, 2005; Hu, Lin, and Chen, 2005; Scott, 2006; Tosun, 2006; Saviak, 2007; Yalcinkaya, 2007; Lai, 2008)

• This study supports the work of information technology administrators, in general, by identifying factors that influence a user's acceptance of technology.

• This study supports the work of information technology administrators in law enforcement, specifically, by identifying factors that influence an investigator's and attorney's acceptance of technology.

A Model for Technology Acceptance in Law Enforcement

Remaining tasks: Survey and Analysis