Which item was NOT one of the three innovations that radically changed policing services?

• A. Fingerprinting
• B. Telephones
• C. Two-way radio (dispatch and GPS systems)
• D. Police patrol cars with computer screens

Answer: (A)

The main idea is how policing services were transformed by tools that change how officers communicate, receive dispatch, and access information in the field.

Telephones revolutionized policing by enabling quick contact between the public and the department, as well as among officers and units, which broadened reach and improved coordination. Two-way radio and dispatch systems take that further by allowing the central office to direct units in real time, coordinate responses across locations, and speed up how incidents are managed. Patrol cars equipped with computer screens or mobile data terminals bring centralized records, warrants, and other crucial information to the street, letting officers access what they need while on the scene and make faster, more informed decisions.

Fingerprinting, while an important method for identifying suspects, did not change the way policing services operated in the field or reorganized how agencies deliver services in the same way the other three did. It’s a forensic identification tool rather than a system-wide operational innovation, so it’s not one of the three innovations that radically changed policing services.