New Crime Fighter: Digital Camera

The New York City Police Department will begin using digital photography to record evidence in domestic violence cases in Brooklyn next month - joining Queens, where all precincts have used digital photos since last year.

The technology replaces Polaroid photos, and are beneficial because the digital image presents a much more lucid image, revealing even swollen eyes, hand prints and diffuse bruises.

"The use of digital photography has had a critical impact," Queens district attorney Richard Brown told the New York Times. "This makes it impossible for the defendant to deny the seriousness of the crime."

The police department handles about 90,000 domestic violence cases a year. The crimes are difficult to prosecute because they frequently boil down to "he said, she said" cases, with little physical evidence, and often the victim later refuses to cooperate.

The digital images can be immediately sent to judges via computer for arraignments - helping judges decide whether to grant bail, or issue an order of protection to keep the batterer away from the victim.

And advocates in the justice department say that having the pictures immediately available could help move domestic violence cases through the court system faster, potentially helping victims to get away from their tormenters.

Although widely used by the public, law enforcement has been slow to use digital photography, because of tight budgets and a historically conservative stance toward new technology.