Technology allows cops to ‘see’ inside your home

Like a scene out of an action thriller, random law enforcement agencies across the U.S. are utilizing advanced technology to essentially see through walls and pinpoint movement on the other side.

The handheld radar devices can detect the slightest step, or even a breath, giving first responders an edge in any situation.

According to the website for the Range-R, described as a highly-sensitive Doppler motion detector, police and SWAT teams can use it to locate assailants or hostages inside a structure. In addition, firefighters, or search and rescue groups, can determine if people are trapped inside a home.

Vincent Bove, a board certified crime prevention specialist, praised the tool, citing a "culture of violence" in America.

"Law enforcement deserves every technology conveyable and available to protect themselves and society," Bove said. "This gives a valuable tool to law enforcement who last year had a major uptick in fatalities."

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, 126 officers died in the line of duty in 2014, compared to 102 the year prior.

Bove suggested the radar tools shouldn't present any privacy or surveillance issues as long as they're used constitutionally and the users are trained on what's acceptable and what is not.

In an article from USA Today, a principal technologist with the American Civil Liberties Union described the technology as problematic and intrusive. New Jersey's chapter refrained from commenting on the issue because it couldn't be proven that such devices are currently operating in the Garden State.