By Detective Shannon Belanger
Policing has always had to adapt to technology. The difference today is that technology is evolving faster than our policies, training cycles and procurement timelines can keep up.
That gap creates a predictable pattern: we first learn about a new capability after it becomes a problem — after a criminal uses it, after a victim is harmed, after a viral incident forces a policy response, or after a case hits the news. By then, we’re reacting. We’re behind.
The point of attending CES isn’t to chase gadgets. It’s to break that pattern.
What CES is — and why it matters
CES stands for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). It is the world’s largest technology exhibition, bringing together thousands of companies, engineers, researchers and innovators from across the globe. CES isn’t a traditional law enforcement conference. There are no policy panels or case law updates. It’s where emerging technology appears first — often years before it becomes mainstream and long before it reaches public safety applications.
It’s also enormous. So large, in fact, that it is impossible to see it all in the time you’re given. If you attend, you need a plan of attack. Wandering aimlessly through CES is the fastest way to waste the advantage of being there. The value comes from choosing focus areas, identifying priorities and treating the show like reconnaissance rather than tourism.
The stigma of Las Vegas — and the reality of training value
Las Vegas has always carried a stigma in law enforcement circles. Mention training or a conference there, and assumptions tend to arrive before explanations: that the work will take a back seat to the location, that nights will be late and mornings optional, and that whatever is being learned could probably be learned somewhere else — preferably somewhere less distracting.
But the city isn’t the variable. Judgment is. Location doesn’t create judgment. Character does. Command staff already understand this. Every training decision comes down to the same question: who can be trusted to represent the agency, absorb information and return with value. CES doesn’t change that calculus. It simply makes it more visible because of where it’s held.
I’ve spent more than 23 years in law enforcement, including 17 in highly specialized technology-focused assignments. Long before I wore a badge, I was drawn to how technology works — and how it fails. Moving into electronic surveillance and technical operations wasn’t a shift. It was alignment.
This year marked my fourth CES. It also marked the first time my agency fully funded the trip, covering airfare, lodging and transportation.
Ironically, Las Vegas is frequently one of the most cost-effective places to train.
CES isn’t a showroom — it’s an early warning system
CES exists at the earliest stage of the technology lifecycle. This is where tools are unveiled, refined and stress-tested in real time. For law enforcement, that matters not only because it shows what technology can do, but because it reveals how it can be misused, repurposed, or exploited.
This year’s show offered no shortage of examples. Rapidly evolving AI platforms. Autonomous vehicles operating with minimal human input. Drones capable of deployment speeds that challenge traditional response timelines. Combat-capable robotics that blur the line between industrial use and tactical application.
One of the most striking moments of the week was attending the Lenovo keynote at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Beyond the spectacle, the message was unmistakable: computing power, AI integration, and platform convergence are accelerating far faster than policy and regulation can keep pace.
The real advantage: conversations you can’t get anywhere else
Equally valuable were the conversations happening offstage.
CES creates access that is nearly impossible to replicate elsewhere. In a single day, I spoke with engineers and researchers from Korea, China, Japan and France — people building the systems that will soon be embedded into consumer devices and enterprise platforms worldwide.
During CES, almost everyone you meet is there for CES. That changes the social rules. Approaching strangers doesn’t feel awkward — it feels expected. People are there to talk, to demo, to compare notes. You can have a five-minute hallway conversation that gives you a year’s worth of perspective because you’re speaking directly to the people designing what’s coming next.
Being one of the few attendees wearing a government badge became an unexpected advantage — and a reliable icebreaker. Conversations usually began the same way: a glance at the badge, a pause and the question: Why are you here? That curiosity quickly turned into concern as we walked through how technologies built for convenience can be repurposed, exploited and leveraged in ways most people never consider.
The exploitation problem: The network is bigger than the laptop
Compromise no longer starts with hacking a computer. It starts with a smart appliance, a wearable, or an IoT device quietly sitting on the same network.
This year, two terms dominated conversations: digital twins and personal agents.
The concept is marketed as productivity and personalization — AI systems that follow users across platforms, manage tasks and anticipate needs. What is rarely discussed is the criminal mirror of that model. Criminal actors won’t have just one digital twin. They may operate several — hidden, purpose-built agents, each designed for a specific and often nefarious role.
In the most disturbing cases, additional AI agents are designed explicitly to exploit vulnerability. Children are coerced through deepfakes, extortion and social manipulation. Elderly victims are targeted through AI-driven impersonation, fraud and emotional exploitation, often losing life savings or being isolated from family before anyone realizes what’s happening.
Digital bullies no longer need physical proximity. They wield reputational threats, humiliation and exposure as weapons, often with devastating consequences for vulnerable victims.
CES also shows the solution side
Alongside the risks, the show featured life-saving technologies: rapid-deployment drones capable of reaching scenes before first responders, non-camera sensors that detect distress without violating privacy, and assisted-care devices designed to speed triage and reduce human error during mass-casualty incidents.
CES isn’t about shopping for gadgets. It’s about situational awareness at the technological level.
Call to action
The technologies shaping the next decade of policing are not emerging slowly. They are arriving all at once.
CES is not about Las Vegas. It’s about whether policing continues to encounter technology only after it has been weaponized — or whether leaders choose to see what’s coming while there’s still time to prepare.
About the author
Detective Shannon Belanger is a detective with the Broward Sheriff’s Office, specializing in electronic surveillance, real-time intelligence systems, covert operations and emerging law enforcement technologies. With over two decades in public safety, he has led initiatives involving AI-driven analytics and large-scale technology modernization projects. His work focuses on bridging operational policing with next-generation tools that enhance officer safety, investigative effectiveness and public trust. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family boating in the Florida sun. His hobbies include tinkering with technology, from 3D printing to AI programming.
