Dogged by scandal, the Los Angeles Police Department is looking beyond human judgment to technology to identify bad cops.

This month, the agency began using a $35 million computer system that tracks complaints and other telling data about officers — then alerts top supervisors to possible signs of misconduct.

The system is central to a federal oversight program ordered by the U.S. Justice Department after a wave of abuse allegations in the 1990s cast doubt on the LAPD’s ability — and willingness — to police itself.

“There definitely needs to be computerized management” of officers, said Andre Birotte, the LAPD’s inspector general. “There have been concerns with all the scandals that have gone on within the department.”

Community leaders hope the tracking system can help restore public confidence shaken by high-profile shootings and scandals involving the LAPD.

Source: CNN