Lunceford assumes duties as Elizabethton Police Dept. Intelligence Analyst-Technology Specialist 

Technology in the world today is evolving at break-neck speed and it has impacted every profession and even some where the use of such technology has created criminals out of ordinary people who have just enough knowledge to be dangerous when the technology falls into their hands.

However, the need to stay up with the trends of the ever-changing growth of technology isn't being lost on even the police departments that are charged with protecting small communities such as Elizabethton.

With that in mind, the Elizabethton Police Department recently made a move to create a position for someone to become the department's Intelligence Analyst - Technology Specialist.

After posting the position and conducting interviews, the department hired Travis Lunceford to head up the position.

Lunceford was no stranger to the technology world serving the Carter County Sheriff's Office as the Network Administrator for the past nine years where he functioned to help blend the fields of advanced technology and law enforcement.

Even though the EPD has been proactive in trying to stay on top of technology, the department realized that they needed someone whose main responsibility would be to work directly with the department in the area of analyzing intelligence and keeping up with the present trends of technology in making the department even stronger.

"I plan to bring not only previous knowledge but as well as different perspectives," said Lunceford. "I hope to enhance what the Elizabethton Police Department has already accomplished and push the envelope of our capabilities. My duties will consist of analyzing information within the department so that others can more easily comprehend trends and patterns. That may be providing information to supervisors, investigators, or even making law enforcement more transparent by providing information to the city council and the public at large. In addition, I’ll be helping with crimes that involve the use of technology, such as phones and computers."

And even in a community as small as Elizabethton, many don't understand the way that individuals are using technology to their advantage to clean out bank accounts fraudulently and steal personal individual information that can be used to ultimately bankrupt someone.

"Crimes involving technology are becoming increasingly common," Lunceford said. "As people’s ability to easily communicate increase, so does their ability to commit crimes using these means. It is imperative that we keep up with the newest technologies. Not only do we need to know what technologies others are using, but we should be able to take advantage of the same tools as a force multiplier to help keep the community safer."

With Lunceford's experience, he also knows that bringing changes present daily challenges to the new position.

"Trying to change how things are done, even if it will benefit of others, is always a challenging task. Overcoming old habits to improve effectiveness will be a challenge far worth the cost," Lunceford said.

Lunceford's prior experience in technology will be a big asset to his new employer as someone who has the experience on the subject matter to better assist the department's officers and in turn help keep the residents of Elizabethton safer from crimes associated with technology.

"The technology field in law enforcement has almost always been underserved," Lunceford said. "It’s quite important to have somebody that’s a subject matter expert to assist officers. Rather it be from handling technology as evidence, using it to better combat and deter crime, or using technology to analyze information and show patterns and statistics. My goal is to use every tool and technique to help the public be as safe as possible."