Commenting on the emergence of today's Web-based technologies, the editors of "The Economist" magazine have proclaimed, "the death of distance." The use of the Internet for transcription outsourcing illustrates this point. Someone sitting at a desk can securely, confidentially and quickly transcribe interviews occurring hundreds of miles away.

Transcription is one of those tasks that must be completed in a timely manner to further the work of law enforcement agencies, meet the needs of prosecutors and defense counsel, and satisfy the courts and those who judge innocence and guilt. Accurate transcripts are the glue that binds [the criminal justice system] together.

The Tucson Police Department faced a formidable challenge. The department had a backlog of more than 800 recorded interviews that needed to be transcribed. Prosecutors, public defenders and the courts needed verbatim transcripts of these recorded interviews, and they needed them quickly.

Transcription costs were spread over 23 police agencies operating in San Mateo County... One-by-one, the 23 agencies decided to eliminate transcription services altogether... the cost of transcription was shifted from each of the police agencies to the District Attorney’s Office, the effect of which exhaust[ed] the department’s internal transcription capacity.

When it comes to advances in interview room technology, perhaps the most significant one of all doesn't concern the equipment used to capture confessions, or witness and victim statements... Instead, the most significant evolution may be... a change of mindset on the part of law enforcement agencies.