Information technology has had and will continue to have a significant influence on policing. It will impact financial operations, the use of criminal history records, and other operations pertinent to crime control and traffic management. A comprehensive repertoire of information will become increasingly and immediately accessible to patrol officers in the field through the use of lap computers. Other police operations that will be enhanced by computer technology are crime analysis, fingerprint identification, and DNA identification. Police procedures for controlling crime in the future will emphasize proactive problem-solving. Instead of only reacting to individual offenses after they occur, police will analyze crime patterns and methods to devise strategies that will prevent crime. Proactive, team policing will require a revision in police organizational structure. The future organizational structure will be more horizontal with only three or four levels rather than the eight to ten levels typical of the military model. It will also be decentralized with each supervisor having a wide span of control.