Should you be on the Net?

Everyone has heard the media trumpet the virtues of the Internet (a.k.a., the Information Superhighway, the National Information Infrastructure, etc.) and how this miraculous resource will change their lives for the better. Now, law enforcement is becoming involved in this trend, although in many cases, agencies apparently get involved only to be trendy, not because they have a vision of the possibilities associated with this technology.

The time has come for law enforcement professionals to think about the potential benefits the Internet could bring to their agencies. Emerging computer-related crime will require law enforcement to participate in the Internet in some form; members of the law enforcement community should stretch beyond the narrow crime-response paradigm and embrace the positive aspects of this global communication network.

Internet Overview

Although people hear about the Internet every day, many still do not know what the Internet really is. Today, most people understand the concept of a "computer network" or even a "limited area network," because they have them in their organizations and work with them daily.

To simplify, a computer network is two or more computers connected together so they can communicate with one another. The more computers involved in such a network, the more complicated it becomes. As the computers within the network become spaced over wider geographical areas, the network grows in complexity. However, the basic definition - two or more computers that can communicate with each other - still holds true.

This definition can be applied to the Internet. The Internet is a group of connected computer networks that can communicate on a global scale. The Internet currently has an estimated 35 million users, a figure expected to double before the year 2000.(1)

Certainly, from a practical perspective, the Internet is an extremely sophisticated and technically complex network. But access to this global system has become easy and inexpensive. Law enforcement professionals should no longer be intimidated by the technology or the cost.

The Internet's various protocols or other technical aspects need not be fully understood in order to use the network. This is especially true of the Internet's most popular area, the World Wide Web. Why is the Web so popular? Probably because it is so easy to use.

The protocol, or language, used on the Web allows users to create "home pages" that can include text, graphics, and audio information, as well as video images. This makes it possible to publish multimedia documents that can be viewed from any computing platform with access to the Internet. Users with powerful workstations running UNIX, personal computers running Microsoft Windows, or Apple Macintosh computers with the System 7 operating system all can read and exchange information over the Internet.

One feature of the Web, the hypertext link, makes it particularly easy to use. Hypertext links permit users to move easily between sections within a document or between separate documents with just the click of the computer mouse. For example, a reference to the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) on a police department's home page might be programmed as a hypertext link that could take a user directly to NIJ's World Wide Web site. Hypertext links can connect documents on computers located anywhere in the world. Unless users wish to leave a message, they can navigate through all of the information with only a computer mouse; the computer keyboard might not even be required.

The cross-platform capabilities, user-friendly environment, and global nature of the World Wide Web create a variety of possibilities for criminal justice agencies. Some areas in which agencies could benefit from participating in the Internet community include community policing, administration, recruiting, research, and investigation.

Community Policing

The philosophy of community policing advocates increasing the communication and interaction between a police agency and the community it serves. By focusing on solving problems at the neighborhood level, local government organizations working in close concert with citizens and community groups help to improve the quality of life for all. The Internet provides a great opportunity to establish an information resource for the community and to solicit citizens' comments and questions.

For example, statistical information related to criminal offenses, arrests, and calls for police service are of considerable interest to individual citizens, as well as community and business groups. Linking statistics to maps provides a graphical connection to this data.

Crime prevention material and information about agency programs also can be provided efficiently via the World Wide Web. Photographs can be published with textual information that duplicates - or even surpasses - the quality of printed material. Rapidly developing technology soon will permit the easy addition of audio clips (perhaps a recorded message from an agency executive) and even video clips. Some law enforcement agencies publish an electronic list of most wanted fugitives with digitized photographs, physical descriptions, and details of the crimes committed.

As another way to support the goal of improving access and communication, an agency can publish a directory of all its units. This can be updated easily and might include unit addresses, telephone numbers, and perhaps even the names of the commanders or managers. Electronic mail links from this directory can make it even easier for citizens to send messages to the right people or places to deal with a particular problem.

All of these Internet features can provide tremendous support to a community policing program. The Internet also can assist with the administration of a law enforcement agency.

Administration

Criminal justice agencies receive an ever-growing number of requests for information each day. Other agencies need statistical information for comparison purposes. Citizens want crime statistics to learn what types of criminal activity might be occurring where they live or work. Executives in government organizations, such as the city council or other parts of the management structure, frequently require data from the criminal justice agency. And, in fact, the command structure of the agency itself also needs data to develop resource allocation and budgetary strategies. These requests repeatedly involve the same information.

The Internet can help. Many citizens have Internet access either at home or at the office. Others have access through colleges and universities or even the local library. By placing the most frequently requested information on the World Wide Web in a convenient and useful format, agencies enable users inside and outside their organizations - to find the answers to their questions independently. Once users locate the facts they need, they can print the information themselves, which reduces the demand for costly printed material.

Other types of administrative data also can be published via the Internet. Staffing information and budget figures can be included in this electronic compilation so that citizens can review how the agency allocates resources.

Recruiting

The Internet also can benefit police agencies in the area of recruiting. The scarcity of qualified applicants, as well as the growing costs associated with recruitment, makes this a perfect place to use the Internet.

Agencies can post their hiring requirements, salary structure, and employment benefits on their home pages. Descriptions of various career opportunities could be included, complete with photographs and audio and video clips to make the presentation attractive and interesting. The multimedia effects possible with a World Wide Web document have a punch that only a few printed recruiting packages can equal.

Many agencies recruit heavily from colleges and universities all over the United States. Most of these institutions provide students with access to the Internet, sometimes as part of their enrollment packages. Agencies with a presence on the Internet can reach this group, whose members are preparing to make a career choice. By providing employment information to prospective applicants, departments enable them to make highly informed career decisions.

Departments can benefit as well. First, recruiters can assume that applicants who respond based on the information posted on the Internet will be fairly serious about prospective employment. This results in a more efficient return on the investment of the recruiting staff's time and effort. A secondary benefit could be a more cost-effective use of advertising and travel expenditures. Through the Internet, recruiters reach a larger number of potential applicants and cover greater distances without ever leaving the office. Plus, agencies should consider providing an online employment application, possibly saving staff time and expense, speeding up the entire application process.

Research

Most criminal justice agencies have planning and research units or other employees who need a wide range of criminal justice-related information. The Internet already houses a tremendous amount of useful information, including, for example, legislation introduced at the state and federal levels, as well as research studies and academic papers on a wide variety of topics.

Newsgroups can be another useful Internet research tool. Most newsgroups provide public forums for discussing specific topics of interest. Agencies can send messages, known as "posts," to ask questions about emerging issues, get facts about particular products or services, address a miscommunication about a specific event, or clarify agency policy. For example, one extremely active newsgroup, alt.guns, has hosted a heated debate about the issues and agency policies pertaining to the new concealed weapons law in Texas.

Investigations

Like it or not, the information age will require a significant change in investigative philosophy for law enforcement agencies. Police departments historically have been somewhat territorial, addressing only those problems occurring within their geographical jurisdictions. As expanding technology blurs traditional geographical boundaries, criminal justice will be forced to adjust.

For example, an American citizen visits a casino located in another country where gambling is legal. No one would consider this a violation of the law. But, what if the same person visits the same casino over the Internet from a location where gambling is illegal? Has a violation occurred? Sex shops located in Amsterdam and other cities could not exist in many U.S. communities, but they can be accessed easily via the global network. Does this violate local pornography restrictions?

In addition, the Internet enables new twists on common criminal scams, such as securities and investment fraud and drug trafficking. The Dallas Police Department (DPD), for example, investigated a national drug ring that used computers to communicate with encrypted data over the Interact. Another issue involves new technology that now permits voice transmissions, converted into analog signals by a modem, to be sent over the Internet, just like a long-distance telephone call but without the long-distance charges. How will law enforcement address the need to intercept such transmissions?

Many other investigative issues could be raised. The point, however, is that criminal justice agencies increasingly will confront new challenges in situations involving computer and telecommunications technology. Agencies unfamiliar with the technology will be hard-pressed to pursue those investigations successfully.

The Dallas Experience

The Dallas Police Department launched a home page on the World Wide Web in the fall of 1995. This resource contains a significant amount of information in the following areas:

* Crime statistics (dating back to 1992)

* Arrest statistics

* Recruiting information

* Budget allocations

* Police department contact information

* Calls for service statistics

* Crime prevention programs

* Staffing data

* Maps of the city, service areas, police sectors, and beats

* Links to other law enforcement-related sites on the World Wide Web.

If all this information were printed on paper, the package would be approximately 1-inch thick. The cost of printing this material in full process color, storing it, and mailing it to requestors would be staggering. In contrast, providing this volume of data via the Interact is exceptionally cost-effective.

Before establishing a home page, the DPD evaluated its needs and the possible ways to fulfill them via the Interact. The department set four goals for its home page. It sought to stimulate communications between the public and the department, make obtaining information easier for the public, enhance recruiting, and promote the Dallas Police Department on a worldwide scale.

Since the deployment of DPD's home page, the site has averaged more than 260 visits each day. The department received 32,000 visitors to the Web site during the first year with more than 1,200 electronic mail messages responding to its presence on the Internet.

Many of the e-mail messages from the public have shown the value of the department's Internet presence. Citizens have offered to work as volunteers with juvenile detainees and gang members, indicated an interest in joining the police reserves based on information posted about the program, and simply expressed appreciation for the department's work. One community member said, "Many possibilities are here to make your jobs easier and [the citizens] of Dallas safer. Glad to see that the Department is making use of all the advanced technology to work for all of our best interests."

Similar positive returns have been realized in the area of recruiting. The department posted information related to its hiring requirements, the hiring and training processes, salary, benefits, and career opportunities. In the first 12 months, 500 people indicated an interest in employment via e-mail, and an unknown number of others might have called the Personnel Section's toll-free phone number, which is listed on the home page.

Moreover, the home page has enabled the department to establish a strong global presence. Messages have come from England, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Taiwan, Germany, and Sweden, as well as from all over the United States. The DPD's administrators believe the responses received so far have proven the success of this project.

Conclusion

Should your agency be on the Internet? While it is true that public agencies frequently have difficulty finding resources for such projects, some situations must be approached as investments in the future. Each agency will have to examine its needs for both the short- and long-term future.

The Internet offers many opportunities for law enforcement agencies to connect with their communities, simplify administrative tasks by centralizing data, reduce publishing costs, recruit employees, conduct research, find make a stand against the torrent of computer-related crime. Criminals already ply their illicit trade over the Internet. Today, leaders of the criminal justice community have a chance to embrace this exciting new resource and put it to good use instead.

Endnote 

"Bullish Internet Growth Predictions," Screen Digest, June 1, 1996.