NCJ Number
187595
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 28 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2001 Pages: 56,58,60,62
Date Published
February 2001
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Cyberspace is becoming a legitimate tool for the criminal investigator; in the future, Internet officers are sure to play an increasingly vital role in intelligence gathering, proactive investigations, and in acquiring evidence for prosecution.
Abstract
Because administrators often are leery of investing manpower and money into an area they do not fully understand, it is necessary that planners and unit administrators "sell" the need for such a unit, as well as the budget it requires, to key decision makers. The success of a cyber unit depends on an adequate and cost-effective budget. Using a work-item checklist helps ensure that all initial and recurring costs are included in the unit's preliminary budget. This article provides a sample of such a checklist. In addition to describing how to construct a budget for the cyber unit, this article also discusses personnel selection and training, the purchasing of equipment, the installation of the ISP (Internet service provider) medium, and the selection of appropriate software. Security concerns are also addressed. The primary goal of network security is to protect the department's local area network (LAN) from unauthorized hacking and tampering. Means of doing this are described.