INFORMATION SCIENCE AS A LAW ENFORCEMENT UTILITY

• NCJ Number: 17233
• Author(s): E LEVINE
• Date Published: 1974
• Length: 5 pages
• Corporate Author: American Soc for Information Science
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: PAPER PRESENTED AT 37TH ANNUAL MEETING OF AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE, ATLANTA, GA, OCT 13-17, 1974

Annotation

THIS ARTICLE DISCUSSES THE WAYS THAT CERTAIN INFORMATION SCIENCE TECHNIQUES CAN BE UTILIZED IN LAW ENFORCEMENT, PARTICULARLY IN THE STUDY OF ORGANIZED CRIME, NARCOTICS NETWORKS, AND MAJOR CRIMINALS.

Abstract

THE TRANSFER OF THIS TECHNOLOGY REQUIRES ONLY THAT INFORMATION ON CRIMINAL ELEMENTS BE INDEXED, STORED, MANIPULATED, AND RETRIEVED IN THE SAME MANNER AS ANY OTHER CLASS OF INFORMATION. TECHNIQUES OF INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL, CITATION INDEXING, BIBLIOGRAPHIC COUPLING, ASSOCIATIVE INDEXING, SELECTIVE DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION, FULL-TEXT PROCESSING, NETWORK ANALYSIS, MODELING, SIMULATION, AND PREDICTIVE ANALYSIS HAVE DIRECT APPLICATIONS TO THE STUDY OF SPECIFIC CRIMINALS OR CRIMINAL NETWORKS AND CLUSTERS. THE CONCEPTS OF THE INVISIBLE COLLEGE (ANONYMITY OF INQUIRER AND INFORMANT IS PRESERVED THROUGH THE USE OF CODES OR OTHER DEVICES), THE INFORMATION ANALYSIS CENTER, AND THE HALF-LIFE OF INFORMATION ARE HIGHLY USEFUL. COMPUTER-OPERATED MICROFICHE (COM) AND A REVOLUTIONARY 'FIRMWARE' DEVICE, THE ASSOCIATIVE PROCESSOR, WILL OPEN FURTHER INFORMATION SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY TO LAW ENFORCEMENT. THE AUTHOR NOTES THAT NCJRS IS ALREADY USING MANY OF THESE TECHNIQUES.