NCJ Number
180916
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 26 Issue: 11 Dated: November 1999 Pages: 52-55
Date Published
November 1999
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Police need training before investigating Internet crimes against children, because the Internet has its own set of rules and only a small proportion of police officers are knowledgeable about technology.
Abstract
Sergeant Sergio Kopelev supervises Operation Blue Ridge Thunder in Virginia and emphasizes the need for training in Internet investigations; the Virginia program is among 10 Internet task forces funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Kopelev also emphasizes the need for local police agencies to learn how to address online crimes instead of turning them over to Federal agencies, just as local agencies now have their own Super Glue fuming for fingerprints. Intergovernmental and interagency cooperation is crucial in online investigations. Police agencies have a role in educating parents and children, in investigating Internet crimes against children, and in apprehending and prosecuting offenders. Two types of training are available from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Operation Blue Ridge Thunder personnel and some regional academies also offer training courses. Photograph