Washington coalition attacks Internet crime
Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in Washington state have joined together to fight Internet crime, saying each agency alone does not have the expertise or resources to respond to Internet complaints.
Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in Washington state have
joined together to fight Internet crime, saying each agency alone does not
have the expertise or resources to respond to Internet complaints.
"This is basically an agreement between law enforcement to cooperate
on several fronts," said assistant attorney general Lana Martuscelli. However,
the main focus will be trying to get state or federal funds for Internet
law enforcement efforts and to "establish an information network amongst
law enforcement officials," Martuscelli said.
The state's Attorney General's office also announced a new World Wide Web
site, Consumer and Criminal Justice Cyber Clearinghouse, which will help
people avoid online fraud and crime. Consumers can log on to the site to
remove their names from marketing lists, file an online complain, research
consumer and criminal justice issues and get tips on how to safely surf
the Internet. The site will expand to include teen consumer education lessons
for teachers and training materials for law enforcement officials.
Members of Computer Law Enforcement of Washington signed an agreement in
March pledging to share resources and work together to:
* Provide response to high-tech crime complaints 24 hours a day.
* Share expertise, resources and training to help local law enforcement
investigate and prosecute Internet crimes.
* Seek an estimated $2 million for a regional computer forensics lab
to help investigate and prosecute Internet crimes.
* Suggest legislation to clarify where a crime has been committed when
the perpetrator is not in the same state as the computer server used to
commit the crime.
A speech by U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno earlier this year pushed states
to investigate computer crimes. Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire
took Reno's message as a call to arms.
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