Computer Crime Enforcement in Texas: Funding Training, and Investigating Problems

Department

Sociology and Criminal Justice

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Spring 2003

Abstract

As a new challenge to law enforcement, computer crime has recently received increasing attention from law enforcement and government officials. However, most writings about this issue are not empirical. This study fills this void by examining the attitudes of computer crime officers in Texas in two areas: general problems in dealing with computer crime, and the impact of demographic and institutional support factors on officers' attitudes. The results are: (1) more budgetary support and training are needed; (2) lack of computer skill/knowledge is the most problematic for computer investigations/forensics; (3) the idea of cooperating and sharing resources has already been utilized; and (4) officers understand the complexity of computer crime but are uncertain about its seriousness. The size of the city and whether the departments have a computer crime unit are the most significant factors that impact officers' attitudes toward the need for institutional support. This study suggests four elements (officers' attitude, institutional support, personnel, and network) that are important to successfully combat against computer crime; these elements need to be included in the development and implementation of both short-term and medium-term plans.

Journal Title

Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology

Journal ISSN

0882-0783

Volume

18

Issue

1

First Page

24

Last Page

37

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1007/BF02802605

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