NCJ Number
202769
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 70 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2003 Pages: 125-126,128
Date Published
October 2003
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the cooperation between United States law enforcement agencies and Europol.
Abstract
Recently, United States law enforcement agencies and Europol began sharing information and intelligence about suspicious persons and activities, as well as swapping information on a strategic and technical level. This new agreement aims to enhance cooperation of the European Union member states, acting through Europol, and the United States, in preventing, detecting, suppressing, and investigating criminal offenses. This includes facilitating the reciprocal exchange of information, including personal data. Priority areas are terrorism, illicit drug trafficking, illegal immigration, trafficking in human beings, child pornography, money laundering, and the forgery of money. Europol is the European Union law enforcement organization that handles criminal intelligence. Its aim is to improve the effectiveness of, and cooperation between, the competent authorities of the European Union member states in preventing and combating serious and organized crime. Europol supports member states in four main areas. The first area is by facilitating exchange of information. The second is by providing operational analysis of data related to terrorism and international organized crime and provided by member states. The third is by generating strategic reports, threat assessments, and crime analysis on the basis of information and intelligence supplied by member states, generated by Europol, or gathered from other sources. The fourth area is by providing expertise and support for investigations and operations carried out within the European Union, under the supervision and legal responsibility of the member states. Europol is in the process of establishing a central computerized system for storing information on crime, criminals, and criminal organizations, designed for direct input and access by member states in different languages. Europol has opened a liaison bureau in Washington, DC, in order to enhance its cooperation with United States law enforcement agencies at all levels and of all types.