NCJ Number
174259
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 25 Issue: 8 Dated: August 1998 Pages: 28-32
Date Published
1998
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article describes the various ways in which local police departments have enhanced their service to the community through a departmental Internet site.
Abstract
The web site of the Nashville Police Department (Tennessee) (www.nashville.org/police_dept.html) offers visitors a variety of public safety information, from self-protection tips to color photos of Nashville's 10 "most wanted" to the original "Danger High" multimedia violence-reduction game and a "recovered stolen property" page. The Dallas Police Department (Texas) noticed a reduction in the cost of generating public records when it began posting statistical and budgetary data on its Web page. An Internet site can also reduce recruiting costs, because the department can widen its pool of qualified applicants without flying a representative across the country. The Phoenix Police Department site posts a "crime of the week," typically an unsolved felony crime being investigated. The establishment of an Internet site requires a computer, a word processing program, a Web processing application, a digital camera, a scanner, and a computer-knowledgeable person. Beyond the cost of this equipment, software, and personnel, other costs of starting a site are small. Departments that have made creative use of the Internet tout its cost-effectiveness in providing information to and interaction with the community. Suggestions for starting a Web site are offered.