NCJ Number
187734
Journal
Campus Law Enforcement Journal Volume: 31 Issue: 1 Dated: January/February 2001 Pages: 25-27,34
Editor(s)
Karen E. Breseman
Date Published
February 2001
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article offers an overview of the University at Albany Police Department’s (UPD) online harassment crime prevention and personal safety programs and their investigative responses to online harassment.
Abstract
The misuse of computers and the Internet for online harassment has rapidly become a staple of computer crime caseloads. As a result of the growth in computer crime, law enforcement agencies need to develop both investigative and preventative tools to deal with this new type of crime. To respond effectively to the incidents of online harassment, the university at Albany Police Department has joined with other University departments to investigate and respond in a coordinated manner. Under New York State’s Aggravated Harassment statute, online harassment is defined as having the following four features: the communication is part of an ongoing course of conduct; the harassment must be directed at an individual; the messages must be shown to cause substantial emotional distress in the victim; and there must be no legitimate purpose to the message. Victims are advised to first report any online harassment to the police and to both their Internet service provider (ISP) and to the harasser’s ISP as well. Once an incident of online harassment is reported to the UPD, the case is approached using a coordinated, community-wide response. Both line officers and investigators need to be trained and skilled in handling this type of case. Also, the college’s computer science department or network administrators can be a source of information and support for officers investigating online harassment cases. Resources