NCJ Number
90191
Journal
Police Magazine Volume: 6 Issue: 4 Dated: (July 1983) Pages: 44-49
Date Published
1983
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Although efforts are being made to train police to investigate computer crime, the limited reporting of such crimes and the high cost of the investigations suggest that the most effective approach is for computer users and manufacturers to develop and implement security systems.
Abstract
The increased concern over computer crime that resulted primarily from the Rifkin case in Los Angeles, in which Rifkin transferred $10.3 million to his account using a computer, spurred the FBI to open its computer crime course to police around the country. The International Association of Chiefs of Police also has started seminars. As a result, many police departments, especially those in large cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and Philadelphia, now have detectives specially trained in computer crime investigation. The training includes advising investigators about how to use experts, such as accountants, auditors, and computer professionals, to assist in investigations. The stepped-up training has not produced significant results, however, if computer crime is as rampant as has been alleged. Police officials suspect that the small demand for computer crime investigations is due to businesses choosing not to report such crimes, believing that the police are not equipped to conduct such investigations or desiring not to tarnish their images with the public and stockholders. All of the studies agree that the typical computer crime requires that the offender have only minimal expertise in computers. Most involve some alteration of the information fed to the computer. In investigating these crimes, the police need to have enough knowledge to explain to a computer expert the evidence they need to prove a case. The time and use of expert consultants in computer cases makes them costly, so that police budgets cannot handle very many. It appears that the development of security systems by users and manufacturers is the most promising approach. Publications designed to assist computer crime investigators are listed.