First, I'd be interested in knowing some of those online reporting addresses, and how much limits they place on what can be mailed to them... persuading these cops to deal with the improper use of another's computer (i.e., spam) would seem to be a distinct possibility in diverting them from other activities. Second, it would appear possible (unless they're encrypting it) to intercept some of these email lists of theirs - if necessary, by forging a subscribe to an _overseas_ nymserver that isn't too well known (unlike, say, anon.penet.fi). That's about on the same grounds as their mention of "know thine enemy." (It is, of course, pretty certain that various libertarian groups are among those monitored, such as cypherpunks.) Third, this gives additional reasons not to give out one's address to anyone. What people know about me is a post office box and my old address. -Allen
webslingerZ LONG ARM OF THE LAW IS GOING ONLINE Copyright © 1996 Nando.net Copyright © 1996 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
(Aug 10, 1996 00:05 a.m. EDT) -- When police "net" a crook these days, cops may be referring to the Internet.
[...]
On the Internet, citizens anonymously report drug dealers to the cyberpolice, check out crime in their neighborhoods, calculate their risk of being murdered and communicate directly with the chief of police.
Police say the Internet is a powerful and versatile law-enforcement tool: Communication is immediate and crosses jurisdictional boundaries, information is just a keystroke away and the cost is commonly less than hiring a police officer.
"I think it's the most effective money you can spend to prevent crime," said Bill Taylor, crime analyst for the Sacramento, Calif., Police Department, which has developed one of the nation's most sophisticated Internet police sites.
More than 2,000 law-enforcement agencies have gone online, extending the long reach of the law to millions of Internet users, said Ken Reeves, a Microsoft manager who recently established a Web site promoting new technology in law enforcement.
"They're creating virtual police," he said.
[...]
The Internet also has become a popular tool for police to communicate among themselves.
Thousands of police officers subscribe to electronic mailing lists and read electronic bulletin boards where they can discuss ethical issues in private and exchange information about firearms, narcotics and other sensitive topics.
"These are things you don't want to make public, but you need other professionals to bounce off ideas," said Ira Wilsker, a former police officer who is leading a series of U.S. Department of Justice seminars on law enforcement and the Internet.
Run for and by police officers, the computer exchanges often offer information that cannot be found elsewhere, Wilsker said. For example, police raised the alarm on the Internet about illegal use of Rohypnol, the notorious "date rape" sedative, more than a year before warnings about the drug were issued through official channels, he said.
On the philosophy of know thy enemy, Wilsker said police also turn to the Internet as an intelligence source, monitoring online chatter by hate groups, drug users and others who discuss their views on computer news groups. These news groups, though commonly thought of as private communications, are open to public view.
The Internet also can be an effective people finder, he said.
For example, more than 90 million people and their telephone numbers and addresses can be found at the Internet site www.switchboard.com, making a nationwide search sometimes as simple as keying in a name, he said. The service is free.
With an address in hand, Wilsker advises police to turn to www.mapquest.com, which in seconds can pinpoint on a map the location of a suspect's home.
"We use it for serving warrants where we don't know the area," he said.
[...]
Still, the response to serious attempts at online policing at times has been disappointing. The vast majority of people prefer to deal directly with police than go online to report a crime. Chicago's effort to elicit information about drug dealing over the Internet has drawn only a smattering of responses. Some departments have dropped their most-wanted postings on the Internet because they brought in so few tips.
[...]
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