Cyber Beat

Law Enforcement And Legal Research Tools Increasing

Written by Deborah Hirshberg

Governmental, educational and research institutions have had access to communications through an "Internet" type system for some time. Thanks to the development of the ARPANet, which was developed by the Department of Defense in 1969, scientists, the military and researchers were able to communicate and exchange information by sending information through telephone lines.

Over the years the number of institutions or agencies accessing this system grew. However, for many, and for private sector businesses and individuals, the cost of purchasing computer equipment to access the network was prohibitive. Of course, this is no longer such a problem as the cost of computer equipment has become affordable not only to government agencies and corporate America, but to small businesses and individuals, as well.

As such, many small businesses and smaller local and federal government agencies have begun to purchase or upgrade their automation equipment. Many are doing so to improve their ability to access automated research databases from their offices rather than having to purchase personal libraries of research materials.

In the recent past, access to automated databases to obtain information, when available, was limited to those who could afford to pay subscription fees for the privilege to access the information. Large law firms, and larger government agencies and legal education institutions continue to have access to automated databases for access to summaries of decisions made by the courts (e.g. Lexis/Nexus or WestLaw.) However, subscription costs to the databases that are available can still be prohibitive for smaller agencies, businesses and individuals.

But oh, how things have changed!

The information now provided on the Internet, in most cases, is available for just the cost of purchasing computer equipment and paying a small access fee to an Internet service provider. Many offer access to the Internet for as low as $15.00 a month. But, because the Internet isn't set up in an easy format for research, it is often difficult, if not just simply time consuming, to obtain information.

Although there are many search engines from which to obtain locations to conduct research, (i.e YAHOO, Excite, Lycos, and WebCrawler), no two will deliver the same results. Each of the search engines are programmed to identify web sites based upon specific criteria. Some will find sites based upon key words, others by subject matter. Yet, once you've identified sites you wish to visit to conduct research, you then must visit those sites to determine whether they will provide the information you require.

Until recently, sites containing information provided by local, state and federal government agencies just didn't exist. Access to court rulings was nonexistent. Statistical information was hard to obtain. However, tools and databases for the law enforcement and legal research communities are increasingly becoming available through the one stop shopping center of the Internet.

The remainder of this page provides you with links to some of the sites that are available to anyone, but may be of particular interest to the law enforcement and legal research communities.

ASSOCIATIONS

• American Society of Industrial Security http://www.securitymanagement.com/home.html
• Association of Public Safety Commission Officers http://www.henge.com/~gtraylor/apco.html
• Auxiliary and Reserve Police -- http://users.uniserve.com/~cmorris/welcome.html
• High Tech Crime Investigation Association -- http://www.sna.com/htcia/index.html
• High Tech Crime Investigation Association -- http://htcia.org
• International Narcotics Control Board -- http://undcp.or.at/en_incbhome.html
• International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts -- http://www.shadow.net/~noslow/index.html
• International Association of Chiefs of Police -- http://www.amdahl.com/ext/iacp
• International Association of Correctional Officers -- http://www.acsp.uic.edu/iaco/kv1603tc.htm

CRIME ANALYSTS

• International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts -- http://www.inteltec.com/ialeia.htm
• International Association of Law Enforcement Planners -- http://www.dps.state.ak.us/ialep/index.html
• International Center for the Prevention of Crime -- http://www.web.net/~cipc
• Federal Bar Association -- http://www.access.digex.net/~fedbar/index.html
• National Computer Security Association -- http://www.ncsa.com/
• National Drug Enforcement Officers Association -- http://www.spartacc.com/ndeoa
• National Sheriffs Association -- http://www.sheriffs.org
• Office of International Criminal Justice -- http://www.acsp.uic.edu/index.htm
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CRIME PREVENTION

• Armed Robbery Page -- http://www.ior.com/~jdmoore
• The Stolen Bike Registry -- http://www.nashville.net/cycling/stolen.html
• Partnerships Against Violence -- http://www.pavnet.org
• Assault Prevention Information -- http://galaxy.tradewave.com/editors/weiss/APINintro.html
• California Department of Justice Crime & Violence Prevention Center -- http://www.ns.net/caag/cvpc/index.html
• McGruff Safe Card PhoneCard Program -- http://www.pond.com/~paris/mcgruff.htm
• National Fraud Information Center -- http://www.fraud.org
• National Graffiti Information Network -- http://www.infowest.com/NGIN/index.html
• Drug Free Zone -- http://www.webcreations.com/srmpress
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CENSUS INFORMATION

• U.S. Census Bureau -- http://www.census.gov
• Lawrence Berkeley Labs Census -- http://cedr.lbl.gov/mdocs/LBL_census.html
• 1990 U.S. Census of Population & Housing -- http://govinfo.kerr.orst.edu/stateis.html

FORENSICS

• Forensic Media -- http://www.netexpress.net/~forensic
• Forensics Science Resources -- http://www.public.usit.net/rscarp/fsbindx.htm
• Forensics Science Society -- http://www.demon.co.uk/forensic/index.html
• Forensic Web -- http://www.eskimo.com/~spban/forensic.html

GANGS

• Gangs, A Bibliography -- http://www-lib.usc.edu/~anthonya/gang.htm
• The Federal Gang Violence Act -- http://www.senate.gov/member/ca/feinstein/general/gangs.html
• Youth Gangs - Out of Control -- http://www.townhall.com/townhall/FRC/insight/is95j3cr.html

GRANTS

• Federal Bureau of Justice Assistance -- http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA

K-9 WEBSITES

• Police dog Homepages -- http://www.best.com/~policek9/k9home.htm

LAW/LEGAL

• Law Journal Extra -- http://www.ljx.com
• U.S. Federal Code & Regulations -- http://law.house.gov/usc.html
• U.S. Court of Appeals Federal Circuit -- http://www.law.emory.edu/fedcircuit
• U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida -- http://www.netside.net/usdcfls
• Federal Guidelines on Seizing Computers -- http://www.access.digex.net/~almonrb/dojcsm.html
• US Government Printing Office -- http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/

MAPPING SOURCES

• Map Quest and Trip Quest -- http://www.geosys.com
• Streets on a Disk -- http://www2.klynas.com/streets
• ESRI Dynamic Maps -- http://www.esri.com/index.html
• GIS World -- http://www.gisworld.com/main.html

MISSING AND ABUSED CHILDREN

• National Center for Missing Children -- http://www.scubed.com/public_service/index.html
• National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse -- http://www.calib.com/nccanch

STATISTICS

• National Archive of Criminal Justice Data -- http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/NACJD/home.html
• National Criminal Justice Resource Center -- http://www.ncjrs.org
• Latest U.S.Government Statistics -- http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/html/briefroom.html
• National Consortium for Justice Information and Statistics -- http://www.search.org
• United States School District demographics -- http://www.sunspace.com
• Statistics Resources - University of Florida -- http://stat.ufl.edu/mono/vlib/statistics.html
• Statistical Resources -- http://www.math.yorku.ca/SCS/StatResource.html

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