NCJRL, State Attorney General Team
to Combat Cybercrime
Mississippi becomes a national leader in fighting computer-related
crime with a new effort by the National Center for Justice and the Rule
of Law and the state Attorney General's Office.
Thomas Clancy, director of the NCJRL, and Attorney General Mike Moore
announced their alliance in July, and work is under way to form a Cyber-Crime
Center to aid the investigation and prosecution of Internet crimes in
Mississippi.
NCJRL has funded the project with $563,142 over two years. The Attorney
General's Office is developing the unit to comprehensively address the
legal and technical challenges involved in obtaining and using electronic
evidence, with emphasis on investigation, training, and public awareness.
With personal computers and the Internet a part of everyday life, criminal
activity has become more sophisticated, making it more difficult to investigate
crimes and prosecute perpetrators, Moore said.
"This effort affords The University of Mississippi the opportunity
to help our state become a safer place for all citizens and to step into
the forefront of fighting computer-related crime," Clancy said. CCC
will provide statewide assistance in investigating and prosecuting cybercriminals,
training law enforcement and public officials in cybercrime issues, and
educating the public about cybercrimes. Plans call for the CCC to be used
by NCJRL, with other resources, as the basis for a model, which will be
offered to other states as a guide in creating their own operations.
The NCJRL initially was funded in 2000 by a grant from the Justice Department's
Office of Justice Programs. It began operation in 2001, focusing on issues
and programs promoting the concepts that make up its name: justice, which
encompasses notions of equality and fairness, and the rule of law, relating
to the procedures and principles that must be followed in every case.
"Neither concept is sufficient-both must be used to ensure that the
criminal justice system fulfills its function to society," Clancy
said.
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46 Attorneys General Send Prosecutors
to Cybercrime Training
Forty-six prosecutors from Attorneys General's Offices around the country
have been selected to attend the first cybercrime training under the Cybercrime
Training Partnership between the National Association of Attorneys General
and the UM National Center for Justice and the Rule of Law.
Set for Feb. 3-5, 2003, at the Law School, the training is described as
a basic nuts-and-bolts course. An advisory committee of prosecutors with
experience in cybercrime participated in the development of the three-day
agenda. It includes sessions on practical issues in computer search and
seizure, forensics tools, Internet auction theft, and strategies for fighting
online child exploitation.
A second basic cybercrime training for state prosecutors is planned for
May 5-7, followed by an advanced cybercrime training course for state
prosecutors, tentatively scheduled for Sept. 8-10.
A national symposium on the state of cybercrime investigation and prosecution
is scheduled Oct. 27-29 at the Law School. Participants will include national
experts from the fields of prosecution, forensics, industry, and academia,
who will cover issues from a policy perspective. For additional information,
visit www.NCJRL.org.