Cyber Crime Task Force Plan

Cyber Crime Task Force Plan

Executive Summary

In the age of information technology, the introduction of newer means of data sharing has redefined the way humans communicate with each other. While the internet has managed to facilitate communication, it has also given birth to a horde of crimes and security risks. The most common types of cyber threats include larceny, piracy, hacking, spamming, and phishing. Cases of cybercrimes have become increasingly common in the recent crimes trends. As a result, notable efforts need to be made in order to fight this menace. Even in St. Louis County, the cybercrimes have taken root and have primarily exposed children and adults alike to a range of threats. Due to the gravity of the situation, there is a pressing need to develop a cyber crime task force plan for St. Louis County to identify cyber crime investigative strategies and task force developments around the country. Apart from meeting this particular objective, this paper will also identify techniques, tools and organizational structures that can be used most efficiently by law enforcement agencies for the purpose of determining which ones are the most useful for the taskforce (Schmalleger & Pittaro, 2009).

St. Louis County Cyber Crime threats

In the County of St. Louis, the number of cybercrime cases has gradually increased over the past few years, differing in the form as well as range of severity. Since computer-based crimes and net-based crimes have both become increasingly common in the county, the implications of ignoring this threat or failing to act urgently are far-reaching. In fact, numerous crimes such as credit card fraud and data theft have been rated as high-profile crimes and they are a threat to national financial health and national security. The most common types of cybercrimes in the St. Louis County include hacking, spamming, identity theft, computer intrusion, and password trafficking. Apart from this, phishing, internet scams and spam have also gain ground in the county (Casey, 2010).

Current and Future Cybercrime Threats (Data and Statistics)

Cybercrimes in the St. Louis County are mainly targeted at either property or people. According to the US College Search (2011), 73 out of every 100 Americans have experienced some form of cybercrime. In the same way, a report by the High Technology Crime Investigation Association explained that internet fraud has increased by an alarming 65% since the year 2005 while there has been a 60% increase in identity theft and child exploitation. These have been highlighted as the most common types of cybercrimes in the St. Louis County, also meaning that they will remain one of the greatest threats in the region in the future.

Cyber Crime Priorities for the Taskforce

Cybercrimes targeted at minors such as sexual exploitation, child pornography and sexual predators remain the most serious threat to residents of the St. Louis County. The gradual increase in this particular crime has mainly been due to the lucrative market outside of the county for child pornography. Understandably, such crimes threaten to destroy the reputation as well as future ...