250 word response 1 reference due 6/24/2023
carrasco
The increase in technological advances has benefitted the community. As with everything else, with these benefits, come drawbacks. There are members of the community that will exploit these benefits to their advantage. There are many types of crimes that have evolved because of these technological advances. These are known as cybercrimes; some of these types of crimes are identity theft and cyberstalking. With these types of crimes, an investigator will, usually, not have their typical crime scene to process. These scenes will not have blood splatter, fingerprints on a weapon, or physical injuries to the victim. However, a cybercrime investigator must still follow the same investigative process as any other investigator. They too must preserve the crime scene, interview witnesses, and preserve and impound evidence. The difference with cybercrimes is the crime scene will usually involve a computer system or use of the internet.
For example, when investigating an incident of identity theft, an investigator will usually have to work “with credit card and cell phone companies, the Postal Investigation Service, other federal organizations, and state agencies” (Osterburg, Ward, and Miller, p. 572). Identity theft refers to “all types of crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person’s personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain” (United States Department of Justice, p. 1). This occurred to Jessica Roy from California. She said one night while at a bar, she tried to close her tab when she realized her wallet was gone. She waited until the following morning and called her debit card company and realized her debit card had already been used at a gas station and other locations. She disputed the charges and went to the police station to file a report. She then got a new drivers license and updated her autopay accounts. She thought she was done with this incident. Ms. Roy then started receiving letters from different banks congratulating her on opening new accounts. Four different suspects were eventually arrested several months apart for credit card fraud. These types of crimes usually cross jurisdictional boundaries which require collaboration from other agencies. In 2022, Shima Baughman, (as cited in Roy, 2022), a criminal law professor wrote, “Part of the problem, she said, is that these crimes cross traditional jurisdictions” (p. 17). This presents a problem for municipalities that have limited jurisdictional boundaries.
Another type of cybercrime is called cyberstalking. Cyberstalking is defined as “the use of electronic communication to harass or threaten someone with physical harm” (Merriam-Webster, p. 1). This occurred to Bonnie Etemad from Dunedin, Florida. She said this incident began when she posted four emojis in response to a post that was made by the suspect that was supporting women’s rights. In 2021, Buteau wrote, “she [Etemad] rejected him romantically, he hacked and took control of her Twitter account and then advanced to repeatedly changing passwords on her devices, according to several screenshots” (New Channel 8, p. 1). This too presents a problem for investigators because this type of crime crosses jurisdictional boundaries.
These types of crimes face two challenges. The first challenge is that these crimes could cross many different jurisdictions. This has been a challenge for many years, and it will continue to present a challenge in the future. One way to address this problem. at least within the state, is to assign a statewide prosecutor to prosecute crimes that occur throughout the state. The second challenge is the use of technology. Technology is always changing therefore it is important for law enforcement personnel to evolve and keep with the changes in technology. This will present many challenges to investigators in the future. Criminals will always be steps ahead with using technology for criminal activity. The reason for this is that criminals do not have any ethical, moral, or legal responsibilities to their victims or members of the community. Law enforcement must abide by all laws, rules, and regulations when investigating a crime. One way to address this issue is by providing specialized training to law enforcement personnel assigned to investigating these types of crimes. In 2013, Ostenburg et. al., wrote, “Most experts agree that training and education of investigators must increasingly include a basic knowledge of computers and how they can be used in criminal activities” (p. 559).
