Policing Cybercrime and Cyberterror

Thomas J. Holt, Michigan State University
George Burruss, University of South Florida
Adam Bossler, Georgia Southern University

Abstract

The purpose of Policing Cybercrime and Cyberterror is to provide an in-depth discussion of the perceptions and responses of U.S. law enforcement agencies at all levels in dealing with cybercrime and cyberterror. The themes for this book include the challenges that cybercrime and digital evidence handling pose for local and state agencies, the jurisdictional and investigative hurdles that hinder the response capabilities of police agencies, and the complexities of the actual investigation of these offenses and their impact on officers.

This text analyzes data collected from local law enforcement agencies in the U.S., in order to understand officer perceptions of and responses to cybercrime and cyberterrorism, along with samples from digital forensic examiners, to understand their stress, satisfaction, secondary trauma, and coping mechanisms in response to work experiences. The findings demonstrate the realities of policing cybercrimes and those involving digital evidence processing relative to traditional offenses. Policing Cybercrime and Cyberterror addresses a gap in the policing literature by examining the various technological and policy changes needed to increase the investigative response of police agencies, along with various internal policies to improve support for forensic investigators.