the location of the problem and advises when an The FBI HCSO unit is en route or arrives at the scene. The recently HCSO Web site also allows citizens to view pictures of wanted individuals, crime statistics, and upcoming this survey events involving the office. Additionally, the HCSO Community-Oriented Policing Program provides residents with up-to-date information on particular activities in their community.      Currently, the HCSO Web site contains 800 linked pages and receives a daily average of 40,000 hits. Visitors also can e-mail comments or questions on the site to the HCSO Web site administrator, who responds to all legitimate e-mails in a timely manner.
     The HCSO started an on-line store offering Web T-shirts and hats for sale. Further, HCSO has created a special secure section, accessed by a password, which allows its employees access to information, such as the list of available off-duty employment jobs and recent departmentwide memos and training bulletins.

Advanced Utility to an Agency
      As the information technology field grows, law enforcement agencies will continue to find new ways to integrate their mission with the Internet. For the last several years, the Riverside County, California, Sheriff’s Office has allowed citizens to file reports on-line.
     To file a report on-line with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, a complainant can access the Riverside Sheriff’s Office Web site, click on “Crime Report Form,” and complete the basic information on a user-friendly form. The complainant will receive an acknowledgment within 3 days, via e-mail, and the assigned case number. The department has limited such on-line reporting to property crimes and miscellaneous occurrences and does not allow a complainant to file on-line if the crime involved known suspects, violence of any kind, or if it required officers to collect physical evidence at the scene. Although this agency characterized the practice as a good learning experience, they consistently have received only a few on-line reports per month.
      The FBI National Executive Institute Associates conducted a survey of agencies with more than 500 officers that had Web sites. The results of this survey yielded valuable information regarding a Web site uses by law enforcement. Of the 68 agencies that responded to the survey, 27 percent provided sexual offender information, 9 percent offered accident report information, and 18 percent allowed individuals to file reports on-line.⁴ These results reveal only a small percentage of the effective uses of Web sites for law enforcement.

Conclusion     

     Web site technology has advanced both extensively and rapidly. Daily improvements to capabilities, such as video, audio, and general accessibility, significantly increase the potential uses a Web site can offer law enforcement. As this technology continues to advance, the future utility of a Web site virtually is unlimited, given the collective imagination of an agency’s members, and the vital input of the public it serves.  
     By developing and maintaining an informative Web site, an agency, as well as the public it serves, can benefit by conserving time and resources. More important, numerous categories of users would gain valuable, free information quickly and with minimal cost to the community.

Endnotes

     ¹ See, http://www.nielsonnetratings.com; accessed January 23, 2001.

         ² HTML is the computer language of the Internet-recognized Web browsers.

     ³ “Los Angeles Sheriff Puts Inmate Information On-line,” Government Technology vol. 13, no. 8 (June 2000): 11.

     ⁴ E. Tully, “ The Present and Future Use of the Internet by Law Enforcement-Part One,” National Executive Institute Associates Research Projects On-line, June 2000; www.neiassociates.org; accessed January 22, 2001.

Sergeant Eisenberg serves with the Hillsborough County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office.

Mr. Porter is a software specialist in the Data Operations Bureau of the Hillsborough County, Florida, Sheriff's Office.