Computertask Force Is a High Priority
Vanderburgh County is all set to have a new task force that will investigate computer crimes such as child pornography, credit card fraud, and identity theft. Investigators will focus on crimes committed against children.
The task force will consist of the Sheriff’s Department, the prosecutor’s office, and the Evansville Police Department.
The joint effort will be established as soon as Eric Williams takes over as sheriff of Vanderburgh County. The proposal is not official yet, but Williams says he would like to start by the middle of next year.
The number of computer crimes have gone up in the last five years, according to the Sheriff’s Department. Detective Matt Hill at the Sheriff’s Department says it can take up to six months to investigate a crime. The Evansville Police Department has three computer crimes investigators, but Hill says the task force needs at least five.
Williams says state and federal authorities may possibly take part in the task force. “When you start talking about Internet-related crimes and computer-related crimes, jurisdictional boundaries become very, very faint at best,” says Williams.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) from the Evansville Courier and Press (IN); 12/04/06; Nesbitt, Jimmy.
