Cyber Crime Task Force in St. Louis County

The St. Louis Police Department is creating a cybercrime task force to combat the growing problem of cyber crime in St. Louis. Cyber crimes in St. Louis include financial theft, child grooming, identity theft, and password trafficking. The cybercrime task force will have three segments: investigations, data analysis, and computer forensics. The task force will need specialized equipment and legislation to effectively combat cyber crime.

Running Head: CYBER CRIME TASK FORCE IN ST. LOUIS COUNTY
Cyber Crime Task Force in St. Louis County
Name
Institution

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Cyber Crime Task Force in St. Louis County
1. Executive Summary of Cyber Crime Task Force Plan
Industries, as well as governments from different parts of the world both developed and
developing nations have acknowledged the enormous threats of cyber crime on economic
security, public interests, along with political security. Nonetheless, the complexities in kinds of
cyber crime have made it challenging to battle these crimes. Consequently, fighting these crimes
needs global collaboration among diverse organizations, and states co-operating to make mutual
endeavours to develop international standards of laws and law enforcement6 both on the
regional, as well as global level (Holt, Burruss & Bossler, 2015). It is on this reasons that the St.
Louis Police Department is creating a cybercrime task force to assists handle the growing
problem of cyber crime in St. Louis.
2. Cyber crime threats in St. Louis County
Evidently, St. Louis has not been spared by cyber crimes that continue to rise. Net-crime
besides computer crime is widespread in St. Louis; where these crimes have damaging impacts
within, as well as external the county. Several of the net-crimes committed within St. Louis
endanger the nationwide security, as well as nationwide financial health. Thus, the types of
threats to nationwide security along with financial wellbeing include financial theft, spying plus
other cross boundary crimes. These crimes that target children comprise child grooming in
addition to child pornography that are grouped as sophisticated in St. Louis. Remarkably, the
cybercrimes widespread in St. County assume computer intrusion, identity theft, as well as

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password trafficking. Internet scams, spam, phishing, various kinds of internet fraud along with
bomb threats (Beaupre, Icove, Baker, Cassaday & Williams, 2000).
Cyber crime threats St. Louis County faces currently or likely to face in the near future
The cyber crimes In St. Louis are perceived to target individuals along with the property.
Several studies have been performed in the county and outside the county; however, anticipated
to be interrelated. According to the United States (US) college search (2011), 73 per cent of the
American citizens have encountered some kind of cyber crime (65 per cent worldwide) and 66
per cent of the global hackers are reported by Americans. In the same way, in an overall report
on up-to-the-minute crimes through High Technology Investigation (where St. Louis is an
associate), alterations in cyber crime form the year 2005 to 2010 showed that fraud entailing the
internet amplified by over 65 per cent, identity theft/swindle augmented by over 60 per cent and
child misuse crimes (child pornography) amplified by over 40 per cent. Other types of cyber
crimes were acknowledged to trail after these superior criminal acts (Huebner & Bynum, 2016).
Apparently, cybercrimes that entail child pornography, identity theft along with all-purpose
frauds over the internet (for example, credit card racket) present highest types of cyber crimes in
St. Louis. Terrorist also has been in radar of cyber crimes in the county. Terrorist could like to be
in a position to digitally disrupt the power grid system of the state. Thus, this danger is very
probable to St. Louis as the capacity is readily accessible in the open marketplace (Champion,
2007).
The future raises the prospect of hacking factions who are creating own kinds of digital
anarchism by illegitimately accessing computers for different way of thinking, which comprise
politically or socially, inspired purposes. St. Louis expects cybercrime to become the greatest

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priority in the prospect because network intrusions are the highest threats to nationwide security.
Hence, the trend of rise these crimes too can indicate that they may be the prospect or future
greatest threat in St. Louis. These are the primary grounds that oblige the task force to be well-
equipped to combat these crimes (Lewis, 2002).
Cyber Crimes of Top Priorities
Cybercrime task force would have as their highest priorities to probe, as well as indict
crimes against computer information, crimes that attack computer systems, as well as crimes by
means of computer systems. Specifically, which have obtained a novel quality through the
application of information and communication technology, like fraud along with forgery, child
pornography along with crimes connected to intellectual property (IP) rights. The peak list would
be in cases in which a computer is the object of criminal act. This would comprise acts like
illegal right of admission, harm or theft. Besides called true computer crime, they comprise
hacking, security breach, network or computer invasions, website destruction, as well as
electronic confidentiality breaches. The task force will effort into tracking and availing justice
the perpetrators of these crimes for the wellbeing of St. Louis residents (In Baldoni & In
Chockler, 2012).
The second type of criminal act in the precedence is case in which a computer or network
is utilized as an instrument of executing crime that comprise child pornography, or any other
sexual abuse, aggravation, electronic pilfering, password trafficking and frauds. The third is
where a computer can have data on crimes that do not essentially entail a computer for its
execution that entails electronic evidence. These crimes are important for the task force operation
since their expanses are rated in the cyber warfare among several states (Gordon, Hosmer,

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Siedsma, Rebovich, The Computer Forensics Research & Development Ctr (CFRDC) &
WetStone Technologies, Inc., 2002).
3. Cyber Crime Task Force Structure
While establishing the task force, the subsequent elements must be considered: the
nationwide law, which offers the legal foundation, the inner commands, as well as laws for the
working of the division, the police department where it is going to be stationed, facilities to be
utilized by the division that include employees, education in addition to equipments, plus the
internal organizational configuration of the task force. It would have the next associates; the St.
Louis office of the Attorney General, the St. Louis Police Department, as well as the Federal
Bureau of Investigation. The financing will come from the police department in the county
(Broadhurst, 2006).
Organizational Structure
The cybercrime component will be a distinctive, as well as specialized constituent of the
police depart at St. Louis and would not be a division incorporating other duties. Thus, the
component would have an evidently distinct legal organization will work at a central level; the
unit would have an executive with managerial authority along with representation authorities.
This division would be planned in three segments: investigations, data in addition to information
analysis plus computer forensics. To evade incongruities, the forensic division is component of
the cyber crime unit; nonetheless, it would work as a disconnect segment, so that some personnel
may concentrate on investigations, as well as some other forensic examination, hence, lowering
the threat of incongruities (Blane, 2003). The cybercrime map would be utilized to recognize

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important points (In Smith, In Cheung & In Lau, 2015). Unavoidably, the special entity would
use Spy Eye toolkit to spy the network of the expected automaton machines in the identified key
points. Apart from the Spy Eye toolkit, bother templates along with kits would be used to
introduce the Spy Eye tool to “molest” wide automaton networks systems as considered
necessary. The prosecutor teams would ultimately come beneath the special police. They will be
accountable for indicting the suspected criminals of cybercrime (Nykodym, Taylor & Vilela,
2005).
Personnel and Skills
Crucial staff need to battle cybercrime mirrors the fundament roles of the cybercrime
division; enquiry, legislative aid, creating awareness to the general public, as well as training.
The investigators must be well-educated on law enforcement; therefore, they must have
conventional analytical skills, education, expert skills in addition to know-how of
cybercrime expertise together with appropriate legal needs. Consequently, they must understand
the way computers function to be efficiently grills suspects, as well as ascertain guilt of facts
found in the computers, operational familiarity of the internet, plus the capability to organize
with agents for other authorities, must be a good function actor for the objectives of practical
inquiry (Gordon et al., 2002).
The prosecutors for cybercrimes collaborate with the investigators providing them with
counsel on the quantities of proof essential to arrest, as well as convict, arrange arrest, plus
search warrants. The prosecutors have the role of engaging in public awareness programs in an
attempt to stop persecution. The pertinent skills are know-how of cyber crime decrees plus some

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necessary criminal acts, understanding of computer skill along with computer forensics (Cross &
Shinder, 2008).
Moreover, computer forensics examiners will investigate the digital analysis, disk
imaging, as well as retrieve data, data extraction, as well as system analysis. They have the role
of maintaining the forensic laboratory and guarantee its security, preserve hardware along with
software utilized in the investigation of digital data for facts. The needed proficiencies are a
wide-ranging knowledge with computer systems, especially in rule enforcement background, a
degree in computer education beside qualifications in computer forensics, in addition to a
dedication to continuance in training in computer forensics (Brenner, 2012).
Federal agencies in St. Louis
Federal agencies should develop rapport with other federal agencies in and outside of St.
Louis to be effective. Nykodym, Taylor & Vilela (2005) asserts that cyber crime profiling will
require the different departments to work in harmony with the cyber crime task force: Safe Street
Task Forces, the Cyber Crime Task Force, St. Louis Joint Terrorism Task Force, along with
Internet Crime Against Children (ICAC). It should build up rapport with the Safe Streets Task
Forces, which is an organization, which endeavours to unite the federal, state along with local
organizations’ endeavours on combating the activities of aggressive criminals. The Cyber Crime
Task Force is an organization, which the task force would join labours because the organization
has been working in combating cyber crimes (Nykodym et al., 2005).
In addition, the task force needs to collaborate with the St. Louis Joint Terrorism Task
Force that combines the endeavors of 40 local, state, as well as federal organizations towards the

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analysis of all terror campaigns acts and offering reinforcement during extraordinary events
along with the recognition of local in addition to nationwide possible risk areas. The task force
should also cooperate with the ICAC task force that helps local law enforcement organizations in
technical crimes that target children (Fairtlough, 2015). Some of the agencies that could team up
with the task force include prosecutor teams, judiciary, St. Louis InfraGard Chapter, Violent
Fugitive Gang, in addition to Sex Predator Safe Streets Task Force.
4. Cyber Crime Task Force Equipment
The subsequent are necessary components in developing an effective task for to fight cyber
crimes; committed forensic computer networks, storage media that include hard drives, DVDs
along with other storage media for imaging, as well as data storage. The wireless system signal
detectors, duplicating instruments, communication equipments, the internet a, cameras, cables
plus connectors, atomic clock, and evidence room. In addition, image legalization software, data
recovery instruments, forensic investigation software sets are also needed by the task force.
Further to these, the task force will need a lab along with a forensic training for digital
technology test along with unharmed cars to act in response to a potential criminal act when
needed (Shipley & Bowker, 2014).
Importance of the Systems
The hardware plus software systems are vital in the Forensics laboratory since they
comprise the opportunities for the implementation of the cybercrime analysis towards combating
cyber crimes cases in St. Louis County.

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5. Cyber Crime Legislation
Thus, due to the focused nature of along with fast advancement of cyber crime, the AG’s
office would offer necessary data and information, which clarifies matters for state legislators
trying to develop cybercrime law. For instance, St. Louis Attorney General Office suggested
modifications on the laws of states that comprise punishments for abusing minors for sex in the
internet. On the contrary, laws on such cyber coercions as net attacks, terrorist acts, organized
crimes, as well as hacking must have stricter prison terms on the suspects plus have a rapid trial
procedure. In this manner, criminal would avoid from the fear of being prosecuted (Reyes,
2007).
Relying on the nature of the cybercrime that is committed, the different laws must be
enacted at federal, state or at local levels. Hence, it is rational that laws should be enacted
majorly in states in which they will address different cyber crime issues.
6. Conclusion
Cyber crimes that entail children pornography, common fraud over the internet, as well
as the thievery of identity faced in St. Louis County may prevented through collaboration by all
the stakeholders. There is a requirement to take on in an unparalleled stage of intergovernmental
collaboration with the private segment. Thus, the state should allocate its resources to a sustained
improve or cyber crime assets along with the sustained education plus training of its members of
the task force so as to go with the transforming technologies, as well as superiority of
cybercrimes.

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References
Beaupre, D., Icove, D. J., Baker, R., Cassaday, W., & Williams, W. P. (2000). State and local
law enforcement needs to combat electronic crime. US Department of Justice, Office
of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice.
Blane, J. V. (2003). Cybercrime and cyberterrorism: Current issues. New York, NY: Novinka
Books.
Brenner, S. W. (2012). Cybercrime and the law: Challenges, issues, and outcomes. Boston :
Northeastern University Press.
Broadhurst, R. (2006). Developments in the global law enforcement of cyber-
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Champion, D. J. (2007). Crime prevention in America. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson
Prentice Hall.
Cross, M., & Shinder, D. L. (2008). Scene of the cybercrime. Burlington, MA: Syngress Pub.
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Gordon, G. R., Hosmer, C. D., Siedsma, C., Rebovich, D., The Computer Forensics Research
& Development Ctr (CFRDC), & WetStone Technologies, Inc. (2002). Assessing

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technology, methods, and information for committing and combating cyber crime. SAGE
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In Baldoni, R., & In Chockler, G. (2012). Collaborative financial infrastructure protection:
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Shipley, T. G., & Bowker, A. (2014). Investigating internet crimes: An introduction to solving
crimes in cyberspace. Waltham, MA: Syngress.

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