The Role of Federal Agencies in Fighting Digital Crime

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Explain the existing challenges that result from the independent nature of these agencies, as well as the other factors that are common to each of them.

In the United States, local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, including FBI, Department of Homeland Security, among others, have taken on roles to fight computer crimes and terrorism. The roles and responses of these law enforcement agencies concerning digital crime have created challenges that limit enforcement efforts against digital crime.

The Department Of Justice has had to address evolving challenges such as mortgage fraud, corporate fraud, and cyber crime including online child pornography. As it seeks to balance and address competing and new priorities, the department faces several key challenges. The FBI is continually faced with capital challenges in its transformation efforts to develop its counterterrorism capabilities, including realigning staff from the traditional law enforcement mission to a counterterrorism focus; building and improving intelligence gathering, analytic, and information sharing capabilities; and recruiting employees with specialized skills to fit these new positions. Still there remain concerns about how well the counterterrorism and intelligence missions have been integrated with the FBI's more traditional law enforcement mission and culture. Currently, progress is being made to fill staffing vacancies in the FBI’s counterterrorism division.(GAO High Risk & Other Major Government Challenges Balancing Fighting Crime Versus Terrorism)

The Department of Homeland Security faces challenges of failure to coordinate and cooperate in the latest fight against computer crimes as well as more general intelligence-gathering operations. (...

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...sure that more prosecutorial convictions are made; criminals are held accountable for their actions, and by everyone being on the same accord, clear and concise laws will prevent technicalities’ in the future. Creating generous budgets will allocate funding necessary for manpower and training to support efforts made in protecting our states, as well as national and international boundaries against digital crime and terrorism.

Works Cited

GAO High Risk & Other Major Government Challenges Balancing Fighting Crime Versus Terrorism. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2012, from GAO Governmnet Accounatability Office: http://www.gao.gov/highrisk/agency/doj/balancing-fighting-crime-versus-terrorism.php

Taylor, R. W., Fritsch, E. J., Liederbach, J., & Holt, T. J. (2011). Digital Crime and Digital Terrorism 2nd edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

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