Are Computers and the Internet a Threat to Victim Privacy?
Computers, software, and the Internet have made it possible to gather and analyze data in ways that were impossible just five years ago. In the world of criminal justice and policing, technology is rapidly transforming the way that information about crime incidents and criminal cases is managed and disseminated. Nearly every police department now uses some form of software to collect information about crime incidents and display that information on detailed maps. Doing so allows police and crime analysts to better analyze crime problems and more effectively identify potential solutions. Effective communications tools, crime maps are increasingly available to public and private agencies, community residents, and the public at-large. Usually these maps are simply paper printouts that depict neighborhood streets and use geometric shapes to indicate the approximate location of recent crime incidents. However, there is a growing trend to disseminate this information directly over the Intern
