Most law enforcement agencies acknowledge how valuable Web 2.0 would be to their agencies but the reality is that law enforcement agencies fail to keep up with the public when it comes to technology for a variety of reasons, including budget constraints, generational differences, lack of training and the speed at which new technologies and programs emerge and become integrated into society.

In June 2009, the Gulf States Regional Center for Public Safety Innovations (GSRCPI) conducted a nationwide online survey for law enforcement agencies on this issue. More than 530 law enforcement professionals from 22 states and two U.S. territories participated in the survey, including more than 100 chiefs of police. Below are some of the questions and corresponding response rates:

Rate the level of knowledge or awareness that you and other members of your department have of Web 2.0 (which was defined in the survey)
•    39 percent rated their "Average Agency Members" as having "None" or "Very little"
•    41 percent of "CEOs" were rated, or rated themselves as having "None" or "Very little"

Have you or your agency received any training on Web.2.0 applications/uses?
•    71 percent reported "No"
•    16 percent reported they "Don’t know"

How valuable do you think training on Web 2.0 applications would be for your agency?
•    78 percent responded "Very valuable" or "Extremely valuable"

The question public safety leaders must ask themselves is, "How can I serve and protect a community that communicates in a way that I do not understand, or one in which I'm unaware?

The recent economic downturn has hastened this turn to the Internet. More households are discontinuing home phone (landline) service and relying completely on cell phones as their primary mode of contact. Newspapers across the country are closing, and cable and satellite television and radio further distance people from “local” daily news coverage. In addition, the majority of cell phones sold today have texting and camera functions. Many include video capabilities with audio, which allows the public to share information via the Internet (social networking) or with media outlets that actively seek this type of citizen "reporting." Unfortunately most public safety agencies still rely solely on voice 911 reports and visual confirmation by trained emergency management professionals before dispatching specialized equipment or additional personnel.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, who would you rather have that picture first, you or the local news outlet? Agencies must set up systems to receive this information, train their communities where to send the information and train their personnel how to handle it.

Many agencies across the country are experiencing a different kind of social networking nightmare. The news is full of stories of public safety officers posting inappropriate comments, pictures or sensitive law enforcement data on MySpace, Facebook or other networking sites. These issues are not external problems caused by criminals, but are complex internal personnel issues that erode public trust and affect public perception as well as put the agency at risk for lawsuits.

One cannot address all of the issues at once and it is difficult to know where to begin. However, through the survey we have identified nine critical topics that agencies need to get up to speed on quickly:

1. Social Networking (MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc.)
•    As an investigative tool. These sites can be used for crime investigations as well as monitoring youth and gangs in the community, etc. Additionally there is a need for sharing of best practices, resources and case examples for using information/pictures from these sites to acquire warrants.
•    As a positive marketing tool for your agency. These sites are underutilized as a tool to inform the citizens/media of crime information, disaster instructions, in recruiting new officers, or as a part of the hiring process.
•    Policies and training. Due to the popularity of these sites, agencies need to consider creating internal policies and training to ensure that employees understand the implications of what they post on their personal sites.

2. Personal Information Software and Databases (Peoplefind and Monster)
These sites can be used by police to locate individuals or information about individuals. However, they can also be used by criminals: In a recent Louisiana case, a drug dealer used access to the online victim notification system to see that his associates had been arrested and was forewarned about the police coming for him.

3. Online Information Sites (Snopes, Wikipedia and YouTube) Useful sites that can help bring personnel up to speed with contemporary issues, the latest trends, rumors, urban myths as well as educate citizens on scams.

4. Internet Sales Sites (Craigslist, eBay)
Recent media attention has spotlighted certain online sites that facilitate not only the sale of legal items but also stolen property and prostitution (including instances involving minors and/or victims of human trafficking).

5. Cell Phone, Text Messages and Images (Sexting, warrants and preserving information)
According to the survey responses, many agencies currently review cell phone and text records of suspects. In addition, many departments have received reports of sexting, sending nude pictures via text message.

6. Cyber-Threats. Threats of stalking, cyber-bullying or other online threats against a specific person were reported by 65 percent of survey respondents. In addition, 31 percent reported instances of threats that involved more public or widespread violence (school shootings, public explosives, etc.).

7. Mapping and Navigational Tools (Google Maps)
The expansion of the enhanced version of Google Earth for Law Enforcement, in partnership with NASA, has been utilized by the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center (ACJIC) and is currently expanding into Louisiana and Mississippi. Plans for Virtual USA is in the works.

8. Video Games Related Crimes (auto theft, police chases, police shootings, drug dealing, public shootings, etc.)
With the popularity of violent video games, there is potential for violent crimes related to these games.
•    9 percent of law enforcement said they had video game related criminal activity; 39 percent "Don’t know."

9. Virtual Worlds (Second Life, Farm Town, Sims)
People pay real money for virtual land, buildings and physical enhancements for their Internet characters. Issues related to fraud and threats in the real world stem from these virtual worlds. There have been instances of actual death threats being issued against rival gamers. However, these programs have some useful possibilities for real-world applications such as online meetings and information sharing, as well as eventually utilizing virtual games in training for SWAT and firefighters.

To the credit of most of the companies mentioned in the nine topics, most of them do employ aggressive security divisions often staffed by former law enforcement. They are willing to work with public safety professionals, as privacy laws allow, to keep their programs and applications safe for the general population.

GSRCPI has written a proposal to the Bureau of Justice Assistance to fund a series of classes on the above topics for national delivery. However, we realize our efforts alone cannot change a culture. We encourage agencies to become familiar with the Web 2.0 applications the people in your community use. Be sure to involve an IT person to prevent the contamination of any of your networks from viruses.

Balancing security and the distribution of accurate, timely information -- while promoting an open and transparent organization and engaging the public in two-way dialog about emergency management -- will not be an easy task. The Internet genie is out of the bottle and will not be put back. The public expects "on demand" information and through the Internet they can find it 24 hours a day, be it truth or fiction. Leaders must realize that a major public safety cultural transformation is about to take place, fueled by generational, societal and technological changes. This is not a theory; it is a certainty.

Daphne Levenson has been with the Gulf States Regional Center for Public Safety Innovations (GSRCPI) for 12 years, seven as director. For more information, visit  GSRCPI or e-mail GSRCPI.