reports of its member countries that estimated that only 5 per cent of computer
crime was reported to law enforcement authorities. Law enforcement officials
indicate from their experience that recorded computer crime statistics do not
represent the actual number of offences; the term "dark figure", used
by criminologists to refer to unreported crime, has been applied to undiscovered
computer crimes. The invisibility of computer crimes is based on several
factors. First, sophisticated technology, that is, the immense, compact storage
capacity of the computer and the speed with which computers function, ensures
that computer crime is very difficult to detect. In contrast to most traditional
areas of crime, unknowing victims are often informed after the fact by law
enforcement officials that they have sustained a computer crime. Secondly,
investigating officials often do not have sufficient training to deal with
problems in the complex environment of data processing. Thirdly, many victims do
not have a contingency plan for responding to incidents of computer crime, and
they may even fail to acknowledge that a security problem exists. The dynamic
nature of computer technology, compounded by specific considerations and
complications in applying traditional laws to this new technology, dictate that
the law enforcement, legal and judicial communities must develop new skills to
be able to respond adequately to the challenge presented by computer crime. The
growing sophistication of telecommunications systems and the high level of
expertise of many system operators complicate significantly the task of
regulatory and legal intervention by law enforcement agencies. If the law
enforcement community is expected to deal with the problem of computer crime,
adequate training sessions must be implemented. To address computer crime, most
police departments are allocating a greater proportion of resources to their
economic or fraud investigation divisions, since many types of computer crime
occur in the course of business transactions or affect financial assets.
Accordingly, it is important for investigators to know about business
transactions and about the use of computer in business. The ideal situation is
to have investigators with not only solid criminal investigation backgrounds but
also supplementary technical knowledge. This is similar to the traditional
approach, where many police forces ensure that their fraud investigators,
although not necessarily accountants, possess a thorough understanding of
financial and business record keeping. Preventative Agencies In the late 1970s,
the prevailing public attitude was "you can’t do anything about
crime." A varied group of individuals – government policy makers, law
enforcement, business, labor leaders – disagreed. This group founded the
National Citizens’ Crime Prevention Campaign featuring McGruff the Crime Dog,
our nation’s symbol for crime prevention. In 1977, FBI Director Clarence Kelley
and his assistant, John Coleman, went to The Advertising Council with a proposal
for a crime prevention public service advertising campaign. The Ad Council
tabled the plan, but it sparked the interest of Leo Perlis, Director of the
AFL-CIO’s Community Services Division and a member of The Ad Council’s public
policy committee. Contact was made with the officials in the U.S. Department of
Justice’s Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA), and with Carl M.
Loeb, Jr. – a businessman and activist with a longstanding interest in reforming
the criminal justice system and a board member of the National Council on Crime
and Delinquency. In late 1977, LEAA, the FBI, and the AFL-CIO formed a small
planning group and included the National Sheriffs’ Association and the
International Association of Chiefs of Police. Subsequently, two advisory bodies
from 19 national agencies were formed that would become the nucleus of the Crime
Prevention Coalition, now 136 member organizations strong. By 1982, the McGruff
Public Service Advertising Campaign was an acknowledged success – in just two
years McGruff’s "Take A Bite Out Of Crime," slogan was known by over
half the population and his advice heeded by a substantial portion of that
audience. To help build a focus on prevention, the original partners in the
Campaign decided to create a new home for McGruff in an agency whose sole
mission was the prevention of crime. With seed funding from the federal
government and supported by the leadership and financial contribution of Carl M.
Loeb, Jr., the National Crime Prevention Council was created as a nonprofit
organization to manage the McGruff Campaign and coordinate activities of the
Crime Prevention Coalition. Mr. Loeb served as Chairman of the Board until his
death in 1985. John A. Calhoun, formerly U.S. Commissioner of the Administration
for Children, Youth, and Families, was selected as NCPC’s first executive
director. Individuals who had been working on the Campaign became the core staff
of the newly formed NCPC. Through the hard work and dedication of people around
the country, NCPC has evolved into the nation’s resource for crime prevention.
Aside from coordinating the efforts of the McGruff Campaign, NCPC provides
comprehensive crime prevention technical assistance and training to communities
throughout the United States; develops and implements highly-acclaimed and
innovative youth development programs; runs pathbreaking demonstration programs
such as the 10-city Community Responses to Drug Abuse and the seven-city Texas
City Action Plan To Prevent Crime; disseminates information on effective crime
prevention practices to thousands of individuals and organizations every year;
and, publishes materials that reach millions, young and old. NCPC partners with
socially responsible corporations to create mutually beneficial relationships.
These corporate citizens enhance national and local crime prevention efforts and
invest in NCPC, the national resource center for crime prevention. Not only do
these companies provide financial resources, they provide management skills,
marketing expertise, and creative synergy to all of NCPC’s programs. In October
of 1994, RadioShack joined forces with NCPC and the National Sheriffs’
Association to form United Against Crime, a public-private alliance which offers
a multi-year, free education program on crime prevention. The partnership is one
of the largest public-private sector crime prevention initiatives ever
undertaken and was formed to empower people to take action that will result in
less crime, stronger families, and more active communities. RadioShack has
underwritten the cost of the alliance’s program and is devoting space in each of
its 7,200 electronic retail stores to showcase crime prevention information
centers. Since August 1995, RadioShack has provided resources and introduced
quarterly satellite crime prevention trainings for law enforcement, community
leaders, and the public in over 150 sites. United Against Crime has been
recognized by the Public Relations Society of New York with the Big Apple Award
for Community Relations and by the International Association of Business
Communications with the ACE Award for Community Relations.