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ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO PROPOSES

STANFORD, CA. -- Seeking to improve coordination among the states in the fight against cyber-crime, Attorney General Janet Reno today proposed a round-the-clock cyber-crime network, regional computer forensic labs, and a secure on-line clearinghouse for law enforcement to share information about cyber-cases.

In a keynote speech delivered to the National Association of Attorneys General at Stanford Law School, Reno outlined the challenges confronting law enforcement in the Information Age. The challenges include the borderless nature of the Internet, identifying and apprehending cybercriminals across state and international boundaries, the increasingly anonymous nature of some electronic communications, and the need to recruit and retain law enforcement personnel with expertise in the latest technologies.

"While the Internet and other information technologies are bringing enormous benefits to society, they also provide new opportunities for criminal behavior," Reno said. "The Internet changes everything - and it's changing law enforcement in dramatic ways."

During the speech, Reno called upon the state Attorneys General to establish a network of cooperation among federal, state and local law enforcement to address these changes, including:

• setting up a 24-hour/7-day a week network of computer crime enforcement personnel within every state. Such a network would enable authorities who have detected a cyber-attack in one state to rapidly contact their counterparts in another state for help in tracing the cyber-criminal. The Justice Department already has established an international round-the-clock network through the G-8 nations. Reno offered to convene a meeting of state Attorneys General and other state and local law enforcement officials as soon as possible, and urged the approval of a framework agreement by March.

• developing a secure on-line clearinghouse that would allow federal, state and local law enforcement to share information about pending cases, potential targets, and contact personnel for all unlawful activity on the Internet. Reno cited the Internet Crimes Against Children database and the Internet Fraud Complaint Center as models or building blocks for the clearinghouse.

• considering a variety of legal solutions, in consultation with industry and others, to address the complicated jurisdictional challenges raised by the Internet, such as an Interstate compact providing for the enforcement of out of state subpoenas and court orders, as well as possible state and federal proposals to address these issues.

• forming regional forensics computer labs to analyze seized computers for evidence of unlawful activity. The regional labs would enable state and local law enforcement agencies to pool resources and expertise to meet the financial and technical challenges presented by high-tech investigations.

"We need to restructure and re-equip law enforcement to fight crime at Internet speed, while also upholding our long-standing guarantees of privacy and civil liberties," added Reno.

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