FEBRUARY 1990 FLORIDA'S COMPUTER CRIME In an attempt to gauge the impact of computer crime in the State, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) conducted a comprehensive survey of the local law enforcement community, State Attorneys' Offices and area businesses. The survey was part of FDLE's continuing goal of assessing changing crime problems and trends in Florida. The primary purpose of the study was to determine the extent of computer crime in Florida and to assess the impact it may be having on law enforcement agencies and prosecutors in the State. For purposes of this study, computer crime was defined as any crime in which the computer was either the tool or the object of the crime. In other words, the computer had to be an essential part of the crime. A total of 1,300 surveys were sent to law enforcement agencies, State prosecutors and businesses. Three different survey questionnaires were developed for each of the three groups included in the study. All police, sheriff and public safety departments in Florida received questionnaires, as well as 20 State Attorneys' Offices and 898 public and private Florida businesses. The rate of return was 73.6% for law enforcement, 90% for State Attorneys, and 44.9% for businesses. The businesses surveyed consisted of organizations that had computer systems currently in operation at their facilities. Included in this group were universities, defense firms, government agencies, service industries and companies from other fields. A formula was used to ensure a representative sample of businesses. One business per 40,000 county population was selected, with a minimum of 2 businesses selected from counties with a population less than 40,000. The State Attorneys' Offices surveyed indicated a steady rise in the number of computer-related crimes prosecuted by their offices. The study revealed, though, that the number of cases handled by prosecutors is still much lower than the actual number of computer crimes reported. The report attributes this discrepancy to the fact that in many computer-related cases, no suspect is identified, thereby precluding the need for further legal action in the case. Of the business respondents, 24.2% indicated that within the last 12 months, they had experienced some type of verifiable computer crime, ranging from theft of computer soft/hardware, unauthorized use of computer resources, to destruction/ alteration of computer data. One-fifth of the businesses reported verifiable monetary losses attributed to computer crime. Perhaps the most disturbing findings of the survey concern the ability of law enforcement to adequately combat computer crime. Business respondents were asked to rate the ability of Federal, State and local authorities to effectively investigate computer crime based on the previous experience of the respondent. Federal agencies were given a fair to good rating, and State law agencies received a fair mark, while local law enforcement was given a poor rating. This response would perhaps explain another finding of the survey: 65% of the business respondents said that they do not report any type of computer-related crime to authorities. The survey revealed that among local law enforcement agencies, 64% handled computer-related crimes using standard investigative procedures. One-fifth of the responding departments assigned computer cases to an investigator with special expertise in computer crime investigation. Among the law enforcement and State Attorneys' respondents, there was an overwhelming consensus that there was not adequate computer crime training available to local law enforcement agencies. These respondents also indicated that if a case does go to trial, juries have difficulty understanding the complexities of computer crime. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement recommends some steps for departments interested in improving computer-related crime investigations. These include sponsoring enrollment in basic computer operations courses to orient investigators to the many functions and uses (and potential misuses) of computers. In addition, the study concludes, successful prosecution depends on improving specific computer crime investigative techniques. ABOUT THE ARTICLE: This information, provided by Special Agent Jeff Herig, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, was compiled into a report entitled Computer Crime in Florida, 1989.