Cyber Law

When people hear about the availability of law enforcement training online, the most common reaction is one of shock and disbelief. In our minds, law enforcement is synonymous with police, and thus with firearms. And of course, learning how to properly care for and use a weapon is not something that can be taught online, even with all the visual aids available nowadays. But law enforcement does not always mean patrolling the streets or catching criminals. There are many different kinds of crime, and the methods of combating of some of those crimes can be taught through books. Or, in this case, through the Internet.

The term "computer crime" refers to a crime where a computer is considered the tool, target or place where the crime is committed. When a computer crime occurs, the case is not handed to patrolmen or detectives, but instead to members who are trained to respond and stop the offenders in situations like these. It is not uncommon for these professionals to have undergone law enforcement training online. After all, what better way to stop a hacker than to learn how he operates?

Training for this branch of law enforcement requires not only intricate knowledge of computer systems and how to use them, but also some practice with programming languages. The fastest way to learn something is to find your way up against it, and that is exactly what happens. Teachers put their students to the test and an online battle is fought during classes: who can hack faster than the other? It is difficult, stressful, and it can not be taught out of books.

Of course, computer crime is not concerned with hackers alone. The branch includes fraud, theft, blackmail, forgery and embezzlement and many more, as long as a computer is used at some time during the crime. Police departments often work hand in hand on cases such as the ones mentioned above; the division concerned with cyber crimes will focus on tracking them down through the computer, while others will look for answers in the real world.

Cases are solved faster this way, and the mistakes made during the process are less. In the end though, it doesn't really matter if you got your basic education on law enforcement from your local training school or from law enforcement training online; your performance will be what distinguishes you as an officer of the law.