Scott said the Cyber Crimes Unit was formed in January, 2000 and consists of three detectives who investigate internet and computer related crimes.

The unit investigates:

• Property crimes such as fraud, counterfeit documents, and larceny,
• Crimes against persons such as pornography, threats, and stalking,
• Specific computer/internet crimes such as virus attacks, data manipulation, and web site hacking.

The unit is located at a local university and interns from the university assist with investigations. The unit also works with the OSBI, and cities in the area.

Scott said when the unit does forensic examinations of computers, they look at what is on the computer screen. They also look at hardware attached, peer to peer programs and notes on paper. Evidence examined is email, chat groups, browser history, ISP logs, deleted files, slack space and unallocated space. They also look at the IP address and dynamic address assignments.

The types of crime investigated are

• Pornography,
• Travelers (who go to meet with underage teens),
• Threats (especially by email or faxes),
• Fraud and Phishing,
• Counterfeit docs and checks,
• Embezzlement,
• Hacking.

Scott said that the unit does not have the time to monitor Internet traffic. He said that ISPs are usually law-enforcement friendly. When asked about the financial institution safety, such as paying bills on line, he said that banks are good at security because it affects their business.

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