In today's technological, fast paced society, officers of the law have far more concerns and challenges than those of 20 or 30 years ago. As advancements in computer technologies and communications devices have assisted law-abiding citizens to create better lives, these technologies have also assisted criminals in creating new and improved criminal solutions. This paper will discuss some of the new challenges faced by police personnel in today's society.

             First and foremost, as technologies have increased the ability of citizens to communicate with one another around the world for business and pleasure, those same technologies have increased the ability for criminals to communicate. With online underground message boards, email capabilities messenger services, and other forms of online communication, the internet has made it possible for virtual criminals to come together in an unseen format to commit crime. Those interested in online crime are able to easily meet others in heir field of expertise, without fear of disclosure, since the online communities are anonymous (Mirel, 2002).

             These loose groups of criminals have embarked on a wide variety of criminal activity unseen in the past. Malicious coders, for example, are able to steal confidential banking information by mimicking websites, fooling consumers into inputting personal information. This then allows the criminals to obtain credit card numbers, which further allows them to utilize the monies of others, without even being within the same country. Further, these coders are able to virtually destroy businesses and consumers by spreading viruses and spy ware, which can cripple even the most highly technical corporation, costing billions of dollars a year. For some online criminals, these "bots" are even a marketable commodity, in that they are written by a group of coders, and sold to underground organizations (Mirel, 2002).