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

As communities battle problems such as drugs, alcohol abuse, poverty, and the cycle of violence, gang activities have continued to increase in many of the areas most difficult to police. With a lower budget and fewer staff, these high violence areas are causing drastic problems for both citizens and police forces. Their crimes, from drug trafficking to murder to rape to theft, are often difficult to investigate, since the gang members are often unwilling to speak with police about their "brothers". With as many as 10,000 gang members residing within a single area, attempting to focus on one or two individuals is nearly impossible for police (Chwallek, 2006).

In addition to loose groups of online criminals, even organized crime groups have begun to use the internet to further their criminal activities. As consumers spend more time online, and more money, organized crime groups have begun to target international companies in schemes called "phishing". These schemes, similar to those by loose collections of criminals, target the consumer by mimicking actual companies who email users. When users click the hyperlinks within the email, they are taken to a fake site. As consumers unknowingly fill in information on this false site, the information is transferred back to the organized crime members. In 2002 alone, phishing by organized crime groups netted nearly $3 billion dollars worldwide, with nearly 70 organized crime groups concentrating solely on internet crimes (Mirel, 2002).

In addition to the difficulty in ascertaining when a crime has occurred, police fighting international terrorism must also battle political issues. When the source of terrorism is foreign, the police in the attacked country must rely on information and co-operation from foreign governments. Those foreign governments are often unable or unwilling to allocate resources to locate potential terrorists. In addition, international law becomes engaged in these situations, and the political cons

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Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)