Investigating the New Criminal Neighborhood: The Need for Dark Web Education for Law Enforcement Personnel

Abstract

Responses in investigations of drug and sex traffic related crimes often originate in the Dark Web. Internet and cybercrimes are increasingly becoming reliant on criminal justice practitioners to help solve them. However, while the demand for criminal justice participation in cyber investigations increases daily, most law enforcement agencies or state law enforcement accrediting bodies are lagging in their educational and training opportunities for new police officers entering the law enforcement fields. This article discusses the need incorporate education courses covering the Dark and Deep Web in the law enforcement curriculum. A review of existing cyber-criminal justice programs in Texas (N=28) and nationally suggests that most colleges, with a cyber program, have yet to develop courses/programs in understanding and investigating the dark web on the internet. The federal government and a few companies have limited training on the Dark Web for law enforcement officers. The Dark Web serves as the new “Criminal Neighborhood” for illegal activity and needs to be better understood so it can be investigated. This research outlines the need for police officers and police investigators to learn the geographies of the Dark Web.