Reno to Discuss Plan to Bolster Efforts Against Cyber-Crime

U.S. Atty. Gen. Janet Reno is expected today to propose the creation of a national computer crime-fighting network designed to enable swift cooperation among law enforcement agencies on crimes that often cross multiple jurisdictions and unfold in a matter of minutes, according to officials familiar with a speech Reno is scheduled to make at a Palo Alto conference.

The network is part of a series of initiatives Reno is expected to outline at a time when law enforcement agencies across the country are struggling to keep up with technology’s expanding role as a tool of crime.

The initiatives would overhaul the way law enforcement agencies at every level work together to investigate crimes involving computers. One federal official who spoke on condition of anonymity said that coordination among agencies these days is often hit and miss at best.

Reno’s proposals also will include the establishment of a new nationwide computer system for sharing investigative information and the creation of new forensic computer labs around the country that would combine personnel from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. She is not expected to provide much information on how such measures might be financed when she unveils them in a keynote speech today before members of the National Assn. of Attorneys General. The group is convening in Silicon Valley to discuss the impact of the Internet and technology on law enforcement.

Many details of Reno’s proposals remain unclear, including specifically how the plans would be funded. But officials familiar with the plans say they are a high priority for the Justice Department and the Clinton administration.

In fact, Reno’s proposals come in the wake of a series of computer-related initiatives the White House has announced in recent months. Last week, for example, President Clinton proposed allocating $91 million to develop new programs to protect the nation’s computer networks from intrusion by hackers. Part of that funding would go toward the creation of a Federal Cyber Service, analogous to the R.O.T.C., that would enlist college computer science students to help the government fend off computer attacks by terrorists or foreign governments.

But while the threat of cyber-terrorism has so far been more theoretical than actual, Reno’s proposals are aimed at shoring up law enforcement’s ability to combat everyday crime in the Information Age.

The centerpiece of Reno’s plan is decidedly low tech and relatively low cost because it involves no new computer systems or technical infrastructure. Rather, it calls for the creation of a network of specially trained computer crime coordinators at law enforcement agencies around the country.

Designated coordinators would be available at a moment’s notice and would be experts in the nuances of computer-related investigations. As an example, officials said such coordinators would be equipped to move quickly in serving court orders to obtain account information or request traces on calls or data transmission from local telecommunications companies and Internet service providers.

That sort of coordination is increasingly commonplace in large metropolitan areas, such as Los Angeles, where the Police Department and other local agencies operate special high-tech crime units. But federal officials say smaller cities and agencies are far less likely to be equipped to assist in a computer investigation on short notice and often merely refer such requests for help to federal authorities.

The second of Reno’s proposals is more complicated, costly and uncertain. She is expected to call for a secure national computer system in which law enforcement agencies can both supply and access information on ongoing investigations of crimes ranging from hacking attacks to drug trafficking.

The federal government has already created a network called the National Crime Information Center, which allows state and local authorities to tap federal crime databases. But that network does not allow state and local authorities to contribute information, and it has come under heavy criticism because it suffered numerous delays and cost millions of dollars more than initial estimates.

The third major proposal expected from Reno involves the creation of jointly operated forensic computer crime labs around the country. Such labs would be staffed by computer experts trained in analyzing hard drives and other computer systems for digital evidence that is increasingly crucial in prosecuting white-collar crimes from hacking to health-care fraud.

The FBI already operates such labs in most major metropolitan areas around the country. But officials said that those labs are overwhelmed by existing caseloads and that few state and local agencies have comparable facilities.

Reno’s proposal would replicate a unique arrangement in San Diego, where a forensic computer lab operates using personnel and resources from the FBI and the Secret Service as well as the San Diego District Attorney’s Office and Police Department.

Officials acknowledged that such a plan would require federal funding but declined to discuss how Reno planned to pay for the project except to say that is under consideration for the Justice Department’s upcoming budget proposal.