Diana S. Dolliver

Discusses the need for national security policies to consider the role and cyber readiness of local law enforcement agencies in the United States. First, examines cyber threats present on emerging technologies, such as the Tor Network, before detailing the law enforcement model in the US and challenges related to fragmentation that complicate the ability of local police departments to adequately respond to these threats. Concludes with proposals for strengthening the cyber capabilities and situational awareness of local PDs nationwide, and the need to consider their roles in future national cybersecurity strategies.

Law enforcement agencies across the country are struggling to keep pace with processing and analyzing digital evidence seized in active criminal cases. One unique response to these challenges is the formation of a hybrid digital forensic task force: a formal partnership between higher educational institutions and municipal and/or state law enforcement agencies to further education, research, and investigatory capacity in the digital forensic field. To better understand this organizational model, this study conducted a comparative analysis between eight such task forces in the United States using the theoretical guidance of neo-institutional theory, the first such national assessment.

Employed geovisualization and exploratory spatial data analysis to examine drug distributions of heroin, cocaine, new psychoactive substances, and prescription drugs advertised on Agora, the largest international marketplace on the Tor Network at the time of data collection.

Documented the types of new psychoactive substances (NPS) for sale on the Agora marketplace over time, as well as the countries and vendors sourcing NPS on this platform. Data were collected in 2015, and found that the number of NPS advertisements and vendors increased over a four-month period. Ketamine and new, unclassified NPS experienced substantial growth, while the availability of phenethylamines decreased; however, phenethylamines remained the most frequently advertised NPS on Agora.

 

Discusses Silk Road, an illicit online drug retail market generating million dollar sales that enjoyed a growing and loyal consumer base. Examines the FBI-forced shut down of the site and its subsequent new found fame that contributed to an increase in new users downloading and accessing the Tor Network and later, the emergence of Silk Road 2. Compares the metrics of Silk Road 2 to the original site. Determines if there were any indications of the presence of more sophisticated drug trafficking operations. .

Examines the legal challenges related to cyberterrorism, as well as the forensic and criminological aspects of this phenomenon.

Examines whether geographic differences in intentional homicide rates in Europe were a function of societies that exhibit Anomic cultural tendencies and an institutional imbalance, as guided by Institutional Anomie Theory. This research is temporally sensitive, taking into account these differences over a 15-year time period. Additionally, separate operations of the theory within developed and transitioning countries were tested, and various cultural–institutional configurations were uncovered that led to increases or decreases in homicide rates. While still restricted by a lack of guidance from Messner and Rosenfeld and inconsistency in past research on how to operationalize key concepts of Institutional Anomie Theory, this study significantly contributes to the literature by assessing core theoretical questions of the theory while employing appropriate measurement strategies.

Compares and contrasts how drug users are viewed socially and treated by their governments in the U.S. and in Poland.

Defines and discusses recent trends of homicide rates in Europe, also discussing the differences in measurement, reporting, and definitions of “homicide” existing between European countries.

Examines how two police reforms in Poland impacted arrests for drug use and drug trafficking in Poland.

Discusses the less-than-lethal weapons alternatives for law enforcement in the U.S. that are both currently available and emerging technologies designed to keep police and the public safe.