What are the federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies that I may contact?

Law enforcement in the United States serves at three levels: local (e.g., a city police department or a county sheriffs office), state, and federal.

Many local police departments have robust electronic crimes programs. Your local police department or sheriffs office is equipped to deal with non-technical aspects of electronic crime and can provide contacts to state or federal law enforcement. Most state police departments have good contacts with colleges and universities.

At the federal level, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service each has full-time agents who specialize in electronic crimes, including investigation, forensics, and prevention strategies. These two agencies also have valuable contacts with other resources, as well as foreign law enforcement, including through INTERPOL.

You do not need to be concerned about jurisdictional issues among various law enforcement agencies. After the incident is reported, the report will be routed so that the appropriate agency will conduct the investigation. Established relationships with each level of law enforcement will be invaluable during and after an incident.

Phone numbers for all three agencies will be in the front of your phone book. Local office for the US Secret Service and FBI can also be located online at www.secretservice.gov/field_offices.shtml and www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm.

If you elect to report to multiple agencies, try to obtain the case number and assigned contact person. Share this information regarding each agency with the other agencies. Each agency normally will contact the other agencies to determine who will lead the investigation and coordinate the prosecution (at times, a single crime will be pursued concurrently in different judicial jurisdictions).