Through a detailed analysis of the ways state and local government can improve their cybercrime enforcement to account for gaps in the federal system, Maggie Brunner outlines a future strategy where local governments are at the forefront of bringing cyber perpetrators to justice.

Brunner provides a clear, well-lit path for state and local governments to take on the enforcement mantle, treating cybercrime just like any other form of crime so that law enforcement can have the tools necessary at every level to prevent crimes before they take place.

Cybercrime has grown exponentially in the United States over the last few decades, operating in the shadows with significant impunity. As the complexity of crimes in the cyberspace continues to evolve, the United States must consider a whole-of-government approach in order to build a robust cybercrime enforcement framework.

The exponential growth of cybercrimes continues to wreak havoc on governments, businesses, and individuals, and there has been progress in combating these crimes, even leading to near ubiquitous recognition of the cybercrime problem.

Eileen Decker focuses the reader on the lack of understanding of these disastrous crimes as derivative of a lack of collection and analysis of accurate and comprehensive data on the subject.

This article provides an analysis of the current cybercrime data collection programs, by calling attention to their successes while highlighting their critical weaknesses, gaps, and downfalls. The author then dives into the importance of cybercrime data collection and the impact that large scale data collection has while contrasting with the detrimental impacts of insufficient data collection.

In an imperative call to action, Decker recommends an expansive modernization of cybercrime data collection that focuses on efficiency and accuracy.