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This article features Pennsylvania's Justice Network (JNET), which is a secure system that allows users to access criminal data, mug shots, driver's license photos and other law enforcement data. Three years after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies in the U.S. are allegedly still facing political, cultural and technological barriers that prevent seamless sharing of data stored in stand-alone computer systems. Apparently, Homeland Security Department officials are touting the network as a model for the kind of information sharing and collaboration that are crucial to preventing future attacks. The network is available to federal and state agencies and local police departments. Since its inception in 1997, JNET has helped locate terrorism suspect days after the events of September 11, track down individuals wanted in connection with the murder of two New York City detectives and nab a bank robbery suspect less than two hours after the crime was committed. JNET is the type of system that might have helped officials connect information on the hijackers in the 2001 attacks, data that was housed in separate agency systems, according to Lee Strickland, visiting professor of information studies and director of the Center for Information Policy at the University of Maryland. |
