Citation
Carter II, J.W. (2008), "Policing on the web", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 31 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/pijpsm.2008.18131aag.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Policing on the web
The National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) is a federally funded service offering accessing to the most recent information concerning international criminal justice research and policy. Through completing a short registration process, justice professionals and the public alike can gain access to the vast resources offered by the NCJRS through the services web site (www.ncjrs.gov). Registration also enables the user to receive the electronically published newsletter of the NCJRS, join various justice-related listserv groups and even be notified via email whenever a new publication is available in the user’s selected areas of interest.
The web site for the NCJRS offers several services to the police practitioner seeking to further his or her professional knowledge. Principal among these is through offering access to newly published reports concerning such topics as drugs, domestic violence, developing technology, elder abuse and crime prevention. In addition to allowing access to published reports, the NCJRS also serves as a publication venue for law enforcement professionals.
The NCJRS offers a question and answer service for located answers to very specific questions. In addition to asking questions, users can review the questions and answers of other users who have accessed this service.
In addition to offering access to published reports and serving as a resource for answering questions, the NCJRS web site posts federal funding opportunities and allows users to search for justice-related conferences and events matching specific search criteria such as geographic location, sponsoring agency and area of interest.
The web site of the National Criminal Justice Reference Service is a resource which could be valuable to law enforcement professionals seeking the most recent information about this ever-growing field. The web site is very user-friendly and easy to navigate. However, there is one caveat with the web site. As with most web sites offering access to web-based publications, the publications are available as PDF’s and thus require the user to download the adobe reader program. Considering the wealth of material available through the NCJRS web site, it is well worth a visit.
J.W. Carter IICollege of Mount St Joseph, Cincinnati, USA