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The Changing Nature of Crime and Law Enforcement

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Law enforcement agencies nationwide must constantly adapt to the changing nature of crime and the ways criminals must be prosecuted. New dangers like terrorism, as well as old ones, such as public corruption, threaten the public and force police agencies to acclimate themselves to this new environment. President Clinton explained the need for the development of the federal and local law enforcement agencies.
"We have begun to find a way to reduce crime, forming community partnerships with local police forces to catch criminals and prevent crime. This strategy, called community policing, is clearly working. But we still have a long way to go before our streets are safe and our people are free from fear. Our next step in the fight against …show more content…

White-Collar crime entails illegal actions committed by upper class people and businesses. In the past crimes like fraud, embezzlement, income-tax evasion, and abuse of political and legal powers were treated by authorities more than typical crimes.
Historically, most white-collar criminals were simply fired or fined. Rarely were jail sentences imposed let alone served. This leniency stemmed from the perception that a high-status individual implicated in criminal activity was sufficiently punished by the loss of their social stature and partly from the fact that most white-collar crimes are so-called victimless offenses. Only recently has this attitude begun to change. White-collar crime has become an increasing problem in the latter part of the twentieth century. Authorities in the U.S., in particular, are dealing more severely with such crimes. Identity theft has been a problem facing police departments recently. It is a crime in which someone obtains and uses another person's personal information in a way that involves fraud. In the United States and Canada, for example, many people have reported that unauthorized people have taken money out of their bank. In 1998 Congress made identity theft a federal offense to therefore create stricter penalties for these criminals. Police agencies all over the country must constantly adjust to the shifting nature of crime and the ways criminals will be

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