Learning Activity Sharing of Information and Cooperation

Learning Activity

Sharing of information and cooperation between agencies is often necessary to ensure that people who are guilty of crimes or misdemeanors are given their proper punishment. It is also the best way to present information between agencies to clear those who are suspected of crime but are, in fact, innocent. It is important to cooperate between police departments, but it is also important to secure the privacy and the civil rights of all citizens. What, if any, information to release to fellow members of law enforcement will be at the discretion of the analyst who must determine what the legal and ethical steps to take are.

The Scenario of the Lawville P.D. And John Smith:

The amount of information to be shared and the type of information shared should be a case by case determination. I believe some information should be shared with the Lawville Police Department regarding John Smith's conviction in Anytown, USA. He served six months for obstruction of justice. I would first determine what that conviction was in regards to and whether it might pertain to the new inquiries into Smith's actions and behavior. That is to say, I would find out under what course of investigation was he involved in the obstruction of justice? Only if the prior case had something to do with terrorism, biological weaponry, or some kind of violent incident would I feel the need to share all the case data with others. If there is no correlation between the two cases, such as if he obstructed justice in a child custody matter, then I would not share the entirety of the data. This is both out of respect for Smith's rights to privacy and to prevent the Lawville police from engaging in investigation that will lead them down the primrose path.

Given that the officers were able to obtain warrants and found nothing to confirm their suspicions that Smith is a bioterrorist, I would be disinclined to encourage them pursuing the investigation further. All the data they have is that there was a gas mask and chemicals in the back seat of the car. However, I would also look into the line of work Mr. Smith had been engaged in while he was under investigation in Anytown. If there is reason to believe that he was lying to police, then there would be a logical conclusion that the man is hiding something and that interdepartmental cooperation is integral to determining what else he is lying about; and more importantly why he was lying to the police.