American International Journal of Social Science

An Exploratory Content Analysis of Law Enforcement Websites: An Eight Nation Study
Dr. John R. Tahiliani

Abstract
Law enforcement web presence has continued to grow since the mid 90’s. A web page is increasingly the face of many organizations and businesses and is often the first point of contact. There is a tangible battle that exists regarding where citizens get information. Given the enhanced usage of some information websites (e.g. Wikipedia) over a law enforcement agency’s webpage, are there “information gaps” that exist that, if addressed, may enhance a user’s experience on that specific law enforcement web site. The following research is an eight nation analysis of the content found on those websites. Using data collected via a modified web page assessment tool (WICS), results indicate that there are significant deficiencies in some key areas such as availability of crime data, mission statements, crime warnings and general leadership/agency contact information.

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