Vancouver Police go Cyber
May 29th, 2007 by Linda Naiman
The Vancouver Police Department is poised to become the first real-life police force living in the virtual world. They plan to hold a Second Life recruiting session as a way to lure more tech-savvy recruits.
The Vancouver police officers involved in the recruitment on Second Life have their own avatars, or Second Life persona, dressed in a specially designed VPD uniform, badge, belt and radio. They’re also trained in the other-world customs and commands of the virtual society.
The rationale for the sci-fi approach to recruitment is simple, says Insp. Kevin McQuiggin, head of the department’s tech crimes division: If people are on Second Life, they’re likely to be web-savvy, a quality the police department is looking for in new recruits.
Internet and technology-related crimes, from fraud to harassment, are common, McQuiggin says. In fact, he says, almost every major crime involves technology in some way, shape or form.
“It’s important for us, as an organization, to keep abreast of modern technology — both from an educational standpoint and an outreach standpoint, and from an investigative standpoint,” McQuiggin says.
Full story in the Vancouver Sun
Last summer Telus, Canada’s second largest telco, opened a store in Second Life, “because avatars need phones too.”
