After decades in the cyber field and many years working alongside people in law enforcement and public safety, I have watched technology change not only how we live and work, but also how crime is committed, investigated, and understood.
Criminology has long served as a foundation for work across law enforcement, public safety, corrections, investigation, and related fields. But as crime evolves with technology, so does the environment in which criminology is practiced.
Cybercrime does not exempt anyone. Civilian or uniformed, individual or institution, anyone who uses technology can be affected by cybercrime.
This is where Cybercriminology comes in. It brings criminology into the context of digital technology, including cybercrime and digital investigations.
I have never seen Cybercriminology as a replacement for traditional criminology. The two can coexist. Students have different aptitudes and attitudes, and they may find their place in different parts of the field.
What matters to me is that they have that choice.
