Law Enforcement Online (LEO)

Since July 1995, the FBI's Law Enforcement Online (LEO) system has been a national focal point for electronically communication and information sharing within the law enforcement community. LEO provides a communications mechanism to link all levels of law enforcement in all parts of the United States, supporting broad, immediate dissemination of information concerning the best technologies and practices in law enforcement. LEO is a user-friendly, no cost service that can be accessed by the law enforcement community using industry-standard personal computers.

SAIC, in conjunction with Louisiana State University, developed and operated LEO for the FBI. LEO currently serves somewhere between 20,000 to 40,000 registered users.

With the advent of LEO, the law enforcement community, down to an officer level, has the ability to communicate in a secure mode with members of other law enforcement agencies throughout the United States and to share information on topics of mutual concern. The LEO service provides facilities for electronic communications, including e-mail, chat rooms (private on-screen interactive keyboard conversations), message boards, Law Enforcement Special Interest Group (LESIG) communications, Virtual Command Centers (VCC), and calendars (national, state, and LESIG). LEO provides an on-line library of law enforcement publications, including newsletters, studies, research papers, technical bulletins, and reports of interest to the law enforcement community.

LEO also connects to the Department of Justice's Regional Information Sharing Systems program through a single Web interface, expanding computing resources and access to a wider range of experts. In the interests of homeland security, the FBI is also connecting LEO to other law enforcement networks (e.g. INTELINK, JABS), databases and special online interest groups for crisis management officials.

Communications and information are provided to users in a confidential, secure user environment. Multiple tiers of security are provided so that groups with a specialized area of interest may exchange Sensitive but Unclassified information with others authorized to receive such information without concern that it will be compromised or distributed to the broader user community.