Spectacular Police Work
The Friday, April 8, 2005, edition of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer carried an article headlined Detective's plea puts Microsoft to work - Computer system helps track child pornographers by P-I reporter Todd Bishop. The article shows what can happen when a committed and imaginative detective gets frustrated.
The story recounts how Toronto Police Service Detective Sergeant Paul Gillespie became frustrated with his department's inability to make significant progress in cases of computerized child pornography. Instead of grousing about a lack of resources and doing nothing, Detective-Sergeant Gillespie sent an email message directly to Bill Gates -- Microsoft's Bill Gates -- yes, that Bill Gates -- asking for help.
Given Mr. and Mrs. Gates demonstrated commitment to children, particularly sick and abused children, Detective Sergeant Gillespie perhaps should not have been so surprised when Mr. Gates forwarded the email message on to Microsoft's Canadian branch for action. As the P-I noted, "Messages from Gates aren't taken lightly within the company, and soon one of Microsoft's Canadian executives contacted Gillespie to get a better sense of what the company could do."
The "what the company could do" turned out to be The Child Exploitation Tracking System, a link analysis software package that enables child pornography investigators around the world to coordinate their data and cooperate in investigations.
Detective Sergeant Gillespie's 335-word email message was masterfully written. It was to the point and concise, but most important of all, it asked Mr. Gates for help.
Isn't it amazing what can happen when good law enforcement officers simply ask citizens for help?
The story recounts how Toronto Police Service Detective Sergeant Paul Gillespie became frustrated with his department's inability to make significant progress in cases of computerized child pornography. Instead of grousing about a lack of resources and doing nothing, Detective-Sergeant Gillespie sent an email message directly to Bill Gates -- Microsoft's Bill Gates -- yes, that Bill Gates -- asking for help.
Given Mr. and Mrs. Gates demonstrated commitment to children, particularly sick and abused children, Detective Sergeant Gillespie perhaps should not have been so surprised when Mr. Gates forwarded the email message on to Microsoft's Canadian branch for action. As the P-I noted, "Messages from Gates aren't taken lightly within the company, and soon one of Microsoft's Canadian executives contacted Gillespie to get a better sense of what the company could do."
The "what the company could do" turned out to be The Child Exploitation Tracking System, a link analysis software package that enables child pornography investigators around the world to coordinate their data and cooperate in investigations.
Detective Sergeant Gillespie's 335-word email message was masterfully written. It was to the point and concise, but most important of all, it asked Mr. Gates for help.
Isn't it amazing what can happen when good law enforcement officers simply ask citizens for help?
posted by Bill McCrory | 8:45 AM
2 Comments:
Yes -- tht is so cool!
I like the phrase I read - "good corporate citizenship."
Those filthy morons who are in to child pornography and child explotation are ___________!
I believe we have one coming up in May for sentencing - local to Bonner County Idaho.
FYI --
Here is my post on a child porn case local to the area.
Right in our back yard
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