In June 2007, Attorney General Coakley met with law enforcement officials from across the Commonwealth to develop a statewide plan to prevent, investigate and prosecute crimes with an electronic or cyber component. The meeting followed an in-depth, 72-question survey circulated to state and local law enforcement by Attorney General Coakley, requesting each agency's experience in responding to crimes with a cyber component. Fifty-five percent of the agencies responded, including state and local police and district attorney's offices. The respondents reported forensic, investigative and prosecutorial challenges that require heightened awareness and training. According to the 150 respondents, there were 13,184 investigations with a cyber component conducted in 2006. The law enforcement survey respondents reported that training was their highest priority and was the most important tool they needed to respond to cyber crimes. In the fall of 2007, the Attorney General's Office released a strategic plan to address cyber crime, based on the survey results and law enforcement decision makers input from across the state:

Since the release of the plan, the Attorney General's Cyber Crime Division has been successful in delivering on all six priorities set forth in the Massachusetts Strategic Plan for Cyber Crime. To date, there are 625 official points of contact from 292 of the 351 local police departments, federal and state agencies, district attorney's offices, sheriff departments, and higher education campuses. The 292 local police departments who are represented cover 97% of the Commonwealth's population. In addition to the official contacts, the AGO continues to reach out to more than 800 other members of the law enforcement community.

Police official points of contact map

The Attorney General's Office has been successful in not only communicating with law enforcement and providing free awareness trainings, but also by providing an information portal and digital evidence guide, and facilitating the construction of a state-of-the-art Computer Forensics Lab (set to be completed summer of 2009). The AGO also played a lead role in the passage of Jessica's Law including administrative subpoena and search warrant amendments.

In 2009, the AGO will continue to accomplish the goals of the strategic plan with additional goals that encompass the changing world of cyber crime and digital evidence.