Vancouver's cops recruiting in Second Life

  • By Emma_UK, GameSpot
  • Posted Jul 2, 2007 3:49 am PT

The Vancouver police department has become the first real-life police force to have officers in the virtual world of Second Life, reports The Vancouver Sun. The officers' virtual avatars have a specially designed uniform--what looks like a blue figure-hugging catsuit (for the ladies, at least),...

The Vancouver police department has become the first real-life police force to have officers in the virtual world of Second Life, reports The Vancouver Sun.

The officers' virtual avatars have a specially designed uniform--what looks like a blue figure-hugging catsuit (for the ladies, at least), complete with badge, belt, and radio. The Vancouver Police Department has been using the popular virtual world to try to attract "tech-savvy" recruits to join its ranks.

The idea came from Gerry Sinclair, program director for digital media at the Great Northern Way Campus. As part of her drive to attract students to the new course--due to launch this September--she held a virtual recruitment seminar within Second Life. When the Vancouver police heard about it, head of the tech crimes division Kevin McQuiggin asked for Sinclair's help to set up a similar event to boost a recruitment drive for the boys and girls in blue.

"It's to get recruits," McQuiggin said. "I just need smart, tech-savvy people. ... As we move into the future, we're going to need people who understand technology--that are conversant with it, that understand the impact of it and understand how to use it."

McQuiggin added that he believes that as they continue to grow, virtual worlds would require some form of virtual policing, although the new frontier of crime fighting brings with it a whole new set of problems. He said, "There are jurisdictional issues. Where does the crime occur? Where is the suspect? Where is the victim? We want accountability but if it's spread all over the world like that it makes it very difficult for us."

51 Comments

  • rokmonkey

    Posted Jul 14, 2007 4:53 pm PT

    As an avid user of Second Life, and someone who has a very successful and active Real Life, I think it is a good Idea. I have seen SL used for many things, such as software and marketing, Architecture classes for college, management meetings with IBM, etc. You can do a lot in SL, and I believe Vancouver PD will find ample recruits in SL, there are MANY tech savvy people in SL I have met many. And if anyone with alick of common sense would realize that it is a recruitment tool, not a hey you showed up, your a cop tool. I mean really, they aren't going to be fat lazy fools patrolling the streets, if they are on the streets they still have to go to the academy. It's simple marketing, it is reaching out into the audience where you are most likely to find what you are looking for, tech savvy people, on the internet who can demonstrate their ability, and not have to travel to Vancouver to do so.

  • ocdog45

    Posted Jul 3, 2007 5:20 pm PT

    ad i bet this actualy works. if they can get one it works

  • supamunky

    Posted Jul 3, 2007 10:59 am PT

    Well seeing as Face of Mankind was boring as hell. I wouldn't mind signing up to play cyber cop again. I was so immoral. Shooting civilians with rubber bullets just to see what happens.

  • 3000s

    Posted Jul 3, 2007 9:13 am PT

    AnimeNewtype Wrote:
    "This is a stupid idea, but the cops in Second Life look hot. i'd hit that."

    Man they really do look pretty hot. HOT LIKE FIRE!!!

  • y0z0

    Posted Jul 3, 2007 6:02 am PT

    this is so stupid I won't even be able to go online and get away from them...this is stupid! Here is control a feed back system so you can ban these ppl breaking e.u.l.a.'s not ticket them, now not only will I have to watch how fast I go in the real world but watch what I do on the internet? yes true some thing have to be done because of pervs and racial extremists but there is already ways of doing that, and it works.why? because you really don't know who's on the other end!

  • nu-animal

    Posted Jul 3, 2007 3:03 am PT

    On a serious point about virtual policing - this needs to be given some serious consideration.

    There currently is some of virtual/cyber policing already. You only have to see the results of law enforcement with reagrd to pedos, website hacking & credit card theft, etc.

    However there are many REAL crimes that happen virtually that go unpunished. Of particular note, are racially/sexually motivate attacks. You only need to see the comments made on the videos presented on Ebaumsworld.com and some on YouTube.com to get an idea.

    Of course these comments are unlawful in the real world - so why should they be let off in a virual environment? In the real world there are very real legal consequences to these but in a virtual world you only need to worry about having you comment deleted or given a negative feedback rating on XboxLive.

    I should say that I also totally oppose anything Big Brother in essence but there needs to be some control.

    (PS - Totally agree with YukoAsho's comment!)

  • lamprey263

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 9:39 pm PT

    No, RaiKageRyu, they were giving away free heroin to addicts who qualified. I don't know if they're still doing this, but they were doing it for a while as a trial to see if it made an impact as part of a research study. This started like a year or two ago.

    Anyhow, needle exchanges are old news. Lots of cities have them. In fact, there's one just one block from where I live. However, Vancouver BC was a pioneer in being one (or the) first city in North America to offer a safe injection site.

    And I only bring this up in here because I honestly applaud the city of Vancouver for thinking progressively about controlling crime the way they do. I applaud the law enforcement here because they're willing to go to more lengths than most agencies to seek out tech savvy individuals. Most of the time human resource departments just put up a list of available position and required qualifications, which really isn't as enticing as something like they're doing now.

  • evolutionex

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 8:31 pm PT

    wow, this is so lame. seriously wasting resources.

  • surrealme

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 8:14 pm PT

    To all the people commenting that they won't find tech savvy people in Second Life, you couldn't be more wrong. Since everything in Second Life is created by its users, it's full of digital artists, programmers, and other techy types. Among SL's users are the CEO of the company that makes the Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner, the founder of a certain computer gaming magazine, the inventor of Lotus Notes, a science fiction author or two, and on and on. Really, there's nothing quite as ironic as Gamespot gaming nerds trying to feel better about themselves by slagging on other computer nerds, especially while making it so glaringly obvious that they don't have a clue what they're talking about.

  • ChaotikZero1

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 7:52 pm PT

    "If they want "tech-savvy" people, they should definitively not search them in Second Life. I don't think people with this kind of knowledge will hang out in this virtual world."

    My science teacher that works for CSI is obsessed with Second Life..

  • YukoAsho

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 6:37 pm PT

    Child predation, e-fraud, hacking, the eventual instance where someone gets slighted in a virtual world then hunts the "offender" down and kills them. The internet is not and cannot be a haven for crime simply because it's not percieved as "real." There has to be some form of policing at some point.

  • Pete5506

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 5:38 pm PT

    no....just no

  • Swift18

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 3:46 pm PT

    lol wait so if you kill anothing player in the game there gonna freaking come to your house and arrest your *&$??? cuz why are they discussing jurisdiction?

  • DoctorFu

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 3:29 pm PT

    This could lead to really cool GTA MMORPG's! I'd buy that in a second and play it forever.

  • comthitnuong

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 3:24 pm PT

    I guess it could have long term benefits. More stuff is moving onto Second Life so I guess I should have seen it coming.

  • josephmadde2005

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 3:04 pm PT

    Welcome to the police state. "We need some good little Nazis to help in the global prison Seig Heil" prisonplant.com

  • Atomic_Mutant

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 2:24 pm PT

    Police has actively been involved on online chat rooms to target child predators. The recruit process will be followed up on with real face to face interviews and evaluation, I believe. How would they be able to find anyone within the vicinity that is qualified in the game is the question. It is not just anyone could apply for to be a cop exclusive to the virtual world. Although it is a novel concept, which extends game master's functions to those of real life authority.

  • AnFangs_Endes

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 2:02 pm PT

    this is the creepiest/weirdest/wtf-est thing I've ever heard of

  • Ninjiz

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 1:40 pm PT

    I see that some people are unable to read, or comprehend simple sentences that make up an article to show what tech article is actually talking about, and not about actual policing in the virtual world....

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 1:25 pm PT

    Vancouver ain't giving them free heroin. They are just offering free clean needles at a specific center.

  • axia_777

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 1:15 pm PT

    They have NO jurisdiction at all. That means I could talk to them about anything illegal at all. Murder, drugs, ect and they could do nothing, except maybe try and figure out where I live to call the police in my area. Good luck on that one. This is the height of stupidity.

  • lamprey263

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 12:56 pm PT

    Vancouver BC police are either genius or nuts. They also started to give away free heroin to all addicts so addicts wouldn't steal to support their habit, which is also good since heroin is less addictive than its legal clinical substitute, methadone.

  • dr_jashugan

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 12:50 pm PT

    Well a least those lady cops got a hot outfit.

  • Chainblast

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 12:36 pm PT

    *shakes head*

    Well I'm embarrassed.

  • Alkpaz

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 12:24 pm PT

    Monco.. it isn't a game.. its like Spiral Matrix or Active Worlds or any other virtual chatroom.. Sure there are "game-like" qualities to it.. but its just a chat room with "extra features"

    Plus Second life, from what I have heard takes real world money.. something the average "kid" does not have.. unless mommy and daddy give the kid their credit card.. which basically means the kid is unsupervised and left alone at the home for very long periods of time.. With this in mind.. is it the fault of the child predator? Or the parents not giving a damn about what their children do? How does a kid get the money in the first place to buy a "M" rated game? To play WoW for days without eating and sleeping? Etc.. Maybe the problem isn't on what other people do.. but what is going on in the household in which said child resides. Police departments should be focused in the real world where things like drugs, gang violence, terrorists, drunk drivers, etc are MAJOR factors. Sorry, but virtual policing is up to the developers and the server administrators.. which are then governed by local laws, state laws, and country laws.

  • VFA-102

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 12:16 pm PT

    For the record, this is occurring in Vancouver, Canada. NOT in Vancouver, Washington, USA.

  • Cheshie

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 12:06 pm PT

    F*** cops. Get out of my game.

  • monco59

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 12:06 pm PT

    "Hey Monco: Did you ever consider child predators before you made your sarcastic post? Think!"

    Well aren't the devs supposed to make sure stuff like that doesn't happen? Just like they curtail gold farming and other "illegal" activity. I don't know about you, but I'm not crazy about cops invading games. Sounds dubious and tyrannical. The sorta thing you'd expect to happen in China or the former Soviet Union.

  • Alkpaz

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 12:06 pm PT

    The police department is using a chat system to recruit "police officers"? "Tech Savy"? Yeah it takes a lot of thinking power to chat in a virtual world. NOT. If police departments turn to the web for their recruiting processes.. this will not bode well for the future of law enforcement. Imagine if Hospitals started recruiting Nurses on-line in chat rooms.. Would you "trust" such nurses to take care of you and your loved ones? I don't think so.. so would I trust a police officer to "protect and serve" if he was hired through a virtual chat world? Heck NO! An online personality is vastly different from what you act like in the REAL world. (Mostly this is the case). I doubt most of us use words like "pwn" and "uber l33t" in our day to day lives. Unless of course your still in High School and use the terms around your friends. Use that type of language in a business setting and your bound to run into problems. As a Veteran of virtual chat rooms (10yrs experience) I have to say that this is a horrible idea and one in which should not be used to professions based on protecting and saving lives.

  • bigmick07

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 12:00 pm PT

    its just an excuse for cops to play video games on the job

  • Proman84

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 11:38 am PT

    Come on! You'd think that at least in an escapist enironment like "Second Life" one could escape the cops! I know that Big Brother is watching but this is ridiculous!

  • Romsca

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 11:30 am PT

    Oh noes! E-fascists! Other than pegging people with distributing "hateful" material over the internet, what else can they do? Isn't the Internet supposed to be governed by a sort of neutrality?

  • MassacreMonk

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 10:58 am PT

    You pedos better WATCH OUT!

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 10:53 am PT

    weird.

  • PseudoFinrod

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 10:51 am PT

    Hmm, this is interesting! I give them props for trying something new. I want to keep my eye on this story to see how it works out for them...

  • zorn99

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 10:50 am PT

    Second Life, other virtual worlds, chat rooms... these are places where people are for the most non tech savvy.

  • andz5

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 10:25 am PT

    Oh god... I live in Vancouver BC, this is sad... at least go to World of Warcraft!

  • DonutTrooper

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 10:17 am PT

    Cleavage

  • riccochet

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 10:00 am PT

    Hey Monco: Did you ever consider child predators before you made your sarcastic post? Think!

  • Bloodhawk_DX

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 7:39 am PT

    Second Life is a joke.

  • luckjon

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 6:47 am PT

    wonder if those virtual women have to do the jobs like Virtual Cops, hahaha

  • Sanguis_Malus

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 6:18 am PT

    Ludicrous, ridiculous, foolish !

  • DarkGhost89

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 6:10 am PT

    Just to tell you guys, if there will be virtual policing, it is probably for things that people are planning to do illegal in real life, like child predators (Remember that show "To Catch a Predator?").

  • seg555

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 5:49 am PT

    people it is a way for them to RECRUIT not to go around to stop virtual violence. But anyone who plays second life need a real life. so this won't work. unless Vancouver want fat and lazy people to patrol there street

  • can0of0cheese

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 5:49 am PT

    This may be the weirdest waste of resources yet. Sounds like the cops just need a reason to play this game at work without getting caught.

  • e_boulanger

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 5:44 am PT

    If they want "tech-savvy" people, they should definitively not search them in Second Life. I don't think people with this kind of knowledge will hang out in this virtual world.

  • AnimeNewtype

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 5:28 am PT

    This is a stupid idea, but the cops in Second Life look hot. i'd hit that.

  • Samurai_Budgie

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 5:13 am PT

    Virtual Murder, lol, Don't want to see them getting into PvP MMOs.......

  • Hoobinator

    Posted Jul 2, 2007 4:48 am PT

    I'm with monco59, although having real life "cyber" cops chasing you for breaking a red light in GTA 2035 sounds fun, although the beatings don't

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