Service also guards historical documents, analyzes forgeries,combats wire fraud, and battles "computer fraud and abuse."These may seem unrelated assignments, but the Secret Service isfiercely aware of its duties. It is also jealous of itsbureaucratic turf, especially in computer-crime, where itformally shares jurisdiction with its traditional rival, thejohnny-come-lately FBI.

As the use of plastic money has spread, and theirlong-established role as protectors of the currency has faded inimportance, the Secret Service has moved aggressively into therealm of electronic crime. Unlike the lordly NSA, CIA, and FBI,which generally can't be bothered with domestic computermischief, the Secret Service is noted for its street-levelenthusiasm.

The third-rank of law enforcement are the local "dedicatedcomputer crime units." There are very few such groups,pitifully undermanned. They struggle hard for their funding andthe vital light of publicity. It's difficult to makewhite-collar computer crimes seem pressing, to an Americanpublic that lives in terror of armed and violent street-crime.

These local groups are small -- often, one or two officers,computer hobbyists, who have drifted into electroniccrimebusting because they alone are game to devote time andeffort to bringing law to the electronic frontier. California'sSilicon Valley has three computer-crime units. There areothers in Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Maryland, Texas, Colorado,and a formerly very active one in Arizona -- all told, though,perhaps only fifty people nationwide.

The locals do have one great advantage, though. They all knowone another. Though scattered across the country, they arelinked by both public-sector and private-sector professionalsocieties, and have a commendable subcultural esprit-de-corps.And in the well-manned Secret Service, they have willingnational-level assistance.

PLAYER TWO: The Telephone Companies.

In the early 80s, after years of bitter federal court battle,