A Formal Law Enforcement Dept

Okay, bear with me cause this will be a long post.

Linden Lab has often said we, the Residents, need to police our own. Land management for building ordinances, handling griefers, etc etc. Many have said that's what we pay Linden Lab for, and many others have said to give us the tools to do the job.

I'm of the later group, but I feel it needs be a group effort, between Residents and Linden Lab, at least on the start.

I feel a Second Life Law Enforcement Department would benifit both the Residents and Linden Labs. Residents because they would be served by a larger core of personnel, and Linden Lab for freeing them up of all the troublesome reports by putting it in responsible, and capable hands.

Of both sides, I see two sides.

Residents will want those involved to be;
1) Accountable. ie, to be held accountable for thier actions by a governing LL authority. Thus ensuring that "griefers" or other such irresponsible persons are kept from such responsiblity, or are removed in a timely mannor if found to be irresponsible.
2) Reliable. One of the biggest Resident complaints (and mirrored irl) is that a Linden is never around when needed. Not a slam on LL, it is simply that there are too few Lindens on the grid at any one time to respond to every single needed incident.
3) Competent. This group would need tools to accomplish the things needed by Residents inworld. Including, but not limited to; Moving "Griefers" to a "cornfield" or simular area for Linden review, removing objects from properties or from overhanging properties.

Linden Labs will want those involved to be;
1) Accountable. Being able to be tracked by RL information, with RL identity known as well as all SL identities known.
2) Responsible. ie to know that the persons in place have reasonable judgement and are in line with the main view of Linden Labs.

To this end I would share the following ideas for such a group. Keep in mind that I am only one person and do not, in any way, represent the whole, or majority, of SL.

1) Officers would need to be of an SL age to represent a commitment to SL. Periods of inworld time of one year or more, for example.
2) Officers would need to have an inworld hourly time to represent a commitment to SL. 16+ hours per week, for example.
3) Officers would need to be approved by Linden Labs. I would suggest one Linden to interview all officers until such time that LL feels that a LL appointed officer could take over said duties.
4) A set guildline would need to be put in place before such a group was formed for the review of officer complaints. ie on how to handle complaints agsint officers for "missuse of power".
5) An unmistakable way would be needed to identify officers. Simular to having the last name "Linden". In my opinion, setting a new last name "Officer" would be best if they system would allow for such.
6) A set of what an officer can, and can not, do. This would need to be worked out over a period of time through Linden Lab and the majority of the Residents.

While some may fear any such authority given into the hands of Residents, I feel it nothing short of a continuation of the RezMod program used on the forums. The downsides I see are possible public outcry, and attempt of "griefers" to use AR's and teh like to file "false reports" agsint officers. A close watch by Linden Lab at the onset of the program would eliminate both by ensuring officers are following the guildlines set for them by Linden Lab and the Community.

The upside is that Linden Lab would be relieved of a huge workload. Minor problems could be ahndled by officers, and larger ones brought to Linden Lab's attention with all relivant information already gathered. Officers could do things like respond to "griefing" attacks, taking names and sending questionable persons to a "cornfield" area. Officers could listen to both sides and take notes (and logs) for Linden review. Officers could also assist New Residents in making AR's for a first time, or of even helping realise if an AR is warented or needed.

This would also relieve a workload from Live Help, allowing them to pass on "Law Enforcement" issues to this group, allowing them to do the job they signed up for and help Residents with all those mirriad problems and questions that are not threatening to a persons SL experiance.

This would be a big step, both for Linden Lab and for the Residents, for the amount of "power", for lack of a better term, to be placed in Residents hands. For us Residents to handle inworld issues, however, we need inworld tools. To have the tools we need means accountability. To have accountabliity means organization.

Making such a Department, would require a good bit of thought and planning from Linden Lab, as well as a good show of effort by our Residents. I feel the gains of such will outwiegh the problems and the work of the long, rocky road to it's compleation.

~Jessy

There's historical basis to this too--while it may be noble in heart, it didn't pan out! I've made several related posts to this in the past, Jessy... alas, many Residents simply can't come to a gridwide agreement about this. More than that, it's incredibly divisive. They usually tend to stop past the "Well, these are good ideas, but... are they actionable?" stage. Therefore, it seems more likely that Residents who own their own continent (e.g., a grouping of private islands) would carry out law enforcement experiments, and we--Linden Lab--would be watching to see how that goes. Consistent with that, we'd continue to give more land control tools--which is power in itself.

A key litmus test is this: floating the specific parameters of what this law enforcement programme should have, opening it for discussion out in General Topics, and seeing who agrees. If prior history is any indication (like "government in SL", conflicts will be spit in all directions about how to go about it and there'll be a great deal of anger, thus making it clear that Resis may do great entrepreneurial achievements on their own in this field, but it's really not something LL should impose.