IfG.CC - The Institute for eGovernment

Cities across the USA are harnessing the power of the Internet to try to rein in scofflaws and clean up crime-infested neighborhoods. It's the newest trend in the rush to e-government that lets citizens interact with City Hall and the county courthouse without actually being there. But rather than merely post dry council agendas and calendars of local events, cities are capitalizing on what they call "the shame factor," using the Internet as a weapon against crime and civil misbehavior. A sampling:

• Denver posts the pictures of "johns," men convicted of hiring prostitutes. Orlando posts pictures of anyone arrested on prostitution or drug charges. Click on the icon "busted," and they pop up.
• New York City posts results of restaurant inspections.
• Chicago and New York post names of parking ticket scofflaws.
• Baltimore posts liquor license violators, including strip joints accused of letting dancers illegally touch customers.

Such features have fueled interest in local government Web sites that were otherwise antiseptic. "People visit out of curiosity to see these pages," says Steve Hansen, marketing manager for Denver's Office of Television and Internet Services. "But then they stay and find other things they like. These pages generate tons of interest, both here and in other cities we've spoken with. It's a concept that's very trendy right now."

The rapid spread of e-government, now reaching towns as small as Oakesdale, Wash. (population 420), reflects a philosophy that says it's better to be online than in line. While scores of dot-coms have disappeared over the past three years, dot-govs are thriving.

In places such as Denver, Philadelphia and Chicago, interactive sites let you download forms, apply for permits and pay fines online. But two months ago, Denver went a big step further. It started what it calls "Johns TV," posting pictures on its Web site. Since then, traffic to the site has increased 40%, Hansen says.

In New York, the restaurant inspection page was so popular its first two days that the computer system nearly crashed. "We had bench-marked for 7,000 hits per hour," says Ed Carubis, chief information officer for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. "We had 40,000 hits per hour."

Carubis says the page keeps restaurants on their toes. It also "increases our own accountability, because you can click on the site, and if we haven't inspected a restaurant in your neighborhood, you know it."

Recent studies show that Internet users consider the medium an important watchdog tool on government. According to a Pew Internet & American Life Project report released in April, more than 68 million Americans have visited a government site, and millions are using the sites to research issues and send e-mails critiquing the performance of elected officials.

"We're making City Hall accessible to people who can't get there 9 to 4," says John McDonald III, mayor of Cohoes, N.Y., population 15,523.

While it's not likely that Oakesdale — best known for wheat fields and farmers — will soon list pictures of prostitutes or johns, "it's nice to point out that we are computer literate," says Mayor Thomas Zornes, whose daughter, Joy, 16, maintains the site.

Quelle: USA Today