Is the FBI trying to kill the use of cloud email services by local law enforcement agencies? Los Angeles, the first big city customer to adopt Google Apps for Government, now says the service cannot meet FBI security requirements. But is the FBI really at fault?

Google and the City of Los Angeles agreed to pull the plug on their very public, two-year struggle to deploy Google Apps for Government (GAFG) at the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). In a document dated Dec. 9, 2011, city officials blamed the failed deployment on FBI information security rules which, they allege, make it impossible to deploy cloud email services like Gmail to law enforcement agencies.
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This article was reprinted by permission of SafeGov.org.
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If this assessment is correct, local police and sheriff departments across the country who are considering Google Apps or comparable cloud services may be in for a rude awakening similar to the one that Los Angeles faces today. Keep reading →