Ma. AG Martha Coakley's recently conducted a lenghty research project on how her state's law enforcement community is handling cyber crime. After drafting and circulating a 72 question survey, she brought together leading law enforcement officials so see how they can do a better job.

The significance of this effort lies in its normalcy.  AG's are the "chief law enforcment officer" and most take that responsibility very seriously.  This means that an AG can lead a state into better performance on a wide variety of both civil and criminal issues.

How will a state deal with undocumented residents?  child abuse?  hate crimes?  environmental crimes?  baul reform?

An AG's ability to lead on these and other issues by using the power to convence should not be underestimated by those lawyers who believe that litigation against government is the only way to a more just society.