Massachusetts AG And Microsoft Host Cyber Crime Training For Law Enforcement Officers

Training Is First Action Following Unveiling of AG Coakley’s Strategic Plan for Cyber Crime

November 01, 2007 -- WALTHAM – Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, in collaboration with Microsoft Corporation, hosted a cyber crime training session for Massachusetts law enforcement. The day-long training, held yesterday, entitled “Cyber Crimes 101,” was attended by more than 300 law enforcement officers from across the state. The training of law enforcement is one of several key priorities highlighted in “The Massachusetts Strategic Plan for Cyber Crime” developed as part of Attorney General Coakley’s Cyber Crime Initiative. The plan, unveiled last week, was designed in order to help the Commonwealth develop a statewide capacity to prevent, investigate, and prosecute cybercrime. Yesterday’s training was the first step in meeting one of several key priorities established in the Strategic Plan.

“Law enforcement across the Commonwealth must have the tools and skills necessary to recognize and investigate crimes with a digital component,” said Attorney General Coakley. “This training was an opportunity for law enforcement to learn about how digital evidence is created and can be found. This was a great first step in providing law enforcement with training so that it can take advantage of the latest technologies to prevent and investigate a broad range of crimes. It is also the beginning of our goals and efforts to provide enhanced information sharing opportunities for law enforcement,” Attorney General Coakley said.

"Public-private partnerships are at the heart of Microsoft's commitment to Internet safety," said Nancy Anderson, Microsoft Vice President and Deputy General Counsel. "We are honored to be part of Attorney General Coakley's Cyber Crime Initiative to help create a safer and more secure online experience."

Following opening remarks from Attorney General Coakley, Microsoft staff presented several sessions designed to help law enforcement officers transfer traditional investigative techniques to the technological sphere. Topics discussed during the training included trends in Internet crimes and investigations, as well as methods used to investigate websites, domain names, IP addresses, email messages, and chat and instant messages. Presenters also discussed methods of examining Internet/PC forensics and an overview of digital evidence processing and interpretation.

In the Strategic Plan, the Attorney General’s Office takes a broad view of cyber crime, defining it to include both crimes facilitated by computers and those involving digital evidence. The Plan outlines six key priorities, as well as specific goals and actions to meet each priority. The priorities are:

* Deliver law enforcement training
* Support and enhance cyber crime prevention and information sharing activities
* Develop and promote common operating procedures and standards
* Examine statewide digital forensic evidence processing requirements
* Secure funding for cyber crime programs
* Amend jurisdictional and substantive law

In addition to yesterday’s training, law enforcement personnel across Massachusetts will be the first in the nation to participate in a pilot of Microsoft’s new Law Enforcement LiveMeeting Technology Briefing (LELTB). LELTB will deliver cutting-edge technology training via Microsoft LiveMeeting to help keep law enforcement officials informed of the latest technology, techniques and issues in fighting cybercrime.

Additionally, the Attorney General’s Office recently received a grant to further its work on law enforcement information sharing in the area of cyber crime. The $202,679 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice will be used to develop a sustainable cyber crime information sharing program for law enforcement across the Commonwealth.

Over 300 law enforcement officers from both the State Police and numerous local police departments, including college and university police departments, attended the training. Microsoft has provided similar trainings to the staffs of attorneys general in Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Utah. Yesterday’s training was held at Microsoft’s facilities in Waltham.

Law Enforcement Officials from the following agencies and police departments attended today’s training:

Abington Police Department

Andover Police Department

Arlington Police Department

Ashland Police Department

Auburn Police Department

Avon Police Department

Ayer Police Department

Executive Office of Public Safety

Bentley College Police Department

Berkley Police Department

MassachusettsStatePolice

Billerica Police Department

Boston Police Department

Boston University Police Department

Bourne Police Department

Boxborough Police Department

Braintree Police Department

Brandeis University Police Department

Brewster Police Department

Bridgewater Police Department

BridgewaterStateCollege

Bristol County District Attorney’s Office

Brockton Police Department

Brookline Police Department

Cambridge Police Department

Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office

Chatham Police Department

Charlton Police Department

Chelmsford Police Department

College of the Holy Cross, Worcester

Computer Investigations Associates

Concord Police Department

Dartmouth Police Department

Department of Youth Services

Dover Police Department

Duxbury Police Department

East Longmeadow Police Department

eBay Inc. - Senior Regulatory Counsel

Everett Police Department

Foxborough Police Department

Framingham Police Department

Franklin Police Department

Grafton Police Department

Granby Police Department

Groton Police Department

Hamilton Police Department

Hanover Police Department

Harvard Police Department

Haverhill Police Department

Holden Police Department

Holliston Police Department

Holyoke Police Department

Hopkinton Police Department

Hull Police Department

Lakeville Police Department

Lancaster Police Department

Lanesborough Police Department

Lawrence Police Department

Lexington Police Department

Lincoln Police Department

Littleton Police Department

Longmeadow Police Department

MassachusettsStatePolice assigned to the Attorney General’s Office

Malden Police Department

Manchester Police Department

Marlborough Police Department

Medfield Police Department

Mendon Police Department

Middlesex District Attorney’s Office

Milford Police Department

MIT Police Department

Mount Holyoke College Police Department

Needham Police Department

New EnglandStatePolice Information Network (NESPIN)

Newburyport Police Department

Newton Police Department

Northbridge Police Department

Northhampton Police Department

Norwell Police Department

Norwood Police Department

Orleans Police Department

Peabody Police Department

Pepperell Police Department

Plainville Police Department

Plymouth Police Department

Quincy Police Department

Randolph Police Department

Raynham Police Department

Reading Police Department

Revere Police Department

Rockland Police Department

Rutland Police Department

Salem Police Department

Scituate Police Department

Sherborn Police Department

Shirley Police Department

Shrewsbury Police Department

Somerset Police Department

Southborough Police Department

Southhampton Police Department

Sterling Police Department

Stow Police Department

Sudbury Police Department

Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office

Sutton Police Department

Swansea Police Department

Templeton Police Department

Truro Police Department

Tufts University Police Department

U.S.Department of Labor

U.S.Department of Homeland Security/ICE Investigations

U.S.Postal Inspection Services

U.S.Secret Service, Boston Field Office

Universityof Massachusetts Boston, Public Safety

University of Massachusetts Lowell Police Department

University of Massachusetts Worcester Police Department

Wakefield Police Department

Waltham Police Department

Ware Police Department

Wayland Police Department

West Tisbury Police Department

Westborough Police Department

Westminster Police Department

Weston Police Department

Westwood Police Department

Weymouth Police Department

Wilbraham Police Department

Winchester Police Department

Winthrop Police Department

Worcester Police Department

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Police Department

Source: Massachusetts Attorney General