LOS ANGELES -- On Thursday, October 24, 2002, at 9:00 AM, the first quarterly meeting of the Los Angeles Electronic Crimes Task Force (LAXECTF) will convene at the Wilshire Grand Los Angeles. Security experts, including chief information officers, chief security officers, law enforcement professionals, academicians and government leaders from the federal, state, and local levels will attend the half-day meeting.
With the passage in October 2001 of the USA PATRIOT Act, a direct response to the September 11th terrorist attacks, the U.S. Secret Service was authorized to establish a nationwide network of electronic crimes task forces, based on the agency's highly successful New York City model. The task force approach developed by the Secret Service has generated unprecedented partnerships among federal, state and local law enforcement, the private sector, and academia. These partnerships have experienced remarkable success in detecting and suppressing computer-based crime.
"The partnering methods and techniques successfully utilized by the task force against cyber-criminals are unprecedented in the law enforcement arena, U.S. Secret Service
Director Brian L. Stafford said. "The Secret Service has taken a truly collaborative approach and applied it to fighting high-tech crimes."
"Our goal is to keep our community and nation safe against various forms of electronic crimes and terrorist attacks against the critical infrastructure and financial payment
systems, said Brian Nagel, Special Agent in Charge of the Los Angeles Field Office. "This task force is about sharing information and resources in an effort to enhance our
strengths and minimize our weakness against those that would do us harm."
Well known for protecting the nations leaders, the U.S. Secret Service is also responsible for protecting America's financial infrastructure. Technology and the rapid growth of the
Internet have eliminated the traditional borders of financial crimes and provided new opportunities for those who engage in fraud to threaten the nation's financial systems.
These new technologies have been exploited by an expanding criminal element that conducts a host of sophisticated financial crimes.
Telecommunications and finance systems are prime targets for the hacker or cyberterrorist intent on causing damage to the economy of the United States. With the task
force approach, the Secret Service and its law enforcement partners at the federal, state and local level, will work closely with members of these industries and the academic
community to share information and identify weaknesses.
The Los Angeles Electronic Crimes Task Force is one of eight task forces established as a direct result of the anti-terrorism USA PATRIOT Act, which was passed by Congress
in response to the September 11th attacks on America. In addition to the Los Angeles task force, the Secret Service has established new electronic crimes task forces in Miami,
Charlotte, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Boston, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
The first meeting of the Los Angeles Electronic Crimes Task Force will be OPEN PRESS.
What: First Meeting of the Los Angeles Electronic Crimes Task Force
Who: U.S. Secret Service Director Brian L. Stafford
Special Advisor to the President for Cyberspace Security Richard Clarke
United States Attorney Debra Yang
Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley
Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy D. Baca
U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Brian Nagel
F.B.I Assistant Director Ronald Iden
University of Southern California Chief Security Officer Stan Gatewood
When: Thursday, October 24, 2002
8:00 AM Media registration, Training Room, Wilshire Grand
9:00 AM Event begins
Where: Pacific Ballroom, Wilshire Grand Los Angeles
930 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90017
A panel discussion on top security challenges facing American companies is part of the meeting. The panel includes: Richard Beatty, Chief Security and Privacy Officer for
Children's Hospital of California; Jeff Dow, Vice President of Information Security for News Corporation; and Jim Smith, Senior Vice President of Protective Services for West
Coast Bank of America; and will be moderated by Chris Lindquist, Technology Editor for CSO Magazine.
Electronic Crimes Task Force information is also available at http://www.ectaskforce.org/Regional_Locations.htm