(Washington, D.C.) – The United States Secret Service has announced the formation of
three new Electronic Crimes Task Forces (ECTFs), a successful public-private
partnership aimed at fighting high-tech computer-based crimes. The three new U.S.-
based task forces are located in St. Louis, Kansas City and New Orleans and join an
existing network of nationwide operations. The Secret Service also recently announced
the creation of the first European Electronic Crimes Task Force, based in Rome, Italy, to
provide a forum through which U.S. and European law enforcement agencies, the private
sector and academia can collaborate to investigate, suppress and prevent computer related
crimes.
“One of the top priorities for the Secret Service continues to be combating the computer
related crimes perpetrated by domestic and international criminals that target the U.S.
financial infrastructure,” said Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan. “Building on the
success of the Secret Service’s highly successful model, the addition of our new task
forces has expanded the number of ECTFs from 24 to 28.”
The ECTF approach developed by the Secret Service has generated unprecedented
partnerships among law enforcement at the local, state, federal and international level, the
private sector and academia. The types of investigations handled by the Electronic
Crimes Task Forces encompass a wide range of computer-based criminal activity,
including network intrusions, hacking cases, identity theft, and other computer related
crimes affecting financial and other critical infrastructures.
The Secret Service has a rich history of working collaboratively with other law
enforcement agencies and believes in partnerships versus membership, where there is a
strong emphasis on prevention and education, in addition to traditional law enforcement
measures. The Electronic Crimes Task Force model provides a productive framework
and collaborative crime-fighting environment in which the resources of its participants
can be combined to effectively and efficiently make a significant impact on cybercrime.
Other law enforcement agencies bring additional criminal enforcement jurisdiction and
resources to the task force, while representatives from private industry and academia
bring a wealth of technical expertise and research capabilities.
About the United States Secret Service
Well known for protecting the nation’s leaders, the U.S. Secret Service is also responsible
for protecting America’s financial infrastructure. The Secret Service has taken a lead role
in mitigating the threat of financial crimes since the agency’s inception in 1865. As
technology has evolved, the scope of the U.S. Secret Service’s mission has expanded
from its original counterfeit currency investigations to also include emerging financial
crimes. As a component agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the
U.S. Secret Service has established successful partnerships in both the law enforcement
and business communities – across the country and around the world – in order to
effectively combat financial crimes.