The Halifax County Sheriffís Office has joined the Central Virginia
Computer Crimes Task force, a regional organization established in 2006
to fight cyber crime by sharing expertise and resources.
Robert New, task force coordinator and Campbell County Sheriff's Office
Investigator, on Tuesday announced that the Halifax County Sheriff's
Office, Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office, and South Hill Police
Department have joined the task force.
At a press conference held in Boydton, New said the task force has
three functions:
* Identify and prosecute online criminals
* Educate law enforcement professionals to combat computer crime
* Educate the community so that central Virginia residents won't become
victims.
Investigator Angela Tribble, who will represent the Halifax County
Sheriff's Office on the task force, said she aims to get parents
involved in efforts to keep children safe on the internet.
She said she will attend the North Halifax Volunteer Fire Department
fundraiser in Republican Grove to distribute information to families.
Tribble said that in addition to sharing information with the public,
task force members share information to better help each other.
She cited as an example an investigation into reports of online auto
sales that appeared to be fraudulent.
"Before the task force, we were unable to identify the other party,"
she said.
New said the task force was established when Campbell County and state
police began working on identity theft cases and discovered that they
lacked a way to share information.
"We may be working on the same case and not know it," he said.
New said the task force is modeled after drug task forces, which have
been successful in working across jurisdictional lines.
He said 18 agencies are participating in the task force. In addition to
local and county police departments from central Virginia, the group
includes the Virginia State Police, FBI, DIV and two college police
departments. Associate members include the IRS, DEA, and Immigration
and Customs.
Early next year a second $25,000 Homeland Security grant is expected to
finance the purchase of five new yellow "Sponge Bob" forensic kits so
that investigators can go out with laptops and do initial diagnostics
to determine whatís on a computer.
"We have very bright individuals who are able to operate in that
environment and we are providing technical help to assist them in doing
this," New said.
He said in 1999 in Campbell County he investigated perhaps one
computer-related case every month or every other month.
"We currently receive 20-30 calls in a typical month. Online auction
fraud is the biggest and fake lottery is the second biggest. Third is
child exploitation/child pornography."
Other crimes the task force might address include identity fraud and
theft, online banking fraud and cyber terrorism.
Investigator Andy Ezell, who represents the Mecklenburg County
Sheriff's Office on the task force, said the impetus for establishing a
task force was lack of funding for personnel, training, and equipment,
and a backlog of cases at the state lab.
The task force has established its own computer forensics lab at its
Campbell County headquarters.
Each participating organization supplies a part-time investigator to
the task force to investigate and help prosecute computer and internet
crime.
Det. Nelson Watson of the South Hill Police Department said he has been
working with the task force for four or five months.
"I take every computer-related case that comes into our department," he
said.
Watson said he has been doing all the computer work at the department
for the past 10 years.
"I built our network and last year applied for a grant for laptops for
all our department. Now we need software to secure information before
removing it ó and that gets to be expensive."
Participating in the task force could help him do his job better — and
enable him to share what he knows with the other departments.
"If we don't have something, somebody else might," Watson said.
He said so far he has been able to handle all the local cases, most of
which involve e-mail threats. And he has assisted Brunswick County with
a child pornography case, collecting and sending them computers
suspected of being used to commit crimes.