From: International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)
Addressing Cyber Threats and Cyber Crimes
The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) understands that the cyber threat is real and that it is here and now. Increased connectivity and distributed networks make our critical infrastructure and sensitive data vulnerable to attacks by criminals, hacktivists, and state and nonstate actors alike. As Director of National Intelligence James Clapper noted in his unclassified annual threat assessment to Congress in March 2013, “State and nonstate actors increasingly exploit the Internet to achieve strategic objectives, while many governments—shaken by the role the Internet has played in political instability and regime change—seek to increase their control over content in cyberspace.”
The significance of the cyber threat confronting our nation has been reinforced by comments from former FBI Director Roberts S. Mueller, who declared: “Network intrusions pose urgent threats to our national security and to our economy.” Director Mueller also noted that, “Improved collaboration and information sharing among federal agencies such as the CIA, NSA, DHS, and the FBI has been vital to our collective success against terrorism over the past decade. But equally critical to our success has been the integration of our state and local law enforcement counterparts through the establishment of Joint Terrorism Task Forces.” The IACP has taken a leading role in technology issues, assessing the cyber threat, and supporting the integration of state and local law enforcement with federal efforts.
Cyber security is a critical issue that affects state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) law enforcement agencies every day. Agencies encounter issues ranging from crimes committed against local individuals and businesses, to forensic cyber investigations, to protecting against and responding to cyber attacks and intrusions. Over the past 12 months the IACP has expanded our efforts to help SLTT law enforcement agencies understand and counter cyber threats, and confront the challenges posed by cyber crime. Our goal is to increase the capacity of SLTT enforcement agencies to prevent, mitigate, and respond to emerging cyber threats, enhance and improve the investigation of cyber crime, and effectively manage and efficiently process an expanding array of digital evidence. The IACP is coordinating with other major law enforcement associations and has expanded its partnership with emergency management, prosecutorial, and chief information officer groups on complementary cyber efforts to ensure that gaps are being filled without efforts being duplicated.
Click here to view a report detailing all of our cyber activities over the past twelve months. As you will read, we are in the process of developing the IACP Law Enforcement Cyber Center, in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The center will serve as our focal point for our cyber work going forward.
Also, please join us for our cyber plenary session at the 120th IACP Conference and Law Enforcement Education and Technology Exposition. “Cyber Attacks: Not Just a Big Government Problem” will take place on Monday, October 21st, at 3:30 p.m. in Room 114 of the Philadelphia Convention Center.
I will continue to provide you with updates as we expand our work to assist law enforcement confront the challenges posed by the burgeoning problems of cyber attacks and cyber crime.
Sincerely,
Bart R. Johnson
Executive Director
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