Statement of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte Markup of H.R. 3490, the “Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act”

Chairman Goodlatte: The National Computer Forensics Institute serves a vital purpose in preparing state and local law enforcement to combat computer and cybercrime and I am proud to support this legislation. The United States Department of Justice has declared that cyber-crime “is one of the greatest threats facing our country,” and that cybercrime has “enormous implications for our national security, economic prosperity, and public safety.”  The Justice Department has also stated that, “the range of threats and the challenges they present for law enforcement expand just as rapidly as technology evolves.”  With this in mind, the National Computer Forensics Institute serves the vital purpose of providing legal and judicial professionals a free, comprehensive education on current cybercrime trends, investigative methods, and prosecutorial and judicial challenges. The National Computer Forensics Institute is a 32,000 square foot facility located in Hoover, Alabama.  This institute boasts three multi-purpose classrooms, two network investigations classrooms, a mock courtroom, and a forensics lab.  Special Agents of the United States Secret Service staff the Institute and work diligently training attendees in modern counter-cybercrime procedures and evidence collection.  When the attendees leave they take with them the critical knowledge and equipment required to conduct autonomous and thorough cybercrime investigations at their home agencies.  Since its creation, the Institute has earned praise for its work in preparing America’s local law enforcement in how to deal with these important technology issues. Since its creation in 2008, the Institute has instructed law enforcement professionals from every state in the country, and from over 500 different law enforcement agencies.  Each professional educated at the Institute is a force-multiplier for the Secret Service, and after successful completion of the program, the students can bring their new knowledge back to their local agency to inform their colleagues how to properly conduct computer forensic investigations. I firmly believe that for our nation to successfully combat the cybercrime threat we must support legislation such as H.R. 3490, and I want to thank the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Ratcliffe, for sponsoring this important legislation. Authorizing the existing National Computer Forensics Institute in federal law will cement its position as our nation’s premier hi-tech cybercrime training facility, and will help law enforcement professionals nationwide in their efforts to combat cyber and computer crimes. More on today’s markup can be found here.