A new federal bill, introduced at South by Southwest (SXSW) this week, would provide $20 million annually to ramp up training for law enforcement officials who are battling cybercrimes. Representative Katherine Clark (D-MA) announced the bill at a panel that focused on how law enforcement officials and the tech industry can work together to battle online crimes. The proposed funding would help train police officers, prosecutors, and emergency dispatchers in identifying and prosecuting cybercrimes.
While law enforcement has often fallen behind in solving cybercrimes, some industry leaders have made it a point to stay ahead of the game. Detective Steven Blair, Special Investigations Unit, Major Case Division for the city of Boston Police Department, is one of the leaders who is helping law enforcement officials evolve and adapt to the cybercrime landscape.
Blair, a 34-year veteran of the Boston Police Department, has played a crucial role in some of America's highest profile cases, including the September 11th attacks and the Boston Marathon Bombing.
Blair is not only a Medal of Honor recipient and decorated detective, but he is also training our future cybersecurity leaders. He is currently teaching a course entitled "White Collar & Cyber Crime" at Bay State College. The course will help ensure that professionals are informed and prepared to take on cybercrimes.
"Cybercrime is something that is constantly evolving. The internet is a great resource, but it's also a scary place. People are being taken advantage of—especially the elderly. I speak at different conference about the topic and it's really an important topic to teach our Criminal Justice students, because it's not going away anytime soon," Blair told Bay State College during a recent interview.
Detective Blair will deliver the keynote address at SecureWorld Boston on March 29-30, 2016. More details about the conference are available here.