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Computer Crime and
Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) 

Law Enforcement Coordination for High-Tech Crimes

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  1. Computer and Telecommunications Coordinator (CTC) Program
  2. The Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (CHIP) Units
  3. High Technology Law Enforcement Training Opportunities
  4. Coordination Between Law Enforcement and Industry
  5. DOJ Speaks Out on Law Enforcement Coordination to Address Cybercrime

A. The Computer and Telecommunications Coordinator (CTC) Program, Stacey Levine, USA Bulletin (May 2001)

In 1995, at the recommendation of the then-Computer Crime Unit (now the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS)), the Department of Justice created the Computer and Telecommunication Coordinator (CTC) Program to protect the nation's businesses and citizens from the rising tide of computer crime. The CTC program has now grown to 137 attorneys. Each United States Attorney's Office (USAO) has designated at least one CTC and over thirty-five districts have two or more. In addition, a number of Sections in the Criminal Division and other Divisions of Justice also have designated CTCs. The CTCs have four general areas of responsibility:

Additional information on this subject is available via the links below.

B.   The Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (CHIP) Units

As announced by Attorney General John Ashcroft on July 20, 2001, nine additional units are being added to a program called CHIP (Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property) that has proven successful in Northern California. That project demonstrated the benefits of a unit of prosecutors working closely with the FBI and other agencies to establish a relationship with the local high tech community and encourage them to refer cases to law enforcement. The new CHIP units are the next phase in the Department's ongoing efforts to combat cybercrime and Intellectual Property theft. In 1991, the Department created what is now the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) in the Criminal Division. The CHIP team members will complement the highly trained network of prosecutors at CCIPS and the US Attorneys’ Offices. More information on the CHIP units is accessible via the links below:

C.   High Technology Law Enforcement Training Opportunities

D.   Coordination Between Law Enforcement and Industry

Cybercrime Summit:  A Law Enforcement/Information Technology Industry Dialogue

On April 5, 2000, the Department of Justice hosted a Cybercrime Summit at Stanford Law School, titled "Cybercrime Summit:A Law Enforcement/Information Technology Industry Dialogue on Prevention, Detection, Investigation and Cooperation," at which Attorney General Janet Reno and members of the Justice Department and other law enforcement agencies met with  representatives of information technology and Internet companies.  The main topic of the Summit was how to improve cooperation between law enforcement and industry in investigating computer network hacking.  Linked below are the Attorney General’s Opening Remarks from the Summit, as well as the Question & Answer session between industry representatives and the Attorney General.

The Cybercitizen Partnership:  Industry and Government Alliance

On March 15, 1999, Attorney General Janet Reno announced a new Cybercitizen Partnership, a new alliance between law enforcement and the technology community.  The goal of the partnership is to coordinate the efforts of government, industry and the public to ensure public safety and responsible computer use.  The partnership will also promote computer ethics and civic responsibility in the cyber age and aid law enforcement and industry in the battle against  "on-line outlaws."  The partnership will consist of three complementary segments.  The first segment is a "good cybercitizenship" public awareness campaign.  The second is a user-friendly computer and network security directory to help public and private sector organizations quickly find computer security resources.  The third is an Information Security Professional fellowship program between industry and government that will raise the awareness levels of participants with respect to the views, perspectives and needs of their respective counterparts.

E.  DOJ Speaks Out on Law Enforcement Coordination to Address Cybercrime

Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff’s Testimony Before the House Subcommittee on Crime

On June 12, 2001, Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff testified before the Members of the Subcommittee on Crime of the Committee on the Judiciary. In his statement he addressed the nature of cybercrime and the Department’s current efforts to combat that problem.

Attorney General Ashcroft’s Remarks Before the First Annual Computer Privacy, Policy & Security Institute

On May 22, 2001, videotaped remarks by Attorney General John Ashcroft were presented before the first Annual Computer Privacy, Policy and Security Institute.
In his speech, the Attorney General addressed the Institute’s concerns of computer security and threats to information assets and the means by which industry and law enforcement can work together in fighting cybercrime.

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Attorney General Reno’s Address to the ITAA Cybercrime Summit

On June 9, 2000, Attorney General Janet Reno gave the keynote address at the ITAA Cybercrime Summit. In her speech, the Attorney General discussed the means by which industry and law enforcement can work together in fighting cybercrime. The text also includes the question and answer section.

Attorney General Janet Reno Testifies Before Senate Appropriations Committee

On Monday, February 16, 2000, Attorney General Janet Reno testified before the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations.  Her testimony provided an overview of cybercrime and the challenges that it presents to law enforcement today.

Attorney General Janet Reno Introduces Law Net Initiative

On January 10, 2000, Attorney General Janet Reno gave remarks before the National Association of Attorneys General in which she announced a new Law Net initiative.  The Law Net will be a "strong, permanent network of federal, state and local computer crime experts to do the following:  To share expertise and information technology, to assist each other 24 hours a day, seven days a week, around the clock, to prevent cybercrime wherever possible, and to bring those responsible for such crime, when it does occur, to justice; To work with industry, the academic world and privacy groups to build trust and to protect our privacy and the Constitutional rights of all Americans; And finally, to ensure that the Internet is a force that brings this world together and builds understanding across peoples and places and time.

Attorney General Janet Reno Addresses the High Technology Crime Investigation Association 1999 International Training Conference

On Monday, September 20, 1999, Attorney General Janet Reno addressed the High Technology Crime Investigation Association 1999 International Training Conference in San Diego, California.  Her speech focused on the importance of interagency and state and federal law enforcement cooperation, as well as on the Department of Justice’s policy position on encryption regulation.

President Clinton Addresses National Academy of Sciences on Keeping America Secure for the 21st Century

On January 22, 1999, President William Jefferson Clinton addressed the National Academy of Science. His speech was titled "Keeping America Secure for the 21st Century." The speech he gave is available via the link below:
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Updated page December 9, 2002
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