U.S. Representative Val Demings joined new bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the National Computer Forensics Institute, a Secret Service-run cybercrime investigation/cyber incident response training program that has trained over 16,000 law enforcement officers from all 50 states. The legislation is led by Reps. Elissa Slotkin, Gary Palmer, and Terri Sewell. Demings, who is currently running for U.S. Senate in Florida, said she was “proud to join Democrats and Republicans to support our police” with this bipartisan legislation.
“As a 27-year law enforcement officer and Chief of Police, I know how critical it is for law enforcement to have federal support to take on cybercriminals,” said Orlando Rep. Demings. “Keeping our communities safe in the 21st century requires an intimate understanding of computers and technology, so that officers can collect evidence, handle cyber-ransom attacks, and keep our communities safe.”
The National Computer Forensics Institute is a federally funded training center operated by the U.S. Secret Service that focuses on training State, local, Tribal, and territorial officers, prosecutors, and judges in cybercrime investigations and cyber incident response. Since 2008, the NCFI, which is located in Alabama, has trained more than 16,000 law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judicial officials from all 50 states and five U.S. territories. NCFI students receive hands-on training in network incident response and digital evidence process, and are provided equipment for digital forensics examinations. According to the center, graduates conducted 122,000 digital forensic examinations in FY2021, 40 percent of which involved violent crime investigations. In 2017, Congress authorized the NCFI for five years. Unless Congress acts, authority to continue operations will expire in November 2022.
“Graduates of this proven program carried out 122,000 digital forensic examinations last year, 40% of them involving violent crimes,” Rep. Demings added. “These investigations are critical to our work to keep Floridians safe and I am proud to join Democrats and Republicans to support our police through this vital training program.”
With ransomware and cyber threats rising, the NCFI’s mission of training State, local, Tribal and territorial officers, prosecutors, and judicial officials is more important than ever. To ensure the NCFI is able to continue its important mission, H.R. 7174, the National Computer Forensics Institute Reauthorization Act of 2022, authorizes the NCFI through 2032 and makes a number of targeted enhancements to position it for success well into the future.
Specifically, it would strengthen NCFI’s operations by:
- Requiring that the training provided includes privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties protections;
- Authorizing the center to engage in research and development of innovative approaches to training for investigations involving ransomware and threats involving the use of digital assets;
- Requiring the Secretary of Homeland Security to report to Congress on NCFI’s activities, successes, and projected demands for training; and
- Requiring the center to consider current and projected training demands and the center’s need for expansion of facilities and training to meet projected training demands.
At this time of heightened cyber threats, enactment of the National Computer Forensics Institute Reauthorization Act of 2022 will ensure that the National Computer Forensics Institute can continue training State, local, Tribal, and territorial officers, prosecutors, and judicial officers on investigating and preventing cybersecurity incidents, electronic crimes, and related cybersecurity threats.
