Ratcliffe cybercrime bill to strengthen law enforcement training signed into law

Legislation to train law enforcement personnel in cybercrime-fighting introduced by U.S. Rep John Ratcliffe (R-TX), a champion of law enforcement and cybersecurity issues in Congress, was signed into law on Nov. 2 by President Donald Trump.

The Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act of 2017 amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the National Computer Forensics Institute (NCFI) in Hoover, Alabama, within the U.S. Secret Service for fiscal years 2017-2022. The institute is charged with disseminating information on investigation and prevention of cyber and electronic crime and related threats, as well as educating, training, and equipping state, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement officers, prosecutors and judges.

“I’d like to thank President Trump for his strong support of my bill to ensure our state and local law enforcement officials are properly equipped to address and prosecute crimes in the 21st century – because we’re now in an era where almost every case involves some sort of digital evidence,” said Ratcliffe, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection.

“At the end of the day, getting the upper hand against cyber criminals will make our nation safer, and I’m glad that this critical piece of legislation has been signed into law to do just that,” added Ratcliffe.

Recognizing the importance of collaboration in fighting cyber crime, the NCFI said in 2007 the Department of Homeland Security, the state of Alabama, the Secret Service, the Alabama District Attorneys Association and the city of Hoover reached an agreement to form the institute. The NCFI opened its doors in 2008.

Since then, the NCFI has trained nearly 7,000 local law enforcement officials, with graduates in more than 2,000 agencies across the country, including agencies in the 4th District of Texas that Ratcliffe represents. According to NCFI, the institute has achieved a reputation as the premiere high-tech crime training facility in the nation.

Ratcliffe introduced the bill, H.R. 1616, in March. Prior to that, he held a field hearing on cyber preparedness and response in his home district during the previous Congress in April 2016. At the field hearing, former law enforcement officer Don Waddle, a resident of Texas’ 4th District, affirmed the value of his training at NCFI.

“I am not the main benefactor of this training. The citizens of Greenville, Texas, and Hunt County, Texas, as well as the north Texas area reap the benefits of this training with better recovery rates for property as well as more perpetrators being taken off the streets,” Waddle said.