AFCEA Bethesda Law Enforcement IT Day

Law enforcement has primarily been a reactive process: whether it’s responding to a fire, tracking down a criminal suspect, or enforcing penalties on financial malfeasance. From the first, information technology was deployed to help augment law enforcement’s needs. As these IT systems have grown, so has the need to better manage them. For years, law enforcement has struggled with the task of linking these systems to provide greater information sharing and collaboration, but a fundamental change is occurring. This year, highlights from the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security budgets mark a turning point in the history of law enforcement. Full with funding for programs as diverse as the National Cybersecurity Initiative to ICE’s E-Verify, these budgets indicate a shift in national law enforcement priorities towards preparation.

Throughout the country, innovative IT initiatives are enabling law enforcement communities not only to respond to threats, but prepare for them before they happen. Whether it’s in the growth of fusion centers to prevent terrorist attacks, the sharing of information through online communities like DHS’s recently-launched first-responders portal “Communities of Interest,” or simply the application of data in new and interesting ways, IT is making it easier for law enforcement to fulfill their ultimate mission: to keep America safe.

AFCEA Bethesda’s Law Enforcement IT Day 2010 will bring together more than 400 senior government leaders and IT professionals across the federal, state and local law enforcement community to foster better communications, share lessons learned and best practices, and identify mission-critical IT issues. This full-day event will focus on federal initiatives and programs that harness current and emerging technologies to better protect and improve the safety and security of U.S. citizens.