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May 3, 2002
Contact: Bob Anderson
(805) 756-1511
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cyber Crime Unit Started by Cal Poly's University Police Wins Award
A high-tech-investigation group initiated by Cal Poly's University Police to
help
Central California law-enforcement agencies solve computerized crime has
won
an award from the California College and University Police Chiefs Association.
The association presented its Award of Distinction to University Police
Officer Jeff Joynt and Chief Tony Aeilts last week at its annual
conference, held at South Lake Tahoe.
Joynt and Officers John Edds and Mike Kennedy began developing the
investigations group in 2000 to share the high-tech expertise of Cal
Poly staff and faculty members with police agencies in the region.
Last September the group officially became the Central California
Chapter of the High-Tech Crime Investigation Association International.
The unit now includes representatives of police agencies in San Luis
Obispo, Kern, Kings, Santa Barbara and Tulare counties as well as the
Highway Patrol, the FBI, district attorney's offices and corporations
such as Verizon and Internet service providers.
So far the high-tech unit has helped regional agencies investigate and
solve more than 20 crimes that were perpetrated with -- or could be
investigated with -- computer technology, including homicide, insurance
fraud, identify theft and stalking of children on the Internet.
University Police officers have also provided high-tech training to
fellow officers in other agencies.
Before the group was formed, Aeilts said, Central California police
investigators often had to rely on help with cyber crime from
overwhelmed state and federal agencies, which often caused serious
investigative delays.
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