CaptSmith

Clackamas County Sheriff's Office Captain Jeff Smith recently completed one of the toughest challenges available to local law enforcement officers: the FBI National Academy.

Capt. Smith and two other Oregon law enforcement officers graduated a 10-week training session at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia on June 7, 2019.

There is a highly competitive process local law enforcement officers must go through to be selected for this honor. That process includes a nomination by a supervisor; interviews with the candidate and co-workers to determine leadership skills and abilities; a background check; a determination of physical fitness; and the support of former National Academy graduates within the candidate's organization.

"The exceptional leaders selected to attend the National Academy have a great opportunity to share their experiences with peers and learn best practices from across the country and the world," said Renn Cannon, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon. "Only a few law enforcement officers from Oregon attend each year, and we are proud to sponsor Capt. Smith and our other local partners in the National Academy."

Capt. Smith began his law enforcement career in 1995 with the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office as a deputy in the patrol division. The sheriff promoted him to patrol sergeant in 2004 and to detective sergeant in 2008. He obtained the rank of patrol lieutenant in 2012. In 2014, he served as the chief of police in Wilsonville as part of the contractual agreement between the city and the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. Capt. Smith is currently a division commander at the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.

Capt. Smith earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Oregon and as well as his Executive Certificate from the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST).

"Congratulations to Captain Smith," said Sheriff Craig Roberts. "This incredible opportunity with the FBI allowed him to meet and study with leaders and experts from across the United States. It's a serious commitment. Thanks also to his family for supporting him during this intensive 10-week course."

During the 10 weeks of training, local executive-level law enforcement officers spend most of their time in the classroom. Capt. Smith's National Academy classes included: Advanced Psychology of Communication, Fitness in Law Enforcement, Psychology of Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Managing the Law Enforcement Image, and a seminar in Contemporary Issues in Law Enforcement. The program allows participants the opportunity to earn college credits through the University of Virginia for some of those studies.

Each year, the FBI sponsors four sessions of the National Academy. Each session includes about 220 local law enforcement officers from throughout the United States and around the world. While in the academy, the officers and deputies live in a dorm-like setting. The FBI does not charge U.S. students for tuition, books, equipment, meals, lodging or travel to and from their home.

TT - Grant Scams - Graphic - June 11, 2019

Welcome to the Oregon FBI’s Tech Tuesday segment. This week: building a digital defense against grant scams. 

Everyone can use a little extra cash now and then... roof repair, leaky refrigerator or maybe a kid who picks the most expensive college option possible. They all add up, and if you are lucky, all at the same time. 

Never fear though – if you are particularly unlucky you will find yourself in the sights of someone who wants to offer you a special government grant. You deserve it, after all. You work hard and pay taxes... you SHOULD get that grant from some official-sounding grant-giving agency, right? 

Our friends at the Federal Trade Commission have a special warning for you, though: free money is almost never free. The scam artist may contact you directly, or you may see these grant offers online or in publications. Once you are talking, the fraudster will work to convince you that you do, indeed, qualify. He will ask for a checking account number to deposit your new-found funds or perhaps to collect some small processing fee. He may even suggest that there is a money-back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied. 

Here’s how to protect yourself: 

• Never give your bank account information to strangers unless you are convinced the agency is legitimate. 

• Don’t pay a fee for what someone tells you is a free grant. 

• Check out the agency in question by doing research before giving out any info or money. www.grants.gov is a great place to start – it is a centralized portal to find and apply for federal grants. 

If you have been victimized by this online scam or any other cyber fraud, be sure to report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at?www.ic3.gov ?or call your local FBI office. 

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Captain Greg Pickering

Captain Greg Pickering, Tualatin Police Department, recently completed one of the toughest challenges available to local law enforcement officers: the FBI National Academy. Capt. Pickering and two other Oregon law enforcement officers graduated a ten-week training session at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, on June 7, 2019.

There is a highly competitive process local law enforcement officers must go through to be selected for this honor. That process includes a nomination by a supervisor; interviews with the candidate and co-workers to determine leadership skills and abilities; a background check; a determination of physical fitness; and the support of former National Academy graduates within the candidate's organization.

"The exceptional leaders selected to attend the National Academy have a great opportunity to share their experiences with peers and learn best practices from across the country and the world,” said Renn Cannon, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Oregon. “Only a few law enforcement officers from Oregon attend each year, and we are proud to sponsor Capt. Pickering and our other local partners in the National Academy.”

Capt. Pickering’s interest in law enforcement started when he joined the Police Explorer program with the Tualatin Police Department in 1993. A few years later, he became a reserve police office and, in 1998, he accepted a position as an officer with Tigard Police, eventually getting promoted to detective.  In 2005, he rejoined Tualatin Police as a patrol officer and school resource officer, becoming a patrol sergeant in 2008. In 2010, the chief promoted him to lieutenant and then to captain in 2016. Capt. Pickering is currently serving as the patrol division commander for the department.

“I’m proud of the commitment shown by Capt. Pickering to complete this rigorous course,” said Chief Bill Steele, Tualatin Police Department. “We look forward to him applying what he has learned to better our community.”

During the ten weeks of training, local executive-level law enforcement officers spend most of their time in the classroom. Capt. Pickering’s National Academy classes included: Leadership Essentials for Law Enforcement, Behavioral Science for Law Enforcement Leadership, Fitness in Law Enforcement, Law Enforcement approaches to Counterterrorism, Effective Writing, and Contemporary issues in Law Enforcement. The program allows participants the opportunity to earn college credits through the University of Virginia for some of those studies.

Each year, the FBI sponsors four sessions of the National Academy. Each session includes about 220 local law enforcement officers from throughout the United States and around the world. While in the academy, the officers and deputies live in a dorm-like setting. The FBI does not charge U.S. students for tuition, books, equipment, meals, lodging or travel to and from their home.

TT - Sextortion - Graphic - June 4, 2019

Welcome to the Oregon FBI’s Tech Tuesday segment. This week: building a digital defense against sextortion scams targeting children. 

In the last few days, the FBI has launched a national campaign to raise awareness about the crime of sextortion with a goal of helping parents protect their families. 

The FBI is seeing more and more cases involving sextortion, particularly of young kids... sometimes as young as 7 or 8 years old. The extortionist finds kids on social media, through gaming apps, or through other online platforms. He will either find victims who respond to attention from an adult… or he will pretend to be another child. Either way he will groom the victim, using flattery or gifts. Those gifts could be real or something as simple as virtual?tokens or extra progress in a game. 

Eventually, he convinces the child to send a naked photo - and one is all it takes. If the child tries to pull away, the extortionist will threaten the victim with exposure, telling the child that he will send the photo to friends and family or post online. Over time, the extortionist continues to threaten while escalating demands, which can include the production of more explicit ?photos and commanding that the child to perform sex acts alone or with siblings and friends.? 

For too many parents, the thought is that it can’t happen to my kid and it can’t happen here. Unfortunately, it can on both counts.  

As part of the national awareness campaign, the FBI is highlighting a recent case from Oregon. Agents arrested David Ernest Otto after finding that he had victimized a number of girls, ages 13 – 17. He found them on a photo sharing site and groomed them until they started providing sexually explicit material. In April of this year, a federal judge sentenced Otto to 15 years in prison for production of child pornography. To read more about the David Otto case, check out this link?: https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/tigard-man-sentenced-15-years-federal-prison-sexually-exploiting-minors-using-social 

Often children and teens are so concerned that they will get in trouble or lose their devices, that they are reluctant to come forward. It’s up to you – the parent – to develop that open, honest line of communication. Start with some short conversations, and ask: 

• When you are online, has anyone you don’t know ever tried to contact you? 

• What would you do if they did? 

• Why do you think someone would want to talk to a kid online? 

• Why do you think adults sometimes pretend to be kids online? 

• Has anyone you know ever sent a picture of themselves that got passed around school? 

• What do you think can happen if you send a photo to anyone – even a friend? 

• What if that picture were embarrassing? 

Finally, consider using what you’ve just learned to start the conversation. “Hey, I heard this story on the news today about kids getting pressured to send pictures and videos of themselves to people online. Have you heard anything like that before?” 

Parents – you are the best line of defense for your kids. If you need more information, check out the “Stop Sextortion” section on www.fbi.gov. To report concerns about potential predators, go to https://tips.fbi.gov or call your local FBI office.  

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TT - gift card fraud - AUDIO - May 28, 2019

The Oregon FBI is celebrating this week! Today marks 100 episodes in the Tech Tuesday series of stories about how you can build a digital defense and stay safe online.

But just because we hit a big milestone, we do NOT want you to go out and buy us a gift card.

Cards are definitely convenient and easy, and they do make great gifts to grads or dads on father’s day. But, when someone demands a gift card as payment for anything, that is a sure sign that you have likely stumbled into a scam.

In fact, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov) sees gift card usage as a prime component of many of the most popular online frauds.

Think you won the lottery that you maybe don’t even remember entering, and the company asks for you to pay some handling fee with a gift card? It's a scam.

Is someone threatening to turn off your cable or water because you have a late bill, but they will keep you going if you just pay some back fees with a gift card? It’s a scam.

Have an online Romeo who just needs a little help before he can finally come to meet you? He asks for boost via gift card, and you know you have a scam.

In fact, there are 1,001 scams out there, and most of them can end with a request for payment by gift card.

According to our friends at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the most popular requests by fraudsters are for iTunes, Google Play or Amazon gift cards. The bad guy will often direct you to one or more local stores such as Target, Walmart or Walgreens to buy the cards. Sometimes he will stay on the phone with you or in touch by text or social media to make sure you go through with the purchase. Once done, he will immediately ask for the card number and PIN. The scammer can drain the card almost instantaneously, leaving you with nothing but an empty wallet.

If you do realize quickly that you are a victim, try contacting the card issuer to see if there’s anything it can do. But, remember – a gift card is like cash. Once it is gone, it is almost impossible to recover it.

As we wrap up #100, a thanks to you for following our Tech Tuesday series, and be sure to check our website at https://Portland.fbi.gov for our previous episodes.

And, as always, if you have been a victim of a gift card scam or any other cyber fraud, be sure to report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or call your local FBI office.

Law enforcement agencies across the country commemorate National Missing Children's Day each year on May 25th. This year, the FBI is recognizing three long-term investigations involving Oregon children. The FBI continues to partner with local law enforcement agencies to provide requested assistance and investigative support in each of these cases.

Kyron Horman disappeared from Skyline Elementary School on June 4, 2010. Kyron was 7 years old at the time. Kyron’s “FBI Missing Person” poster can be found at https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/kyron-richard-horman.

The FBI's Portland Division is also recognizing two cases involving sisters Shaina Ashley Kirkpatrick and Shausha Latine Henson. Shaina was 3 years old and Shausha was just 2 months old when they disappeared on April 4, 2001. The girls were last seen with their mother en route to Sacramento, California. On April 29, 2001, their mother's body was found outside of Fernley, Nevada, while the whereabouts of the two girls remain unknown. Shaina’s “FBI Missing Person” poster can be found at https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/shaina-ashley-kirkpatrick. Shausha’s “FBI Missing Person” poster can be found at https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/shausha-latine-henson.

In 1932, the FBI was given jurisdiction under the "Lindbergh Law" to immediately investigate any reported mysterious disappearance or kidnapping involving a child of "tender age"—usually 12 or younger. However, the FBI can become involved with any missing child under the age of 18 as an assisting agency to the local police department. There does not have to be a ransom demand, and the child does not have to cross the state lines or be missing for 24 hours.

Research indicates the quicker the reporting of the disappearance or abduction, the more likely the successful outcome in returning the child unharmed. The FBI is fully committed to support local law enforcement partners investigating missing and endangered children.

More information regarding these children and others missing across the country can be found on the FBI's website. If you have any information regarding a missing child, please contact your local FBI field office or your local police department or call 9-1-1. Tips may also be submitted to the FBI through tips.fbi.gov.

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TT - Vacation Rentals - GRAPHIC - May 21, 2019

Welcome to the Oregon FBI’s Tech Tuesday segment. This week: building a digital defense against vacation scams. 

The kids are almost out of school, and the weather is warming up… definitely a good time to start planning your next escape out of town. It seems like it has never been easier to find the perfect space in the perfect place to take your family. Want to rent a condo for a few nights in the big city? A cottage in the woods? Or a bungalow by the beach? There are tons of options for every kind of possible vacation, and you can find them all with a few quick clicks on the keyboard. 

Our friends at the Federal Trade Commission, though, have some advice to help make sure that your quest for rest and relaxation doesn’t lead you to a rental scam. 

Here’s how it can work: you find a great house or apartment listed for rent on the internet. The photos look great, and the rates are somewhere between very low and reasonable. You make contact with the person you think is the owner, book a date and pre-pay some or all of your fee. In some cases, a fraudster may have just lifted the info and pictures from a real listing and re-posted them elsewhere. He changes the contact info so you come to him, not the owner, and now he’s making money. 

In other cases, the fraudster posts a phantom listing… the rental doesn’t really exist. He promises all kinds of amenities, and you think you’ve just snagged a great option at a low price. All he has to do is get you to pay up before you figure things out. 

Here’s how to protect yourself: 

• Be wary if the owner asks you to pay by wire transfer. This is like sending cash – you likely will never get your money back if there’s a problem. Use a credit card. 

• Watch out if the owner says he is overseas and wants you to send a deposit to a foreign bank. If you are traveling overseas, again, your best bet is to use a credit card. 

• Consider only using a reputable travel website to book your stay. Look for sites that use secure payment portals and/or those that don’t release the payment to the owner until you’ve checked in. 

• Use mapping apps – like Google maps or similar – to confirm that the property really exists. 

Remember - if you have been victimized by an online scam, you can report your suspicious contacts to the FBI. You can file an online report at the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or call your FBI local office. 

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