The ability of the intelligence community (IC) to protect the nation is largely the product of strong teamwork. Team decision-making improves the effectiveness of intelligence practices that depend on team members sharing information, brainstorming ideas, addressing conflict, and reaching a compromise as a unit.

While individuals can be trained as analysts to forecast events, team decision-making yields more accurate results than the work of individual forecasters, an outcome AMU professor Valerie Davis can affirm based upon her 30 years of intelligence experience. Learn more about how teamwork contributes to the intelligence cycle.

By Dr. Brett Miller

Here’s why open-source intelligence (OSINT) is a force multiplier and a valuable addition to the intelligence arena, despite the fact that many intelligence professionals do not consider it to be a true intelligence discipline.

By William Tucker
Chief Correspondent for In Homeland Security

In essence, the public nor the government overreacted to Wednesday’s cyber anomalies when there was, and still is, talk of an attack. As with man-made or natural disasters it’s not uncommon to see the same agencies playing the role of first responder. Regardless of the cause of the incident, many of the same issues will be present, but the biggest difference between the two will be the collection of evidence, how that evidence is used, and what it’s used for. 

The speed at which technology has advanced in recent years is mind blowing, but many public safety agencies struggle to understand available technology. The bottom line is that technology is not going away. Leaders and administrators must seek to understand how technology works, how it can be applied, and, most importantly, how it can help further their mission of protecting and serving the public.

In the month of July, In Public Safety will feature articles written by American Military University faculty members about the benefits and challenges of technology in public safety agencies.

By Kylie Bull
Managing Editor of HSToday
Special to In Homeland Security

The international community must intensify efforts to protect the world’s nuclear facilities from cyber attacks

The majority of white-collar crimes such as advanced fee fraud, phishing or spoofing often go unreported. But when these crimes do make the news, it is because there are a large number of victims and a significant amount of money stolen.

Many law enforcement agencies do not have the trained personnel, funds, or advanced technology systems needed to adequately fight such crime. In addition, law enforcement agencies do not have the threat of severe penalties to deter people from committing such crimes. Often white-collar criminals risk committing such crimes because the fines or penalties are relatively minimal compared to the massive payoff potential. Read more about Utah’s effort to create a White Collar Crime Registry (similar to sex offender registry) for convicted fraudsters.

In recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, American Military University (AMU) faculty and staff members who have extensive careers and expertise in law enforcement will share research as well as first-hand experiences regarding investigative practices. The goal is to help agencies and officers across the country ensure that those who commit sexual crimes are held accountable. 

Advanced fee fraud (AFF) consists of any type of empty promise of receiving money. The goal of the fraudster is to delude the victim into thinking they are buying into a lucrative arrangement. Unfortunately, such scams are increasingly succesful, with global losses rising from $3.88M in 2006 to $12.73M in 2013. So who are the victims of such scams? Learn more about the specific traits that increase a person’s risk of becoming a victim of AFF.

By Amanda Vicinanzo
Senior Editor of Homeland Security Today
Special to In Homeland Security

Just days after the FBI alerted U.S. businesses to be on the lookout for malicious malware like the kind that took down the internal network of Sony Pictures, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced plans to create a cyber crime unit to advise on electronic surveillance in cyber investigations and work with the private sector to prevent online crime.