Identity Theft 911 Poll of National Law Enforcement Efforts Reveals Uphill Battle

Police Departments Cite Need for Resources; Offer Suggestions to Curb the Crime
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(Business Wire)--
The results of a national law enforcement survey conducted by Identity Theft 911
(www.identitytheft911.org) show that police departments across the country face
an uphill battle fighting the pervasive crime of identity theft, have limited
resources at their disposal and are often outgunned by an increasingly
sophisticated enemy.

An Identity Theft 911 white paper, "Identity Theft -- Conversations with Law
Enforcement and Emerging Data Breach Issues," scheduled for release in
mid-October, outlines the results by exploring the challenges of fighting
identity theft, the critical need for improved training, and suggestions from
police departments on increased prosecution and tougher sentencing.

Highlights of a survey of some of the largest police departments in the U.S., as
well as cities with the highest rates of identity theft, will be presented at
the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators 2009 conference
in Scottsdale, Ariz., Sept. 4. They will include discussion of the following:

Challenges of Police Departments Fighting Identity Theft:

* Funding: Only one police department felt it had sufficient resources to fight
identity theft.
* Bandwidth: Few law enforcement organizations have the time or manpower to
pursue cases that are a long distance from their cities.
* Sentences: Several jurisdictions complained the sentences were too short or
the chances of getting caught slim.

Suggestions by Police Departments to Curb Identity Theft:

* More Prosecutions: Only the strongest identity theft cases are pursued for
trial as they are both time-consuming and work intensive with little return.
* More Awareness: Virtually all of the respondents surveyed said that greater
public awareness about the dangers and ramifications of identity theft would
help them combat the crime.
* More Help from Financial Institutions: Many officers said banks and credit
extenders needed to do more to safeguard information.

Surveys were sent to various law enforcement agencies across America.
Respondents included large police departments such as Chicago, Los Angeles,
Dallas and Phoenix, and smaller organizations with high incidences of identity
theft crime such as Madera, Calif., Flagstaff, Ariz., and Overland Park, Kansas.
Other departments that responded are those in Columbus, Ohio, Durham, N.C.,
Houston, Texas, San Antonio, Texas, and San Diego, Calif.

As a leader in identity theft education and protection, Identity Theft 911
develops and distributes one comprehensive report each month, along with several
major articles, daily news alerts, tips and educational materials.

About Identity Theft 911®

Protecting over 30 million people, Identity Theft 911 is a leader in identity
theft resolution, providing innovative, enterprise-level fraud solutions and
consumer education to Fortune 500 companies, many of America's largest insurance
carriers, corporate benefit providers and a wide spectrum of financial
institutions. For more information, visit www.identitytheft911.com.

Identity Theft 911
Christopher Bacey
480-316-0211-mobile
732-951-8221-office
cbacey@identitytheft911.com
or
Mindspace
Brent Diggins, 480-941-8497
bdiggins@mindspace.net

Copyright Business Wire 2009