Miami law enforcement to hold identity theft summit

To combat the increasing presence of identity theft cases in south Florida, the Miami Police Department, the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association and other local law enforcement officials will convene for a summit to discuss best practices of combating identity theft and the crime's future presence in the region. The event, sponsored by LifeLock, will feature an eight-hour educational seminar instructing law enforcement officials about the latest trends, methods and other common details used by criminals. Participating officials will also experience hands-on training by using popular equipment often found at the scenes of identity theft crimes. Florida is not the only state fighting rising rates of identity theft. According to The Coloradan, law enforcement officials cut the ribbon on a new 24-hour identity theft hotline, thanks to funding from the Colorado Department of Criminal Justice. Colorado Bureau of Investigation agent Ralph Gagliardi told the paper that the hotline will serve two main purposes - alerting consumers about the risks they face and acquiring reports of new cases of identity theft. "We're seeing a tremendous increase," Sergeant Don Whitson of the Fort Collins Police Services told the news source. "Just about every day, we find a different thing people tell us about how they get ripped off."