The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Justice Sciences has signed a collaborative agreement with the National White Collar Crime Center and the Internet Crime Complaint Center to conduct research on cyber-crime and to create training programs in cyber-crime investigations for law enforcement.

The partnership will give UAB researchers and faculty access to data from the National White Collar Crime Center and the Internet Crime Complaint Center. UAB’s first project will be a nationwide survey of local law-enforcement personnel to assess their knowledge of and capability to conduct cyber-crime investigations, said UAB Associate Professor of Justice Sciences Kent Kerley, Ph.D. Kerley is the co-principal investigator on the study with Gary Warner, director of the UAB Computer Forensics Program. Kerley and Warner are members of the UAB Computer Forensics Working Group.

Computer forensics is a branch of computer science in which specialists identify, recover and present in court legal evidence found on computers and other digital media.

UAB faculty also will share their knowledge of data-mining, statistical analysis, Internet-based technologies, technical training, criminal justice policy and police training with the two agencies.

The National White Collar Crime Center provides training, investigative support and research to agencies and entities involved in preventing, investigating and prosecuting economic and high-tech crimes. Currently, more than 3,000 local law-enforcement agencies in the United States work with the center.

The Internet Crime Complaint Center was established to receive and refer complaints regarding cyber-crime to the appropriate law-enforcement and regulatory agencies. The center is a partnership between the FBI, the National White Collar Crime Center and the Bureau of Justice Assistance.