Law Enforcement Gathers for Social Media Training in Beaver - Beckley, Bluefield & Lewisburg News, Weather, Sports

Law Enforcement Gathers for Social Media Training in Beaver

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By David Williams - email
BEAVER -

It's a vicious cycle: As technology advances, criminals find new ways to use it for nefarious purposes.

About 170 law enforcement officers from across Southern West Virginia today, for a training event held by the National White Collar Crime Center.

They learned about things like how criminals use sites like Facebook to target their victims, and how to gather information that could be useful in bringing them to justice.

"There's a wealth of information out there that our officers can learn, especially from organizations like this that go out and reach out to other agencies," said Jake Corey, Training Coordinator of the Beckley Police Department. "There's so much that can help them - not only law enforcement officers but everybody in the judicial system."

"Criminals have been on the cutting edge for years, we've got to keep law enforcement a step ahead," said West Virginia State Auditor Glen Gainer.

Gainer also says that, with approximately 82 million people in America going online every day, this kind of training can help law enforcement advise individuals on how to avoid online crime.