Month: January 2021

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News

3. Crime statistics experts will use statistical modeling to fill in gaps. In the current SRS system, FBI and Department of Justice statisticians use advanced methodologies to estimate national crime statistics when a particular state or locality doesn’t provide data, or the data does not meet the criteria to be published. The same will occur with NIBRS. When estimates are used, they will be disclosed.

While communities that have not transitioned may be missing data for a year or two, estimates will still allow people to understand crime patterns and national trends. Those communities will have more comprehensive data after they make the switch to NIBRS.

4. Researchers and the public will still have access to long-term trends. Even with the transition to NIBRS, the public will still be able to see long-term crime trends. That’s because the FBI will convert the NIBRS data back into the SRS format, specifically for long-term trend analysis. This will offer researchers and the public an “apples to apples” comparison.

5. The FBI is working to help law enforcement transition to NIBRS. For more than five years, the FBI has worked with law enforcement agencies across the country to provide technical expertise, data integration support, and free training to move to NIBRS. Federal grants are also available to help them with the cost of upgrades.

The transition to NIBRS is a shift for police departments, both culturally and technologically, but the higher quality data will be worth the effort in the long term.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News

Presley’s mother said her daughter called at her first opportunity to break the phone connection with the predator. Testani wanted to take over one of her social media accounts so he could use it to contact her friends, giving him the ability to deceive and exploit another group of young girls. But as he took over her existing account, he needed her to create a new one for herself so they would still be connected online.

As she was carrying out that demand, Presley had a chance to call for help. “He told her she had two minutes to get it done,” her mother said. “When they broke that connection, she felt she could call me.”

Presley’s mother and stepfather raced home. And although they were confused about what was happening, they couldn’t mistake the terror in Presley’s voice. Her stepfather reached her first and immediately called the police when he saw what was happening on her phone.

Presley’s bravery in reporting helped investigators find the man who terrorized her. Testani pleaded guilty to child sexual exploitation in February and was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison on August 6, 2020.

Special Agent Kevin Kaufman, who investigated the case for the FBI in Tampa with local law enforcement, said that they identified several other victims across the country—some as young as 10 years old.

The investigation showed that Testani obtained the login information for other victims’ social media accounts, which allowed him to message hundreds of other young people.

The length of Testani’s sentence reflects the number of children he hurt, the extreme nature of his crimes, and the devastating effects this type of sexual violence has on its victims. Presley’s mother said her daughter is still dealing with depression and anxiety, has trouble concentrating in school, and experiences panic attacks.

The fact that Presley never met Testani in person and never even saw his face only amplified her fear. This man who hurt her could be anyone, anywhere. “That’s why she went from a social butterfly to absolutely terrified to leave the house,” her mother said.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News

Michael Lum was a student at Arizona State University when he learned that a train had mysteriously derailed in rural Arizona on October 9, 1995.

“I woke up and saw it on the news, and I went to class and we talked about it,” Lum recalled.

Twenty-five years later, Lum, a special agent in the Federal Protective Service, is on an FBI task force working to find anyone responsible for the derailment that killed the train conductor and injured dozens more. No one has been arrested, but the FBI continues to investigate.

Amtrak’s Sunset Limited was traveling from El Paso to Los Angeles when, while crossing a bridge, it ran over an altered track in a rural area 70 miles outside of Phoenix. Around 1:35 a.m., the train slowed down as it crossed the track, but momentum and the train’s weight sent it careening into a ravine, Lum said.

The conductor was thrown from the train and died. Of the 258 passengers on the train, 12 had serious injuries, and about 100 had minor injuries.

“There were young children and elderly people on board. Some of the victims said this really ruined their lives—they had PTSD, serious injuries,” Lum said. “These victims were deeply affected.”

The crash site was so rural that investigators and rescuers had a challenging time even reaching the passengers. Makeshift roads were built to get rescuers in and out of the area. And in an era before cell phones and GPS were common, rescue teams formed convoys so they wouldn’t get lost trying to find the victims.

Investigators at the scene at the time found a note claiming responsibility and expressing anti-government sentiment. But investigators have not yet found those responsible.

“This was just six months after the Oklahoma City bombing, it was fresh on everyone’s minds. People were on edge,” Lum said.

The passage of 25 years has not dampened the investigators’ resolve to find the truth. The public regularly calls with tips.

“We’re reexamining evidence with new technology, and the public continues to provide leads that we’re tracking down,” he said.

Lum emphasized that the investigative team is committed to getting justice for the victims, especially the family of the conductor who lost his life.

“The crew and passengers were just innocent people going about their lives. They were minding their own business, sleeping in the middle of the night,” Lum said. “We want to make sure anyone responsible has to answer for this crime.”

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News

Remarks prepared for delivery.

On behalf of the entire FBI, it’s an honor to be here today to remember Saul.

Saul joined the Bureau in 1990, serving first as a security warder and then as a police officer at FBI Headquarters before joining the Washington Field Office’s Special Surveillance Group, SSG, in 1995. He served the bulk of his career there, most recently as a team coordinator and supervisory investigative specialist.

On September 11, when an all-hands call went out for assistance after the Pentagon was attacked, Saul didn’t hesitate to respond. He didn’t have to go, but he wanted to help. On 12-hour shifts, day in and day out, he sifted through debris.

Everyone at the FBI had one goal in mind on that tragic day: to make sure that nothing like that ever happened again. Saul shared that same sense of resolve.

And throughout Saul’s illness, even in its darkest days, he carried that same resolve with him. Resolve to be there for his family for as long as he could. To push forward with the utmost optimism.

In the past few years we have really begun to understand—and to witness—the long-term effects of the FBI’s work after 9/11 and the full extent of the sacrifices that our first responders made. We’ve lost far too many members of the FBI family due to 9/11-related illnesses. And we’re by no means alone. Our brothers and sisters in law enforcement, firefighting, and first response have also suffered devastating losses—and we all fear there are more to come.

So as we gather here today, we remember these selfless men and women, like Saul. And we take inspiration from their example and the sacrifices they heroically made for all of us.

I was fortunate to have a conversation with Saul in October. I was struck by how much he didn’t want to talk about himself, but about the others he was grateful for.

How much he’d loved the SSG mission, and how important it was that the younger folks learned to carry out that mission the right way.

How glad he was to have been part of something bigger than himself.

How grateful he was to the folks of our Human Resources Division for working to help victims of 9/11-related illnesses and their families.

How moved he was by the outpouring of support he and his family had experienced from his many colleagues.

And in talking to the people who knew Saul well, it’s clear they all felt incredibly lucky to call him a friend.

And for many of you in the FBI, he didn’t go by Saul; he went by “Seahawk”—a nickname that came easily at work because he was one of “the 12,” as the diehard Seattle Seahawks fans are known. The loudest, proudest fans in professional football. So loud, even, that they’ve been known to set off minor earthquakes.

It sounds like Saul—who even decorated for the holidays with a Seahawks-themed Christmas tree—would have fit right in at Lumen Field.

“Seahawk” was a big presence. A bear of a man. A guy who was very proud of handily completing the “Quaker Steak & Lube Triple Atomic Wings Challenge” with the t-shirt to prove it.

His teammates always found it amusing to watch that big, burly guy fold himself into the lotus position to climb into one of the smaller Bureau cars, like a tiny black Mustang.

Saul had warm laugh and a wicked sense of humor. He was quick-witted and clever. And had a big, megawatt smile—so much so that I’ve been told a lot of people doubted his teeth were even real.

Saul understood and valued the importance of teamwork and community. He was instrumental in bringing people together—not just at work, but at home, too. He was at the center of a very close-knit neighborhood.

By all accounts, the members of the Bureau’s SSG teams share a bond that is nothing short of incredible. I’ve heard that time and again. They become a type of family within the FBI family, and Saul’s SSG family was as close as they come.

His teammates said they could always rely on him for help. If you needed anything, if you were struggling, if you just needed to talk—Saul could put aside the burly, brusque, sarcastic Seahawk. He would really listen to you, and you could trust him.

He could be your biggest critic—always in the interest of helping you—and your staunchest ally.

To paraphrase an old saying, he had a way of telling someone to go to hell and have them look forward to the trip—or not.

His Bureau travels took him all across the country, from the Florida Keys to the tiny town of Manly, Alaska. And I have to believe those Bureau trips had an extra special meaning to Saul. In talking with his wife, Laurice, just last week, I learned that she was previously a travel agent for the Bureau. In fact, that’s how they met.

But of all Saul’s travels, his favorite were his trips to the Outer Banks, where he’d rent a huge house with as many family and friends as possible. That time together—especially with Laurice, and his kids, Zac and Rachel—meant the world to him. And I’m sure times like those are the memories so many of you hold dear.

There’s a beautiful Jewish poem about remembering those we’ve lost:

In the rising of the sun and in its going down,
we remember them.

In the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter,
we remember them.

In the opening of buds and in the rebirth of spring,
we remember them.

In the blueness of the sky and in the warmth of summer,
we remember them.

In the rustling of leaves and in the beauty of autumn,
we remember them.

In the beginning of the year and when it ends,
we remember them.

When we are weary and in need of strength,
we remember them.

When we are lost and sick at heart,
we remember them.

When we have joys we yearn to share,
we remember them.

So long as we live, they too shall live, for they are now a part of us, as we remember them.

Today, we say goodbye to a beloved member of the FBI family gone too soon. But we’ll remember him, in ways big and small, from the sunrise to the rustling of the leaves. We’ll remember his laugh. His quick wit. His big smile. We’ll remember how good it felt to call him a colleague and a friend.

Laurice, Zac, and Rachel: We know you’ll remember him better than anyone. You’ll remember him as a devoted husband and a phenomenal father. We all thank you for sharing Saul with us for so many years. Please know that you, too, will always be part of the FBI family.

May your father’s memory be a blessing.