West Virginia Information Sharing Summit Brings Law Enforcement Together
September 28, 2022
On June 15, the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division hosted law enforcement personnel and guests for the first West Virginia Information Sharing Summit. Representatives from 30 law enforcement agencies across West Virginia attended the event, along with FBI agents and staff from the Pittsburgh Field Office (FO) and its resident agencies. One of the main goals of the summit was for local law enforcement agencies to better understand the services the FBI’s CJIS Division have to offer to help them in their missions.
The event included briefings about the CJIS Division’s programs, services, and capabilities, as well as presentations from Pittsburgh FO leaders about the current threat environment. It was a great opportunity to showcase the tools and information the FBI can provide and to get input from our law enforcement partners who are on the front lines every day working to keep our communities safe.
Pittsburgh’s Special Agent in Charge Michael Nordwall spoke of communication and partnerships being crucial factors, “Partnerships are key. Not just with law enforcement, but also with the communities and private sector. Because it’s really working together to identify what’s important to the communities, what impacts are needed, and where people are suffering. So, working together, we can bring our tools, our resources, our capabilities, and sometimes, our authorities to combat these issues that plague our communities.”
CJIS Assistant Director Michael Christman commented on the opportunity to demonstrate the CJIS Division’s services, “This is exactly the kind of activity that not only promotes collaboration and communication, but also helps build awareness of CJIS services.”