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Chapter Focus: InfraGard San Diego

 

On June 26, 2017, InfraGard San Diego hosted a special debrief of the July 7, 2016, ambush on Dallas police officers. The event was held at Qualcomm’s Irwin Jacobs Hall and set a new record for the highest attendance in the chapter’s history with more than 500 registrants. In a nod to San Diego’s proud military history, Petty Officer First Class Leon Ocasio from Naval Base Coronado opened the event with the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner. Special Agent in Charge Eric Birnbaum, FBI San Diego, and Chief Shelley Zimmerman, San Diego Police Dept., provided opening remarks to the audience of InfraGard members and local, state and federal law enforcement.

On July 7, 2016, a heavily armed shooter executed a targeted attack on Dallas police officers during a Black Lives Matter protest. Micah Xavier Johnson shot eleven officers, killing five, in the single deadliest day for law enforcement since September 11, 2001. As we approached the one-year anniversary of this tragedy, three Dallas Police Department officers debriefed the incident and provided never-before-heard insight into the events that unfolded. Speakers included: Sergeant Tom Sible, lead SWAT supervisor on the scene; Sr. Corporal Larry Gordon, lead crisis negotiator in contact with the shooter; and Detective Rich Emberlin, Criminal Intelligence Unit. The event marked the first time this debrief was conducted with all three officers’ perspectives.

In other chapter news, InfraGard San Diego’s Education Sector held its second meeting of the year on July 26 at Northrop Grumman. Officially formed in 2016, the sector has experienced rapid growth under the leadership of the Education Sector Co-Chiefs, including: Lamine Secka, Director of Emergency Services, San Diego State University; Erin Fullerton, Campus Risk Manager, California State University San Marcos; Dismas Abelman, Emergency Manager, University of California, San Diego; and Sherry Stone, Emergency Preparedness and Security Manager, Chula Vista Elementary School District.

With eleven traditional colleges and universities, numerous private colleges, and several K-12 school districts in the San Diego region, the sector has focused on identifying training topics and materials that appeal to a wide audience. This meeting featured Dr. Eric Frost, Director of San Diego State University’s Visualization Center, and Staff Operations Specialist Matt Nagel from the FBI San Diego Field Office presenting on Social Media Threats and Resources. The presentations focused on social media’s growing influence, its role in both disaster response and criminal activity, and the difficulty of tracking down social media criminals. InfraGard members gained useful knowledge, ideas and resources to help them better understand and leverage social media in their efforts to protect critical infrastructure.

This meeting also served as a jumping-off point for a new project envisioned by the Education Sector Chiefs. Sector members met with representatives from the County of San Diego County Office of Emergency Services to propose the formation of two working groups — one for K-12 and one for higher education. The groups will jointly develop a social media best practices guide that will help educational institutions evaluate and respond to social media threats. The anticipated completion date for the finished product is December 2017.