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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

HSMI National Conference Wednesday


The National Conference of the Homeland Security Management Institute at Monroe Community College on Wednesday will host speakers from across the U.S. who will prepare the region’s first responders for terrorism, gang activity and online data breeches.

HSMI is graciously offering MCC faculty and staff the opportunity to hear any of the four presenters. Please note that the complimentary pass does not include meals, refreshments, or conference materials. The event will take place in the MCC Theatre.

The day opens with a welcome from HSMI Director John Perrone, musical performance by Cindy Miller singing the "Star Bangled Banner" and "Land That We Love", and remarks from President Flynn and County Executive Maggie Brooks.


Iranian Muslim Ebrahim Ashabi, a Long Beach, Calif., police officer in the Office of Counterterrorism, will present on terrorism in two 50-minute sessions, at 9:30 a.m. and 10:40 a.m. Ashabi survived the Iran Revolution and fled in 1982 to Europe. After immigrating to the U.S. and joining the Long Beach Police Department in 1997, Ashabi has become responsible for collecting, analyzing and investigating criminal intelligence related to international and domestic terrorism, organized crime, and extremist activity. He works closely with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force along with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

At 1 p.m. Henry Morgenstern, president of Security Solutions International, widely-published author on security-related subjects, and U.S. and Israeli citizen, will discuss the jihad in America. While working in Israel for nearly 20 years, Morgenstern built WORDS, a small start-up company, into the country’s leading provider of high-tech services. His presentation is designed to teach law enforcement about the threat that the radical Islamic mindset poses to the U.S.

Immediately following that presentation, at 1:50 p.m. Richard Ford, special agent with the Department of Homeland Security, will demonstrate a data breach and outline various reconnaissance techniques. In explaining computer theft, he will describe target identification, pre-attack behavior, vulnerability exploitation, theft of data, and infiltration without leaving evidence. Ford is a certified computer forensics examiner who specializes in technology research.

At 3 p.m. Jeffrey Bergman, detective with the Fairfax County Police Department, will examine why gangs form and why kids join them. A detective with the gang unit who specializes in Asian gangs and Asian-related street crimes, he will discuss gang mentality, activity, types of graffiti, and the affect it has within our schools and neighborhoods.

The HSMI conference is made possible through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education and the efforts of U.S. Representative Thomas M. Reynolds.

John Perrone
Homeland Security Management Institute
07/31/2007