CITY OF HOOVER & HOOVER CITY SCHOOLS PARTNER TO IMPROVE LOCAL BALL FIELDS
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NATIONAL COMPUTER FORENSICS INSTITUTE UNVEILS HIGH TECH CLASSROOM 

Tuesday, October 18, 2022, the National Computer Forensics Institute (NCFI) celebrated the opening of its new Classroom 7 along with multi-governmental partners.

The NCFI, which is based in Hoover, AL, is a federally funded institute that trains state, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement officers, prosecutors and judges in digital evidence, forensics, and cybercrime investigations.

"Since opening in 2008, the NCFI has trained more than 20,000 personnel from all 50 states and five U.S. territories," says Brent Harlan, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Secret Service. "Last year alone, 13,000 people requested to attend NCFI training courses. With our six classrooms, we were able to train over 4,000 personnel. Thanks to the addition of Classroom 7, the NCFI increases its training capacity and opportunities for the nation’s law enforcement.”

Adding to that, Barry Matson, Executive Director of the Alabama Office of Prosecution says, "The Alabama District Attorneys are grateful for our unique partnership with the U. S. Secret Service through the NCFI, which is the only facility of its kind in the world. It is an example of how government is supposed to work; local, county, state and the federal governments coming together efficiently to solve a problem and protect the public."

The new Classroom 7 is completely high-tech. The centerpiece of the room is the video wall which allows instructors to customize their lesson at a moment's notice, allowing several different sources to display simultaneously. For example, instructors are able to show instructional slides, active video from digital microscopes, and additional screens from a student’s workstation all at one time.

“The Sixth District of Alabama is proud to be home to an organization like NCFI that is dedicated to making our nation and world safer," says U.S. Representative Gary Palmer. "As criminal activity grows across the internet, this new NCFI classroom will allow for even more training of law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judges as they seek to bring criminals to justice. The City of Hoover has been an excellent host of this important effort to keep our nation safe and I’m glad to see this state of the art facility is growing.

”As home to the NCFI, the City of Hoover enjoys a great economic impact from the Center's services. In fiscal year 2022, the NCFI brought in over $2.5 million in hotel stays, nearly $2 million in meals and incidentals and spent nearly half a million in transportation. Those numbers are expected to increase in fiscal year 2023.

“We are honored to be the home of the federal government’s premier cybercrime training center," says Hoover Mayor Frank V. Brocato. "We are extremely proud that law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judges come to Hoover from across the nation to learn about the latest trends in combatting crimes through technology.”

The new Classroom 7 sits in a space that was formally occupied by the City of Hoover Revenue Department. The City's Building Services staff demolished the old space and constructed the new classroom per the design provided by commercial architects, TURNERBATSON. Shelby County officials also contributed $250-thousand towards the build out of the new space.

“Shelby County and the City of Hoover have been fortunate to have the NCFI located here in our area," says Shelby County Manager, Chad Scroggins. "The graduates leave Hoover with the knowledge and equipment to return to their communities and make a significant impact in preventing crimes from occurring and solving the technical crimes that have taken place throughout our country."

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