In 2022 President George W. Bush announced the National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace and one of the biggest initiatives at the time to encourage all Americans to work together to help secure the nation’s critical infrastructure.
The strategy was unveiled in the San Francisco bay area and in response, the bay area city of Walnut Creek (pop.64,000) announced the launch of the nation’s very first Cyber Secure City.
Led by Neal O’Farrell, the initiative was launched in 2003 with the slogan Think Security First! and as part of that initiative the entire city – residents, businesses, schools, even the Mayor, city council, and police department – participated in extensive security awareness training for an entire year.
Partners in the yearlong initiative included Microsoft, Cisco, McAfee, and AT&T, and it received the endorsement of the US Chamber of Commerce, the Department of Homeland Security, and the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Inc. (ISC)².
As a result of the initiative Neal was invited to advise the Federal Communications Commission’s Cybersecurity Roundtable which resulted in the creation of the Commission’s first Small Biz Cyber Planner.
THE IDENTITY THEFT COUNCIL
One of the country’s first community based initiatives to combat one of America’s biggest crime epidemics.
IN THE COMPANY OF THIEVES
One of the first documentaries to go inside the world of identity thieves, the prosecutors who chase them, and the victims they leave behind.
OPERATION STOP IT
Led by Neal O’Farrell, the first major crackdown on identity theft by America’s police chiefs.