NASHVILLE (WATE) - The state has formed a new investigative unit to help fight the increase in identity theft and related crimes.
The newly formed Identity Crimes Unit is made up of employees from three divisions of the Department of Safety and Homeland Security: Tennessee Highway Patrol, Office of Homeland Security and Driver Services Division.
The U.S. Secret Service Nashville and Memphis field offices; Homeland Security Investigations, under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; and the FBI Memphis division, are supporting the Identity Crimes Unit in investigations that may have federal ties.
Officials said the new unit is the direct result of the department's top-to-bottom review requested last year by Gov. Bill Haslam.
According to the Consumer Sentinel Network, a date base used by law enforcement to collect consumer complaints, in 2011 there were 4,275 complaints of identity theft filed in Tennessee. That's compared to 4,175 in 2010.
"Identity crimes are a growing part of our crime problem, and many local law enforcement agencies struggle with investigating these cases," said Safety Commissioner Bill Gibbons.
The Identity Crimes Unit provides support to local law enforcement when it's requested, but it will consider several factors to determine the level of involvement.
Some of those factors include: fraudulent use of a driver license; a nexus to homeland security issues; cooperation of victims; violation of Tennessee's felony theft law; the number, financial amount, and frequency of transactions; and referral from a federal agency. Investigators and staff assigned to the Identity Crimes Unit have been training for months to increase skills in the area of identity crimes and collect best practices for this type of investigating from other states.
The unit has created a resource kit for identity theft victims and posted it on the Department of Safety website.
Investigators will also participate in programs and events to encourage awareness of identity theft, distribute materials to help safeguard against the crimes and encourage the public to take proactive steps to reduce the impact.
