FBI New York Hosts Seminar for Partners in International Kidnapping Cases
| FBI New York December 01, 2010 |
On Monday, November 29, 2010, the FBI New York Office’s Victims Assistance Program (VAP) hosted a seminar for law enforcement partners, members of the legal community, and social service groups titled "International Parental Kidnapping: An Investigative, Legal, and Psychological Understanding."
The one-day seminar featured presentations to represent the multifaceted aspects of international kidnappings: legal, investigative, diplomatic, and psychological. The speakers included the Honorable Philip C. Segal, Esq; Jennifer Becker, U.S. State Department; Bernice Schaul, PhD; and Supervisory Special Agent Timothy Wittman, FBI.
Presenters from Monday’s seminar pictured with FBI New York victim specialists
Photo Credit: FBI
Delivering opening remarks, Special Agent in Charge of the Criminal Division Diego Rodriguez said, “This conference was a collaborative event for all those involved in international kidnappings cases—something we do not get to do often enough. It is our intention that all of those in attendance will have a better understanding of the roles involved in these types of cases after today.”
Supervisory Special Agent Timothy Wittman presents during Monday’s seminar
Photo Credit: FBI
This was the first large seminar on international kidnappings for the VAP; however the VAP hosts seminars on other law enforcement topics annually and regularly conducts training for smaller groups. Attorneys in attendance were able to receive continuing education credits, and all participants received a certificate of attendance from the FBI Law Enforcement Training School.
VAP is responsible for ensuring that victims of crimes investigated by the FBI are afforded the opportunity to receive the services and notification as required by federal law and the Attorney General Guidelines on Victim and Witness Assistance (2005). For more information please visit the FBI's victim assistance website.
The FBI provides investigative assistance in international kidnapping cases under the International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act (IPKCA) of 1993 and the Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution (UFAP). While the FBI has no investigative jurisdiction outside the U.S., except on the high seas and other locations specifically granted by Congress, we work through our existing partnerships with international authorities through the U.S. Department of State, our legal attaché program, and Interpol. For more information please visit the FBI’s Crimes Against Children program website.