MEDIA CONTACTS: 
Joan Ziemba 
(703) 726-3651; jziemba@gwu.edu
Halimah Celestine
(202) 994-3087; halimah@gwu.edu
Donald Gabbin
(703) 726-3647; donald.gabbin@ijis.org

GW AND THE IJIS INSTITUTE TO HOST PRESENTATION ON THE ROLE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST VIOLENT CRIME
FEB. 28, 2007

Inaugural Event Explores "Murder in New Orleans - the Breakdown of a Justice System" and Announces New Certificate Program for Justice and Public Safety in Information Technology

EVENT: 

The George Washington University Virginia Campus will host a panel discussion "Murder in New Orleans - the Breakdown of a Justice System," with a keynote address by Peter Scharf, research professor of criminal justice and executive director of the Center for Society, Law and Justice at Texas State University. The discussion will explore the impact, importance, and impediments to the use of information technology in the fight against violent crime. The panelists include Morgan Wright, global industry solutions manager, Justice and Public Safety, Cisco Systems, Inc.; Kshemendra Paul, chief enterprise architect, U.S. Department of Justice; and J. Patrick McCreary, associate deputy director for policy, Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice. Paul Wormeli, executive director of the IJIS Institute, will moderate the discussion. James Hahn, GW professor of computer science, will overview the new graduate certificate in IT for Justice and Public Safety.

WHEN: Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2007, 7 - 9 p.m.

WHERE:

 The George Washington University Virginia Campus
 University Center
 20101 Academic Way, Room 101
 Ashburn, Virginia 20147

RSVP: 

This event is free and open to the public. Please visit www.gwvirginia.gwu.edu/IJIS or call (703) 726-3650 to register. Media are welcome and should register for this event.
 

BACKGROUND:

GW's graduate certificate in IT for Justice and Public Safety provides a focused skill set for professionals in these fields who want to lend their IT technical expertise to fight crime and terrorism. The 15-credit certificate teaches students how to apply computer science technology to meet the needs of data sharing, interoperability, data management, and security in the field of law enforcement and justice. The certificate may be applied towards a master's degree in computer science, telecommunications, and computers, or engineering management.
 
 Scharf is a nationally recognized expert on criminal justice training, technology, and education, and founded the Center for Society, Law, and Justice originally at the University of New Orleans. His keynote address will examine the relationship between investment in criminal justice technologies and the control of murder rates in U.S cities. Using New Orleans as a case study on rising murder rates, he will explore the effect investment in IT infrastructure may have in the reversal of this trend. Scharf also will profile several information technology initiatives that have successfully resulted in a reduction of violent crime in other metropolitan areas.

The IJIS Institute is a non-profit corporation comprising nearly 200 private companies involved in the development and implementation of public safety and justice information systems. The mission of IJIS is to apply the expertise of industry to assist the justice and public safety community in the innovative and effective use of technologies to better share information in a way that benefits industry, the public sector, and society as a whole.

The George Washington University Virginia Campus is the region's fastest-growing research and technology campus with graduate degree programs and centers of excellence focusing on transportation safety and security, professional and executive education, and information technology and telecommunications. The 95-acre campus is located in University Center in Ashburn, Va., near the Dulles technology corridor.

For more information about the IJIS Institute, visit www.ijis.org.
For more information about the GW Virginia Campus, visit www.gwvirginia.gwu.edu.
For more information about GW, visit the GW News Center at www.gwnewsceneter.org.

-GW-