I recognize how serious a problem identity theft has become, and the how it can impact its victims in so many different ways, which is why I'm proud that Alameda is the first county in the nation to create an Identity Theft Council.

The goal of the non-profit council is to help our police departments and other law enforcement agencies to provide greater support to victims of identity theft in our community, by providing them with free access to recognized identity theft experts and trained identity theft counselors.

These experts and counselors have volunteered their time to help victims navigate their way through the often complex and long lasting crime of identity theft, and to help achieve the best possible outcome for victims.

My hope is that not only will this exciting program help residents and businesses in our community, it will serve as a model and example that can be adopted by communities across America, so that by working together, sharing expertise, and supporting our citizens, we can make our communities less vulnerable to this crime.

Nancy O'Malley

District Attorney

Alameda County