"Identity Theft"

Just as we secure our homes from burglars seeking to physically break-in and steal our most valuable possessions, we must be equally vigilant in the 21st Century at protecting the valuable information stored on our computers from cybercriminals who constantly attempt to break-in by means of the Internet.  And, just as we can deter most burglars from raiding our homes by making it more impenetrable than our neighbors, we can do the same when it comes to erecting defenses against identity thieves and other cybercriminals.

The first line of defense in Internet security is cybercrime awareness.  By being aware of the various methods cybercriminals use to penetrate your computer and steal your personal information, you will increase the odds that you won’t be a victim of identity theft or other forms of cybercrime.

Speaker Kirk Torgensen

Chief Deputy

Utah Attorney General’s Office

I was appointed the Chief Deputy in January of 2001.  I knew Mark Shurtleff before because I hired him into the AG office years before.  We both left the AG office for other endeavors but when he was elected AG in November of 2000 he asked me to come back to the office with him as a Chief Deputy.

I was admitted into the Utah State Bar in August 1986, after graduating from the University of Utah Law School, I immediately joined the United States Air Force as a Judge Advocate and was stationed in Germany.  During my tour in Germany I focused primarily on criminal prosecution and criminal defense work.  This included over forty jury trials in venues located throughout Europe.  After leaving the Air Force in 1990, I joined the Utah State Attorney General ’s Office in the Criminal Appeals Division.  After eight months in this position I was promoted to Section Chief over the Civil Rights section. I served four years in that capacity, and then was selected from among eleven applicants to develop and supervise the first money laundering and racketeering unit in the State of Utah.  During that same period, I also tried two death penalty cases resulting in convictions. 

In 1998, I was appointed by Governor Michael O. Leavitt to be the Director of the Adult Probation and Parole, where I was responsible for supervision of 500+ employees and a budget of over 35 million dollars.  The agency was responsible for supervision of over 15,000 offenders in Utah.  In January 2001, I was appointed by newly elected Attorney General of Utah to be the Chief Deputy of the Utah Attorney General ’s Office.

I have been honored in that capacity for various achievements, including a recent award as the outstanding contributor to Law Enforcement in Utah by the Utah Police Chief’s Association.  I have also been awarded the Nelson Kempsky Award by the Conference of Western Attorneys General as Outstanding Leader and Manager of the Year for 2005-06.

I have a long-standing commitment to quality training for Utah peace officers, and have appeared regularly over the last 16 years as an instructor for Police Officer Standards and Training, Utah Narcotics Officers Association and Utah Prosecution Council.  I am an adjunct professor for both Weber State University and the University of Utah, where I teach Public Administration and the law.