By the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Colleagues of Special Agent Daniel Alfin remember the time he wouldn’t leave the water.
Alfin donned a wet suit and dove into Florida’s Lake Lelia in murky conditions, searching for a cell phone that investigators hoped would help them find clues in a child’s death.
Hours after other divers had left the water in August 2020, Alfin was still there. The water was only a few feet deep, so he could breathe. Alfin was so tall that agents could see his head bobbing up and down as he searched.
“He’d say, ‘I’ll go another pass,’” said Special Agent Wende Bardfeld, leader of the FBI Miami Underwater Search and Rescue Team (USERT). “He was so determined. He just would not get out of that water.”
It’s a story that reminds his colleagues of his quiet, unwavering commitment to protecting children. That’s exactly what he and his colleague Special Agent Laura Schwartzenberger were doing when they were shot and killed by a suspect in a ‘Crimes Against Children’ investigation on February 2, 2021.
They were trying to enter his home in Sunrise, Florida, with a court-ordered search warrant.
(Learn more on the lives of the special agents who died doing what they “loved to do to keep the American people safe.” Courtesy of CBS Miami and YouTube. Posted on Feb 2, 2021.)
Schwartzenberger was similarly passionate about protecting kids. In addition to her regular duties, she frequently spoke at local schools, encouraging children to stay safe online.
“She always volunteered to take on any type of mission,” said Special Agent Alejandro Galeano.
“Laura was just very involved. She was so good in her interactions with kids and other people. No matter how hard things were, she was always smiling, always laughing. She made everyone at ease.”
Alfin and Schwartzenberger did some of the hardest jobs the FBI has to offer.
Besides investigating emotionally taxing violent crimes against children cases, Schwartzenberger and Alfin were both members of Miami’s USERT, or dive team, which is one of the most dangerous jobs in the Bureau.
Last week, to mark the first anniversary of the agents’ deaths, the office’s staff planted a Royal Poinciana tree next to a lake on the field office’s property. They also placed a memorial wreath on a plaque in front of the office.
And in a nod to both agents’ shared passion for fitness, field office personnel took part in several group workouts, including an elaborate fitness obstacle course that involved wall climbing, car pushing, and running.
They did a workout known as “Laura’s WOD”—or workout of the day—that required pushups and jumping over rowers in 80-degree Florida heat.
(On the one-year anniversary of the deaths of Special Agents Dan Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger, FBI Miami Field Office personnel honored their fallen colleagues, including by taking part in several group workouts in a nod to the two agents’ shared passion for fitness. Courtesy of the FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation and YouTube. Posted on Feb 11, 2022.)
A year after the loss of Alfin and Schwartzenberger, the FBI’s Miami Field Office is still grieving, but moving forward—determined to forever honor their fallen colleagues’ memories and live up to the high standards they set.
“They were such hard workers to begin with, so those days when it’s tough, we just want to be able to perform at their level,” Galeano said.
“We just move forward knowing that their mission was to protect children and to find and recover evidence in austere environments underwater, we want to do that too. And I believe the rest of the office wants to do that as well. It helps us to move forward.”
They find solace in hard work—the office is as busy as ever—and leaning on each other.
Special Agent Heather McPherson, who served with Alfin and Schwartzenberger on the dive team, said immediately after their deaths, she only found comfort in spending time with others on the dive team, who knew them as well as she did.
“Our first dive job after the event happened, the lack of their presence was definitely known. But everybody being together and continuing on together really helps the healing process,” she said.
As for Alfin and Schwartzenberger’s teammates on their violent crimes against children squad, they are also leaning on each other and into the work.
“We lost coworkers, we lost friends, but what the families lost is irreplaceable,” said Supervisory Special Agent Christina Bedford.
“We try to remember them, with the ceremonies that we did this week, to show the families that we’ll never forget.”
“There’s just nothing we can say or do to bring them back. We can only hope to carry on their legacy moving forward.”
Courtesy of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), originally posted at https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/fbi-miami-marks-anniversary-of-fallen-agents-alfin-and-schwartzenberger-021122.
Editor’s note:
Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families of Special Agents Alfin and Schwartzenberger, both blood and blue. Thank you for your bravery and commitment to safeguarding the children of our great nation.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Recognized in 2020 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program
American Security Today’s Annual ‘ASTORS’ Awards is the preeminent U.S. Homeland Security Awards Program, and now entering it’s Seventh Year, continues to recognize industry leaders of Physical and Border Security, Cybersecurity, Emergency Preparedness – Management and Response, Law Enforcement, First Responders, as well as federal, state and municipal government agencies in the acknowledgment of their outstanding efforts to Keep our Nation Secure.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Excellence in Homeland Security
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The IC3 serves as the FBI’s central hub to receive, develop, and refer criminal complaints regarding the rapidly expanding occurrences of Internet crime
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IC3 provides the public with a reliable and convenient reporting mechanism to submit reports of suspected Internet-facilitated criminal activity and to develop alliances with law enforcement and industry partners.
(Actress Kirsten Vangsness, who plays tech-savvy FBI analyst Penelope Garcia on the show Criminal Minds, is promoteing the awareness of Internet crimes and scams and encourages the public to report suspected criminal cyber activity to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Courtesy of the FBI and YouTube.)
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Information is analyzed and disseminated for investigative and intelligence purposes to law enforcement and for public awareness.
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Since 2000, the IC3 has received complaints crossing the spectrum of cyber crime matters, to include online fraud in its many forms including intellectual property rights (IPR) matters, computer intrusions (hacking), economic espionage (theft of trade secrets), online extortion, international money laundering, identity theft, and a growing list of Internet facilitated crimes.
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It has become increasingly evident that, regardless of the label placed on a cyber crime matter, the potential for it to overlap with another referred matter is substantial.
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IC3 develops leads and notifies law enforcement agencies at the federal, state, local and international level.
The Annual ‘ASTORS’ Awards highlight the most cutting-edge and forward-thinking security solutions coming onto the market today, to ensure our readers have the information they need to stay ahead of the competition and keep our Nation safe – one facility, street, and city at a time.
AST Honors Thomas Richardson, FDNY Chief of Department; Dr. Kathleen Kiernan, President of NEC National Security Systems; and Richard Blatus, FDNY Assistant Chief of Operations, at the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Luncheon at ISC East.
The United States was forever changed 20 years ago on September 11th, and we were fortunate to have many of those who responded to those horrific tragedies join us at the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Luncheon.
In the days that followed 9/11, the critical needs of protecting our country catapulted us into new and innovative ways to secure our homeland – which is how many of the agencies and enterprise organizations that are today ‘ASTORS’ Awards Champions, came into being.
Our keynote speaker featured a moving and informative address from TSA Administrator and Vice-Admiral of the United States Coast Guard (Ret), David Pekoske; to our attendees who traveled from across the United States and abroad, on the strategic priorities of the 64,000 member TSA workforce in securing the transportation system, enabling safe, and in many cases, contactless travel.
Legendary Police Commissioner William Bratton of the New York Police Department, the Boston Police Department, and former Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department was also live at the event, meeting with attendees and signing copies of his latest work ‘The Profession: A Memoir of Community, Race, and the Arc of Policing in America,’ courtesy of the generosity of our 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Premier Sponsors.
The 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program was Proudly Sponsored by AMAROK, Fortior Solutions and SIMS Software, along with Returning Premier Sponsors ATI Systems, Attivo Networks, Automatic Systems, and Reed Exhibitions.
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2022 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards at https://americansecuritytoday.com/ast-awards/.
Comprehensive List of Categories Include:
| Access Control/ Identification | Personal/Protective Equipment | Law Enforcement Counter- Terrorism |
| Perimeter Barrier/ Deterrent System | Interagency Interdiction Operation | Cloud Computing/Storage Solution |
| Facial/IRIS Recognition | Body Worn Video Product | Cyber Security |
| Video Surveillance/VMS | Mobile Technology | Anti-Malware |
| Audio Analytics | Disaster Preparedness | ID Management |
| Thermal/Infrared Camera | Mass Notification System | Fire & Safety |
| Metal/Weapon Detection | Rescue Operations | Critical Infrastructure |
| License Plate Recognition | Detection Products | COVID Innovations |
| Workforce Management | Government Security Programs | And Many Others to Choose From! |
Don’t see a Direct Hit for your Product, Agency or Organization?
Submit your category recommendation for consideration to Michael Madsen, AST Publisher at: mmadsen@americansecuritytoday.com.
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The traditional security marketplace has long been covered by a host of publications putting forward the old school basics to what is Today – a fast-changing security landscape.
American Security Today is uniquely focused on the broader Homeland Security & Public Safety marketplace with over 75,000 readers at the Federal, State, and local levels of government as well as firms allied to the government.
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‘PROTECTING OUR NATION, ONE CITY AT A TIME’
AST Reaches both Private & Public Experts, essential to meeting these new challenges.
Today’s new generation of public safety and security experts need real-time knowledge to deal with domestic and international terrorism, lone wolf attacks, unprecedented urban violence, shifts in society, culture, and media bias – making it increasingly difficult for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, First Responders, Military and Private Security Professionals to implement coordinated security measures to ensure national security and improve public safety.
These experts are from Government at the federal, state, and local level as well as from private firms allied to the government.
AST provides a full plate of topics in our AST Monthly Magazine Editions, AST Website, and AST Daily News Alerts, covering 23 Vital Sectors such as Access Control, Perimeter Protection, Video Surveillance/Analytics, Airport Security, Border Security, CBRNE Detection, Border Security, Ports, Cybersecurity, Networking Security, Encryption, Law Enforcement, First Responders, Campus Security, Security Services, Corporate Facilities, and Emergency Response among others.
AST has Expanded readership into integral Critical Infrastructure audiences such as Protection of Nuclear Facilities, Water Plants & Dams, Bridges & Tunnels, and other potential targets of terrorism.
Other areas of concern include Transportation Hubs, Public Assemblies, Government Facilities, Sporting & Concert Stadiums, our Nation’s Schools & Universities, and Commercial Business Destinations – all enticing targets due to the large number of persons and resources clustered together.
(See just a few highlights of American Security Today’s 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Presentation Luncheon at ISC East. Courtesy of My Pristine Images and Vimeo.)
To learn more about ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Award Winners solutions, please see the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ CHAMPIONS Edition Fully Interactive Magazine – the Best Products of 2021 ‘A Year in Review’.
The Annual CHAMPIONS edition includes a review of Annual ‘ASTORS’ Award Winning products and programs, highlighting key details on many of the winning firm’s products and services, including video interviews and more.
It serves as your Go-To Source throughout the year for ‘The Best of 2021 Products and Services‘ endorsed by American Security Today, and can satisfy your agency’s and/or organization’s most pressing Homeland Security and Public Safety needs.
From Physical Security (Access Control, Critical Infrastructure, Perimeter Protection, and Video Surveillance Cameras and Video Management Systems), to IT Security (Cybersecurity, Encryption, Data Storage, Anti-Malware and Networking Security – Just to name a few), the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ CHAMPIONS EDITION has what you need to Detect, Delay, Respond to, and Mitigate today’s real-time threats in our constantly evolving security landscape.
It also includes featured guest editorial pieces from some of the security industry’s most respected leaders, and recognized firms in the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program.
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For a complete list of 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Award Winners, begin HERE.
For more information on All Things American Security Today, as well as the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program, please contact Michael Madsen, AST Publisher at mmadsen@americansecuritytoday.com.
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