This year, for the third time in NDAA's history, our annual summer conference will take place outside the United States. The conference is entitled, United States and Canada: Partners in Crime-Fighting, and is being held July 18-21 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Our Canadian counterparts will be joining us for many of the sessions.

We will be meeting at a time when the globalization of crime, including the continuing threat of domestic and internal terrorism, concerns prosecutors everywhere. The need, therefore, to work closely with our nearest neighbors, both north and south of our borders, is more important than ever. Our executive committee recognized this priority when it met with Mexican prosecutors and other law enforcement officials in January 2003 in Las Cabos, Mexico, where discussions included the sensitive topic of extradition.

Globalization has changed virtually every aspect of our lives, and the field of crime is no exception. Almost three years after 9/11 and two years after creation of the cabinet-level U.S. Department of Homeland Security, there is no longer any question about the significance of international crime and its impact on our local communities.

As we all know only too well, although law enforcement is limited by geographic boundaries, criminals know no boundaries. For example, the same high-tech global communication systems that are available to governments and law-abiding businesses and individuals, are also available to criminals. Highly skilled criminals are able to reach, in nano seconds (one nano second being a billionth of a second), across seas and continents, into our offices and homes through high-speed transmission systems, including the Internet. As a result -- cybercrime. In the face of such challenges, international communication and cooperation among law enforcement agencies are no longer merely convenient or desirable options. They are essential.

In Vancouver, we will be able to network with our Canadian counterparts on crime problems that concern prosecutors on both sides of the border, especially those problems that call for international cooperation.

The American Prosecutors Research Institute (APRI) and the National College of District Attorneys (NCDA) are working on the summer conference program. The topics will include international fraud, international telemarketing, credit card fraud, white-collar crime, child pornography, drug trafficking and street gangs. There will also be presentations on management-related topics.

The Vancouver conference promises to be of topical interest to every prosecutor, and the bonus is that it will take place in one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in North America.

I look forward to seeing you there. Be sure to bring the family.