Mark Fenton is a 28-year veteran of the Vancouver Police Department (VPD). Mark retired from law enforcement in 2016 but continues to investigate OSINT files in the public sector. Mark spent 12 years in the VPD’s Computer Crime Unit and received numerous citations for his investigative work as well as being recognized at the BC Provincial Court level as an expert on social media. Mark holds a Masters in Criminal Justice, a BA Sociology and has completed countless courses in computer forensics and OSINT. Mark has been teaching OSINT to investigators across Canada for the past 15 years.
Law Enforcement Career
In his time with the VPD, Mark spent 12 years in the Technological Crimes Unit, providing crucial open-source intelligence (OSINT) in relation to a number of high-profile data breaches across North America, which resulted in the successful arrests of a number of global suspects. Mark was also instrumental in recovering approximately $600 million in compromised financial data.
Mark was considered the VPD’s in-house expert regarding Internet investigations. He was responsible for the implementation and training of all investigative sections in how to use the Internet as both a research and investigative tool, including overt and covert investigations.
Work with Other Agencies
In addition to assisting various federal and municipal law enforcement agencies across Canada and the United States, Mark has also worked closely with many other agencies:
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
- United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- United States Secret Service (USSS)
- United States Postal Inspection Service
- Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Nigeria)
Mark has also assisted the top 7 financial institutions in Canada, a number of large U.S. banks and the 4 main North American credit card companies in recovering millions of dollars’ worth of compromised data.
Lecturer & Speaker
Since 2005, Mark has been a guest lecturer and trainer at the BC Police Academy. He is also a sessional instructor at both the Justice Institute of BC and Holland College (Nova Scotia), where he teaches Internet investigative courses.
Mark is also a sought-after speaker on OSINT, and has presented at:
- PRTC (RCMP Pacific Regional Training Centre)
- IOC2 (Intelligence Conference – Washington, DC)
- BC Association of Police Boards
- POLCYB (Society for the Policing of Cyberspace)
- BCCPA (Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia)
- Lower Mainland Crown Prosecutors Symposium
- FIRMA (The Fiduciary & Investment Risk Management Association – San Antonio, TX)
Mark has also presented on OSINT and social media issues to numerous organizations within BC, including the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), the Vancouver School Board (VSB), and many business and non-profit associations.
Awards & Accolades
2016 – VPD Chief Constable’s Citation
Mark’s Citation from the Vancouver Police Department was presented:
“… for developing innovative policing techniques that have been recognized worldwide…. In 2012, Detective Constable Mark Fenton developed a [computer] script that has been used not just across Canada, but also globally, to locate suicidal people, terrorists, pedophiles, and other hard-to-locate suspects.”
2014 – VPD Deputy Chief Constable’s Unit Citation
Mark received the Unit Citation for his open-source investigative work during the 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup Riot. This was the first time that the Internet had played a crucial role in a major departmental investigation.
2016 – US Secret Service
In 2010 Mark was presented with the US Secret Service’s highest external award for investigative excellence in relation to a number of high-profile Internet Joint Forces Operations.
2006 – Canadian Bankers Law Enforcement Award
In 2006 Mark was awarded the Canadian Bankers Law Enforcement Award for outstanding cyberfraud investigations.
2005 – Nominated for the BC Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Public Safety
2004 – VPD Deputy Chief Constable’s Unit Citation – Criminal Intelligence Section
Media
Due to the numerous high-profile files that Mark has investigated, he has been interviewed by many local, national and international print media outlets (newspapers and magazines). He has also appeared on national television news magazines such as W-Five and Market Place.
For media inquiries, see https://www.cybertraining.ca/contact/.