Intel To Pay Hillsboro Police For Crime Investigation, Prevention

But both Intel and the Hillsboro Police Department are wary of giving the impression that Intel is buying special treatment.

"We are not Intel officers," said Detective Roger Bush.

He said Intel is working in conjunction the Hillsboro police to stop a broad range of crime at high-tech companies in Washington County. Bush and Detective Matt Shannon also will be on guard for NEC, Epson and Toshiba.

But Bush acknowledged Intel is donating a large sum of money for the high-tech anti-crime effort.

"I would imagine that most of our time would be spent doing criminal investigation out there," he said.

The detectives have already opened offices in one of Intel's buildings.

Intel spokesman Bill Calder said 16 of about 9,000 employees in Washington County have been accused of crimes.

Most are internal thefts, but the company also is guarding against leaked passwords and theft of software and trade secrets.

"With our products and the value of some of our products, it can add up," said Calder, who declined to put a dollar amount on the thefts but said it was a "significant" amount.

Intel's $100,000 will cover the cost of salaries, benefits, radio and computer equipment, and travel expenses for the year that began July 1.

Hillsboro police have already saved the company many times that amount in stolen hardware.

Last October police arrested Mark Taylor, 31, a former Intel employee who is charged with stealing more than $1 million worth of microprocessors.

Police had been questioning Taylor and other employees about a separate crime when they turned up 2,039 SIMMs - Single Inline Memory Modules - in Taylor's workplace, car and home.

The chips are no bigger than a stick of gum, but they cost Intel about $500 each to make. Their retail value is about $700 each, bringing the total market value of the stolen chips to more than $1.4 million.

Taylor's trial begins Sept. 17 in Washington County Circuit Court. If convicted of the nine counts of first-degree aggravated theft he could face probation or jail time, said senior deputy district attorney Tom Tintera.

Bush, 42, and Shannon, 35, volunteered for the duty because of their experience with computers. Bush has worked with computers for a decade, and has learned how to recognize computer theft.

"I wouldn't look at this as a need to augment our own security," Calder said. "Intel does not prosecute and make arrests. This is just helping (security) do their job."

Bush said prevention will take up a large part of his efforts. He said the goal is to let Intel employees know that walking out with a processor won't be as easy as it has been.

"We know that thousands of dollars walk out their doors every day," Bush said. "They're not going to tolerate even the little thefts."

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