Headline Archives |
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COMPUTER FORENSICS LABS Making a Digital Difference |
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08/18/09 | |||||||||
A domestic terrorist. A kidnapper. A corrupt politician. An identity thief. These are just of a few of those brought to justice with the help of our Regional Computer Forensics Laboratories (RCFLs), according to the latest RCFL annual report now available online. Fiscal year (FY) 2008—which ran from October 1, 2007 to September 30, 2008—marked the ninth year for the RCFL program, which had 14 labs operating around the country by the end of the fiscal year. Labs planned in Orange County, California and Albuquerque, New Mexico will soon bring the total to 16. How does the program work? We provide start-up and operational funding, training, equipment, a director, and a network administrator; state, local, and other federal law enforcement agencies supply forensic examiners to staff the lab.
RCFLs examine digital evidence in all sorts of criminal and national security cases. And the cases come from a variety of law enforcement agencies—at the local, state, and federal level. Combined, our network of labs racked up some pretty big numbers during the year. The RCFLs and their examiners:
And here a few more numbers: RCFL personnel examined 58,609 pieces of digital media of all kinds. The most popular types included CDs and hard drives (about 17,500 each); floppy disks (10,982); DVDs (4,310); flash media (2,548); and cell phones (2,226). Other items included digital cameras, GPS devices, and video and audio tapes.
But even more impressive than these statistical accomplishments were the important investigations these RCFLs supported. For instance:
The number—and storage capacity—of electronic devices seized during investigations continues to grow. During FY 2008, RCFLs processed 27 percent more terabytes of data than they did during FY 2007. But as the workload grows, so does our commitment to developing effective solutions with our federal, state, and local partners. Visit the RCFL website for more information on the overall program and on individual laboratories. Resources: |