Warsaw Police Det. Jordan Foreman prepares to extract information from a cell phone for an investigation.
A mobile society has caused police agencies to adapt in their investigation techniques. Warsaw Police Department has taken that step to stay on top of today’s technology.
Earlier this year Warsaw City Board of Public Works approved for Warsaw Det. Jordan Foreman to not only receive training in digital forensics, but to purchase the equipment he will need for that task.
Digital forensics is the extraction of information from mobile devices as well as computers. Using the same technology as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Indiana State Police, information pertinent to an investigation can be located, extracted and used in court. It can also provide investigatory information for officers.
While the technology has been available for a number of years, there has been a back log of waiting for the information to become available. Foreman noted Indiana State Police Crime Lab was one of a few agencies that could perform the digital forensics for cities such as Warsaw. “The problem is they are backed logged and an officer is often not there to explain what is needed, or the technician available to explain the findings. Now the officer can tell me what they are looking for and go from there.”
Fort Wayne and South Bend police departments also have officers trained and the equipment to provide digital forensic work, however, they mainly support their own departments.
Jordan Foreman shows some of the tools of the trade, which include various cables and connectors.
Digital forensics is not something for a person who has no knowledge of the workings of a computer. Foreman has always been good with computers and has assisted the department in the IT area, as well as with social media investigations. “It morphed into a passion and criminal investigation,” he said.
What Foreman is now able to do with the program of Cellbrite is to look at any mobile device: USB drives, Macbooks, tables, cell phones, regardless of the suppliers of the mobile devices, and extract whatever evidence is needed by an investigating officer. The method to extract the information will stand up in court.
“We can’t rely on outside services,” he said. “So we decided to do it internally. It’s as quick as real time gathering.” If an individual gives an investigating officer permission to extract information from a mobile device, that device can be returned within hours. If a court order is necessary, that device cannot be released until the court allows the release.
Foreman stated it can take 15 minutes to all day to extract information, depending on the device and the system used in that device. “There are thousands of systems (on mobile devices and only a few for computers) and there are different steps,” he said noting programs for mobile devices are constantly changing. But he has the ability extract information regardless of the program. He also has a network group, ranging from Florida to Michigan and other states he can bounce ideas, suggestions and solutions off of, because they all have the same program.