Computer Crime Unit

The Unit consists of an OIC and three separate sub-units as follows: White Collar Crime, Computer Crime, and Digital Evidence.

The mission of the Cyber Crime Unit is threefold:
1. From an investigative perspective, to conduct and provide expert assistance to the Police Department, and other requesting statewide law enforcement (to include federal) agencies, with investigations pertaining to the criminal use of computers and related technologies. These crimes include(but are not limited to) network intrusion, identity theft, financial theft, telecommunications fraud, child exploitation, cyber stalking/harassment, child pornography over the Internet, computer tampering/”criminal hacking”, and all other incidents in which computers or devices containing digital evidence were used to accomplish or facilitate the commission of a crime.

2. From a forensic perspective, to operate a Digital Evidence Laboratory, which is certifiable according to the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/ Laboratory Accreditation Board (ACSLD/LAB) International standards and which provides thorough, timely, impartial, objective, and complete analysis of digital evidence using the best available tools and procedures.

3. From a Unit perspective, to provide training to all CPD officers and other requesting law enforcement agencies in recognizing the digital evidence potential of such items as computers, laptops, cell phones, PDA’s, fax machines, printers, digital cameras, etc. and the proper techniques of seizing, transporting, and storing these items to preserve the potential electronic evidence.

The White Collar Crime Unit is responsible for the investigation of crimes that include forgery, financial transaction card fraud, breach of trust, embezzlement, and financial identity fraud.

The Computer Crime Unit investigates those crimes involving the use of the Internet, such as intrusions, child exploitation, and cyber stalking.

The Digital Evidence Unit operates and maintains a forensic Digital Evidence Laboratory, assists CPD officers and other requesting law enforcement agencies in the seizure of digital evidence equipment, and serves as a source of information and/or instruction regarding digital forensic science. Personnel in the unit consist of Digital Evidence Analysts (responsible for the recovery, examination, analysis, and presentation of digital evidence media to the requirements of requesting investigators and/or a court of law) and a Quality Assurance Manager (responsible for developing, implementing, and certifying that the policies and procedures used by the DEU Analysts in the laboratory conform to ASCLD/LAB International standards and the mission of the Computer Crime Unit).