LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Examiners at the FBI's Regional Computer Forensic Lab (RCFL) have a job of precision, as they use high-tech tools to break down digital devices to their elements, and find evidence to use in criminal court.
"Phones now are in everybody's hand," Andrew Burden, director of the agency in Louisville, said. "Pretty much every investigation has a phone in it."
The eight examiners at the computer lab located on the University of Louisville's Shelby Campus do tedious work, digging through electronics for criminal evidence.
"Every case has some fingerprint of digital evidence," Burden said.
The agency looks for digital evidence, such as on smartphones or laptops, and uses it for criminal prosecutions.
"Just getting to that data is challenge number one," Burden said. "When we get to that data, challenge number two is just processing that data."
Burden said many of the cases they deal with are child sexual abuse material, homicides and drug related crimes.
He said under search warrants, they get over 400 phones a year for processing.
"They're able to tell a story about who was behind the keyboard and help provide that picture to the court," Burden said.
The Louisville Metro Police Department is one of the many agencies they partner with.
"Digital evidence is the way of the future," LMPD Chief Paul Humphrey said. "As technology progresses, we have to keep up with the ability to solve crimes with the use of technology."
Humphrey told WHAS11 that digital forensics are crucial for prosecuting crimes in the city -- especially for child sexual abuse material crimes, which the RCFL said is the biggest crime they deal with.
"Those are cases that are so critical because you have innocent victims that need to be protected," Humphrey said. "So making use of this type of tool in investigations is imperative for us."
The two agencies agree: as technology advances, law enforcement adapts.
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