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Austin TX police to get high-tech lab, train up to 20 computer sleuths Copyright 2001 The Austin American Statesman Jonathan Osborne When the evidence is embedded in computer code, buried among invisible files or spelled out in long-deleted e-mails, computers can become the crime scene. For police, knowing how to mine a computer's hard drive for intelligence can be the key to solving a crime or preventing one. But many law enforcement agencies around the state don't have enough people trained to do that kind of sophisticated sleuthing, and there is plenty of work to be done -- even the FBI has a backlog of computers that need to be analyzed in connection with the Sept. 11 terrorism investigation. The Austin Police Department is aiming to buck that trend. Within two months, the department will put the finishing touches on a high-tech computer crime lab and begin training as many as 20 detectives in computer forensics and online investigation. "It's that arena of crime that law enforcement needs to move into," Austin police Cmdr. Duane McNeill said. "That's where the criminals are -- on the information highway -- and we need to move onto that information highway with them." Central Texas has only one certified computer forensics expert -- Detective Clif Blanchard -- and he's buried under an eight-month backlog. Blanchard spends his days in the computer lab, using special software to copy suspected criminals' hard drives bit by bit. Once he's made an exact replica, he uses programs that scour it for specific information. "If you're working a white-collar crime, an embezzlement, then you're literally going to have to go in and look at numbers," Blanchard said. "You're going to try to figure out how they hid this from whoever they stole the money from." The department's new computer training lab will be outfitted with 30 new computers and top-of-the-line equipment, most of which was donated by local high-tech companies. Training an officer in computer forensics, however, takes up to two years, depending on the officer's computer experience. For Blanchard, who spent 13 years as a computer programmer before joining the department, the process took about 13 months. "People have always committed crimes," Blanchard said. "Fifteen years ago, a narcotics dealer wouldn't have anything but a notebook to keep track of who owes them money. Nowadays, they have a computer in their living room." Computers are also used to commit crimes, not just conceal them, said Richard Li, a professor at Sam Houston State University's Criminal Justice Center. "They have hackers who try to destroy the basic infrastructure of the country . . . very basic airport communications, banking, those kind of things," he said. "We need to train more people to have the skills to deal with those types of crimes." In some cases, McNeill said, dredging through a hard drive or monitoring online activity may be the only way to discover a criminal plot -- including a terrorist plot -- before it happens. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the FBI has seized mounds of computer equipment to be analyzed, Blanchard said. Will Harrell, executive director of the Texas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said police need to be careful not to infringe on a person's rights when searching a hard drive. "We should treat computer hard drives like a filing cabinet, we should treat Internet service providers like a post office, and the same standards should apply," Harrell said. "If a police officer has a warrant to search a garage, that doesn't mean they can take the car." You may contact Jonathan Osborne at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or (512) 445-3605. ============================================================ Herbal Advisor. BUY ONE GET ONE FREE. Save up to 50% on 12,000 health supplements and vitamins. Your one stop online super store for national brands at deep discounts! http://click.topica.com/caaadVCb1dhr0b2EDp2f/HerbalAdvisor ============================================================ --via http://techPolice.com archive: http://theMezz.com/cybercrime/archive subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] --via http://theMezz.com ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?b1dhr0.b2EDp2 Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: [email protected] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
