Investigating Crimes Involving Technology

It is more and more common for law enforcement officers to find suspects using technology to facilitate crimes. Fortunately many of the suspects do not fully understand just how much information about their criminal behaviors has been stored inside that battery-operated thingamajig they've been using. Unfortunately, law enforcement sometimes doesn't understand it either.

To help educate the good guys (law enforcement), the US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs has published a 169-page technology primer titled Investigative Uses of Technology: Devices, Tools, and Techniques. The introduction to the document notes:

This special report is intended to be a resource to any law enforcement personnel (investigators, first responders, detectives, prosecutors, etc.)who may have limited or no experience with technology-related crimes or with the tools or techniques available to investigate those crimes. It is not all inclusive. Rather, it deals with the most common techniques, devices, and tools encountered.

In addition to its value for investigators, this report is also a wealth of information for authors who write about crime, particulary technology-related crime.