Digital forensics is collecting and analyzing digital data to uncover clues useful for criminal investigations. It involves extracting information from electronic devices like computers, tablets, and smartphones potentially involved in a crime.
With the widespread use of technology, digital forensics has become crucial for solving many property crimes today. Below, a Nashville property crimes defense lawyer explains how this works.
How Digital Forensics Is Used
Digital forensics plays a crucial role in investigating property crimes today. As most of our lives have gone digital, criminals often leave behind a digital footprint.
Examining suspects’ digital devices like computers, phones, and tablets can provide key evidence. Investigators can recover messages, photos, browsing history, and location data that links a suspect to the crime scene or stolen goods.
Recovering Deleted Data
Even if a suspect deletes incriminating files or messages, forensic tools can recover deleted data. Specialized software can dig deep into a device’s storage and undelete photos, texts, emails, and more that the average person would assume is gone forever.
Establishing Timelines and Relationships
By analyzing a suspect’s digital communications and activity, investigators can establish timelines of where the suspect was and what they were doing around the time of the crime. They can also discover relationships between multiple suspects through their online interactions and communications.
Types of Digital Evidence in Property Crimes
When investigating property crimes, digital forensics experts look for specific types of evidence on electronic devices that can help identify suspects or link them to the crime.
Internet Search History
A suspect’s internet search history can reveal incriminating evidence, like searches for how to disable an alarm system or break into certain property types. Investigators analyze browser history, bookmarks, and cached web pages to build a timeline of the suspect’s online activity leading up to the crime.
GPS Location Data
Most smartphones and some tablets and laptops log GPS coordinates that pinpoint exactly where the device has been. Investigators can generate maps and reports from GPS data showing the device’s location and travel path before, during, and after the property crime. This location evidence can be crucial for establishing a suspect’s opportunity and access to the crime scene.
Messaging & Social Media
Private messages, texts, posts, and comments on social media platforms often contain clues about criminal plans or activity. Suspects may brag about their crime or make cryptic references that seem innocuous to their friends but incriminating to investigators.
Challenges of Using Digital Forensics in Property Crimes
Many local law enforcement agencies have limited resources to dedicate to digital forensics for property crimes. Analyzing digital evidence requires specialized training, software, and equipment, which can be expensive. For smaller police departments, it may not make financial sense to develop robust digital forensics capabilities, especially for lower-level offenses.
Huge Volume of Data
Today’s digital devices can store an enormous amount of data—more than any human could sift through manually. Analyzing all this data requires sophisticated tools and techniques to filter out irrelevant information and identify key evidence.
Legal Restrictions
Law enforcement must follow proper legal procedures when accessing and analyzing digital evidence to ensure it can be used in court. They need a valid warrant to search a suspect’s electronic devices and must avoid violating their constitutional rights. If these protocols are not followed precisely, any evidence found could be ruled inadmissible.
Contact a Nashville Property Crimes Lawyer for Guidance
Digital forensics itself is a legal process, but how the evidence is obtained and used in court is carefully regulated. Proper procedures must be followed to collect and analyze digital evidence legally.
If you have questions or concerns about how digital forensics is used in your case, call a Nashville property crimes attorney today at 615-857-3318.
