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New US Computer Forensic Institute

Posted by kdawson on from the bits-of-evidence dept.

Quincy writes "The DHS and Secret Service are setting up a new computer forensic institute in Alabama. Set to open in mid-2008, the new National Computer Forensic Institute will be able to train over 900 law enforcement officers per year. 'It will initially be staffed by 18 Secret Service agents and will feature classrooms, a forensic laboratory, an evidence vault, and server rooms. Courses will be offered in the investigation of electronic crimes, network intrusion investigation, and computer forensics... [T]he Secret Service says that it will help to bring judges and prosecutors up to speed as well.'" Maybe over time we'll see fewer botches of justice like those in the news recently.

8 of 131 comments (clear)

  1. More of the same by HomelessInLaJolla · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The Secret Service has tried to produce aids like their "Best practices for seizing electronic evidence", and the National Institute of Justice has published its guide to "Digital Evidence in the Courtroom", but the need for more advanced training has been obvious in numerous recent cases This will consist mostly of practicing the correct SOP for the using the forklift to cart out every single piece of computer equipment on the site. I sincerely doubt that they'll be teaching any discretionary tactics or give up their current practice of confiscating everything in sight.
    --
    the NPG electrode was replaced with carbon blac
  2. Huh? by zappepcs · · Score: 2, Insightful

    FTFS: " Set to open in mid-2008, the new National Computer Forensic Institute will be able to train over 900 law enforcement officers per year. 'It will initially be staffed by 18 Secret Service agents and will feature classrooms, a forensic laboratory, an evidence vault, and server rooms. "

    Holy fsck! A full year from now? In a year computers will have changed enough to cause this to falter badly from the start! It will take only one worm of the right design, one change to hard drive technology, one of any number of things to change the virtual face of computer forensics. That change could happen next week. This taking over a year to put in production doesn't sound even close to flexible enough to accomplish the stated goals!

    --
    Support NYCountryLawyer RIAA vs People
    1. Re:Huh? by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Not to worry - this is brought to you by the Department of Homeland Security, whose charter is "spend all our budget on grants, ask for more next year", and whose primary product is press releases. Nothing to see here, move along.

      --
      No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
  3. Re:I wonder. by lawpoop · · Score: 4, Insightful

    My hope is that more computer science majors go into law enforcement.

    --
    Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.
    -- Pablo Picasso
  4. They need two separate education tracks by MikeRT · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Police investigators need much more than the theory, they need indepth coverage of the practices. Prosecutors and judges need more of the theory, the pros and cons, etc. A prosecutor doesn't need to know how to hunt down a trojan horse, but should be able to look at a police report and for the most part completely grok the methods the police used as a knowledgeable reader. Same with the judge.

  5. The other side by Target+Drone · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The Secret Service says that it will help to bring judges and prosecutors up to speed as well.'"

    What about defense attorneys?

    1. Re:The other side by StewedSquirrel · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Damn good point.

      But since the prosecutorial state is interested in prosecuting and sentencing as many people as possible for as long as possible, they have no incentive to actually DEFEND people... I guarantee the tone of these classes is "how to get more convictions".... where it should be "how to better determine the truth".

      "How can we make an airtight case against the 15 year old who made a porno of his girlfriend?"

      mmmmhmmm

      --
      There are 10 kinds of people in the world. Those who understand binary and those who don't.
    2. Re:The other side by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      IAACFI (I am a computer forensic investigator).

      I was told that if I ever work for the defense in a criminal trial I will be banned from the main professional organization the HTCIA (High Tech Crime Investigation Association).

      I replied that doesn't make sense... in this country the accused are innocent until proven guilty, thus working for the defense is working for the innocent until proven otherwise. I said this rule and the attitude behind it assumes that everyone who has been accused is guilty. Doesn't it serve everyone to have a forensic investigator examine the data and reveal the facts?

      I was told to drop the subject.

      I usually don't post anonymously but in this case it might be prudent.