New US Computer Forensic Institute

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.

Comments

So, they have computers in Alabama now?

[Kenja]

Queue the banjo music.

Re:So, they have computers in Alabama now?

[PPH]

We also have Huntsville, where all of our nice NASA research goes on.

On advanced technologies for converting between feet and meters, no doubt.

Sounds like a near-impossible task

[26199]

Figuring out what happened in a computer system months after the fact is not easy. Most programmers have more than enough trouble figuring out what exactly happened in their own programs thirty seconds ago.

Still -- not to say it's a bad idea. You have to start somewhere...

More of the same

[HomelessInLaJolla]

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.

Re:I wonder.

[__aaclcg7560]

A friend of mine got a job with the FBI as a network technician. He carries a badge and gun with his networking gear. I guess the gun is needed for those rare occasions when troubleshooting gets out of hand.

Re:I wonder.

[lawpoop]

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

They need two separate education tracks

[MikeRT]

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.

The other side

[Target Drone]

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

What about defense attorneys?

Re:The other side

[StewedSquirrel]

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

Super Computers?

[commisaro]

But will this computers have the ubiquitous CSI "Picture Enhance" feature?

Re:I wonder.

[Stephen Tennant]

"Oh officer, you're going to arrest me? Please, just take a look in this box first..."

Officer, sweating, gulping, "Is that what I think it is?"

"That's right, and if this crate of mint condition, first edition gold-embossed Call of Cthulu sets were to disappear, I'm sure no one would mind too much, as these things tend to happen..."