With new technology, cases and evidence can be filtered and viewed on maps and timelines, making important patterns and relationships easier to see.
trying to locate the needed codecs before he can even begin to manually piece the videos together. A comprehensive digital investigation solution solves the
media playback problem by retaining the original media fi le for evidence and automatically creating a working copy, which is then playable on any standard PC, tablet, or smart- phone browser. When video is automatically converted to a playable format, investigators can better understand the sequence of events from multiple angles, regardless of the videos’ source or format. For example, you could combine video from ATMs, and
other private CCTV cameras, and play them back in chrono- logical sequence. You can also add in other multimedia in- cluding body-worn camera video, in-car video, and 911 and radio recordings. Visualization tools allow investigators to view this comprehensive, sometimes overlapping evidence on a timeline or a map, to see how the case comes together.
Sharing Evidence:
The Hard Way or the Easy Way After evidence is collected and analyzed, the next step is to package it for the prosecution. This is where the process gets even more labor-intensive and time-consuming. All of the different pieces of evidence—interview recordings, audio re- cordings, photographs, in-car video, documents, etc.—often need to be copied in triplicate onto CDs, DVDs, or thumb drives. Then, the case evidence is painstakingly reviewed by the investigator’s supervisor. Once that’s done, the investiga- tor hand delivers the evidence to the DA. The disjointed nature of the evidence can also diminish its prosecutorial value. It’s very diffi cult for a prosecutor to piece together a coherent timeline from dozens of fi les copied onto CDs, DVDs, and thumb drives. Moreover, lacking the ben- efi t of the investigator’s analysis, the prosecutor has to wade through the materials on his own. In contrast, the digital investigation solution’s virtual case
folders make sharing simple. It’s no longer necessary to spend time copying evidence onto CDs, DVDs and thumb
Current cases can even be rolled up into one map- based view to help an investigator visualize common MOs, patterns, and traits on a geographic level.
drives, in triplicate or quadruplicate. Instead of copying evi- dence, a lead investigator can provide a collaborating detec- tive, or even his supervisor, with permissions-based access to a virtual case folder, so they can view the digital contents of the folder, and even collaborate on a case. Similarly, when it’s time to share evidence with the DA, the investigator can do so at the touch of a button, by e-mailing a read-only copy of the digital case to a secure prosecutor por- tal. The system automatically tracks who accessed the specifi c fi les and when, which ensures the evidence’s integrity and admissibility in court. Finally, the prosecutor and the jury benefi t from being able to see the big picture by viewing all of the evidence in its proper context.
Crime-Solving in the 21st Century: Using Big Data to Your Advantage Police departments everywhere are investing in digital polic- ing initiatives to better safeguard the public, but the amount of digital information generated from these disparate sources is creating a big data problem. When it comes to solving crimes, more data can be a good problem to have, but only if you have the right tools to collect, analyze, and share it. Fortunately, the technology to do this is within the reach of police departments today, so investigators can leverage all of the many sources of evidence abundantly available, and close more cases faster.
Jerry Rodriguez has been in law enforcement for nearly 30 years. He’s a graduate of the LAPD Supervisory Leadership Institute, the West Point Leadership Program, and the FBI National Academy. He worked at LAPD starting in 1986 and rose from police offi cer to Captain, and most recently served as Deputy Police Commissioner for the Baltimore Police Department. He now works as Law Enforcement Business Development Director for NICE Systems’ Public Safety Business Unit.
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