Detectves Add High-Tech Tools To Law Enforcement Arsenal
Often behind on the technology curve, police departments are beginning to invest in the equipment and manpower to patrol the Internet for criminals. Detectives Richard Voce, of the Tacoma Police Department, and Greg Dawson, of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, man the county’s computer crimes unit.
The lab at the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department and a facility at the Washington State Patrol are the only two full-time computer forensics labs in Washington state.
In addition to patrolling the Internet for child pornographers, Dawson and Voce provide area officers with education on correct seizure of computer procedures. The detectives say a knowledge of computers and other gadgets has helped them investigate and solve a variety of cases, from emailed bomb threats to homicide.
Frank Clark with the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office recommends that departments feature at least one computer forensics detective for every 200,000 residents.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (05/07/04) P. B3; Barker, Jeffrey M.