Analysis of technology now key to investigations

Analysis of technology now key to investigations

"BLOOMINGTON -- Bloomington Detective Mike Fazio remembers a former police chief and his thoughts about the prospects of technology in law enforcement.

"I remember him saying that we don't need computers and computers would never be a major part of law enforcement in Bloomington," said Fazio, a 28-year department veteran.
Today, more than 300 million computers are threaded into U.S. life, available at home, work, public places and on most cell phones.

The BPD Cyber Crime Unit started in late 2004 with a single computer and a laptop. But even within the department, its use was unclear until it became key in a 2008 case that hit far too close to home.

"The interesting thing ... is that up until then, the department didn't understand what we were doing with digital forensics," Fazio said. "It's difficult to demonstrate what we do or explain the benefits. Digital forensics is basically a new frontier, and the Bloomington Police Department had no idea that technology like this was even possible."