Chicago Gets Fbi Lab Tuned To Computers
The FBI plans to open a computer forensic lab in Chicago on this month. The $2.3 million lab will have a staff of 12 initial examiners specialized in retrieving data from damaged, deleted, and encrypted files, in addition to expertise on data collection at crime scenes and evaluation of information submitted by state law enforcement agencies.
The lab will join two computer forensic labs in Dallas and San Diego, which also began operating this year. The labs are dedicated to investigating technology used in Internet-related crimes, such as virus attacks, identity theft, terrorism, and distribution of child pornography.
The Federal Trade Commission said identify theft complaints accounted for roughly 43 percent of total complaints received in 2002 and estimated that roughly 50 percent of remaining fraud complaints have some Internet link.
Most criminals try to cover their tracks by deleting or changing files containing evidence, but examiners can find deleted material by thoroughly searching the hard drive.
The success of the labs could be key to the FBI retaining its role as the country’s leading counterterrorism agency.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Chicago Tribune (02/10/03) P. 1; Tatum, Christine.
