Cell phone data aids investigations
CRANBERRY TWP — Township police have begun using new technology that unlocks suspects’ cell phones and gives police access to text messages, pictures and other data to be used in investigations.
Lt. Kevin Meyer said that his department has been using the program called Cellebrite to assist in investigations.
The program, which was bought by Butler County District Attorney Rich Goldinger last year, can be used by any department in the county, but it is used primarily by Cranberry because of its size.
Meyer said his department uses the program on a weekly basis, although he couldn’t estimate how many cases Cellebrite has helped solve in the past year.
Regardless of the numbers, Meyer said the program is extremely useful in helping law enforcement officials in investigations.
“There’s a vast amount of information we can get out of these phones, and a lot of times the data we extract can make or break a case,” Meyer said. “It can either convict or exonerate someone.”
Meyer said anyone arrested by the department is subject to a cell phone search after a warrant is obtained. The Cellebrite program immediately bypasses passwords and other security measures to get to the data inside, data that can be used as evidence in investigations.
“We recognized, and the district attorney recognized, that this program was something we needed,” Meyer said.
However, the program would be useless without trained professionals working to extract the data from the phones. That’s where township employee Jeff Gooch comes in.
Gooch, who serves as a desktop administrator in the technology department, is trained to work the machine and to decipher the information it uncovers.
One detective in the department is trained in a similar fashion, Gooch said, so the police only call for Gooch’s services when a more complicated issue arises.
Regardless, the world of technology is ever-changing, and the Cellebrite program is just one way that law enforcement is adapting to that change, he said.
“We’re seeing a big shift in regards to people moving toward mobile connectivity and technology,” Gooch said. “It used to be just desktop computers, but that’s not the case anymore.”
The Cellebrite program isn’t hard to use if a law enforcement official is trained properly, Gooch continued.
“There are aspects that are very easy to use for the general user,” he said. “But there’s also more advanced stuff.”
Goldinger said the entire program cost about $13,000 to buy and implement, money that is well-spent given how frequently it is used.
“Let’s face it, drug dealers don’t use pay phones anymore,” he said. “It’s been extremely helpful for us in terms of prosecuting cases.”
For his part, Cranberry manager Jerry Andree said it’s no surprise local police have started using this kind of technology to fight crime.
“Technology encompasses everything we do today,” he said.
