Of all the search tips and tricks we have covered for law enforcement, it turns out that many officers are turning instead to what most suspects carry in their pockets – their smartphones. New studies have found that police are trying more low-tech means of access into a suspect’s phone. NPR’s All Tech Considered covers the story in, “Your Smartphone Is A Crucial Police Tool, If They Can Crack It.”
The story begins:
New software and gizmos are revolutionizing police work, with , and other high tech items. As it turns out, though, the single most valuable new police tool is your smartphone. Rolf Norton, a homicide detective in Seattle, says when he’s talking to a suspect, he keeps his eye open for the person’s smartphone.
The story then goes on to discuss the legal and investigative means through which the police can access the contents of a person’s smartphone. Surprisingly, there are currently few methods through which police can crack a phone without the suspect’s cooperation, particularly regarding locked phones and passcodes. However, do not be surprised when more encryption breaking solutions surface rapidly. This work is beginning to mirror the emergence of computer forensics for police in the dawn of the personal computer.
Emily Rae Aldridge, March 31, 2014