Chester County Unveils New Forensics Lab

By James Boyle:

Chester County officials have announced the opening of the Computer Forensics Lab.

The lab is where Chester County Detectives, the investigative arm of the District Attorney’s Office, analyze and process electronic data. For example, the detectives use the CFL to download communications from a drug dealer’s cell phone or recover child pornography from a predator’s computer.

Two Chester County Detectives are assigned full-time to work in the CFL. The CFL is outfitted with specialized computer hardware to recover and store electronic data. In addition, the CFL was designed specifically for computer forensics work, which requires unique engineering for energy supply, cooling, and ventilation.

Construction of the CFL was approved by the Chester County Commissioners. All of Chester County law enforcement will be able to submit electronic data to the CFL.

“From murder to child abuse to white collar fraud, almost every major crime in today’s world has some electronic evidence component,” said District Attorney Tom Hogan. “The new Computer Forensics Lab allows Chester County law enforcement the top-notch hardware and software to investigate and convict modern criminals. We are grateful that the Chester County Commissioners understand the need for a facility like the CFL to keep Chester County safe.”

Ryan Costello, Chair of the Chester County Commissioners, stated, “Law enforcement investigative tools must keep pace with the trail of evidence created by criminal activity. This way, our hard-working prosecutors, detectives, and police departments have the best resources in order to root out criminal activity, and keep our Chester County families and communities secure.”

The CFL was designed by the architectural firm Bernardon Haber Holloway Architects. Given the continued growth of the population of Chester County and the constantly expanding role of electronic evidence, the CFL is designed to accommodate up to four full-time forensic examiners from the Chester County Detectives.

Caption: Pictured at the opening of the new Chester County Computer Forensics Lab are (back row, left to right) Chester County Commissioners Terence Farrell, Kathi Cozzone and Ryan Costello, and District Attorney Tom Hogan; seated, left to right are Chester County Detectives Joe Walton and Roy Calarese.