Most people would agree that cell phones may be one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century for the average person. What people don’t realize is that along with the boon for the everyday Joe, cell phones have become a real asset to private investigators and law enforcement agencies.
Each service provider is different, not only in the plans they offer consumers, but in how they work with and provide data and information. There is a legal process for cell records. Attorneys and law enforcement agencies are able to preserve and get the information through court orders, but interpreting the data requires an expert’s knowledge and experience.
Cell phone records and cell phone tracking has been used to identify many criminals across the nation. For instance, cell tower location and forensic cell tower evidence has returned several escaped convicts to their jail cells in Indiana.
Cellular forensics can entail getting information directly off the phone itself, or it could cover historical data through the carrier. Call logs and phone locations can provide a glimpse into activity – criminal or not.
It’s not just used to find the bad guys but to help the good guys. In fact, in a recent case, has been able to provide evidence supporting the innocence of a man accused of armed robbery through mapping cell tower location and historical data of phone usage.
Civil cases can also be supported through expert cell phone forensics. The information gleaned from cell tower triangulation can put a phone (and the owner) in a certain location at a specific time. This could be especially useful when one spouse suspects marital infidelity or a former spouse of collecting maintenance payments while living with another person against the conditions of the court order.
Yes, we all love our cell phones and they have brought us countless benefits – including ways to uncover the truth through investigative techniques of the future!
-Brenda McGinley, CEO, All in Investigations, All in Investigations