20230803-132923-61

I am a subject matter expert in the area of digital evidence and in order to maintain that expertise, I need to stay updated in the field of digital forensics. To do that, I try to attend and participate in training programs that contribute to my knowledge base and allow me to connect with other experts in this field. One area that is trending and becoming a valuable source of digital evidence is vehicle forensics, including connected cars. This is an area that I have some expertise, but the field is quickly developing and my resources to obtain training in this area are limited. Because a large part of my duties are to advise and consult with investigators and prosecutors in the field of digital evidence, it is important for me to enhance my knowledge base in the are of vehicle investigations. In addition, I am the project director for a BJA Smart Prosecution grant which involves the creation of a digital evidence training program for prosecutors. Gaining enhanced knowledge in the area of vehicle forensics would substantially benefit this project as well. The training in this field that I am hoping to be able to attend is a "Connected Car" class sponsored by NW3C in Gilbert, Arizona on November 14-15, 2023.

In addition, I have recently moved from the Denver District Attorney's Office to the Adams County District Attorney's Office. My role here is to develop the digital evidence capabilities and knowledge base within the office as well as with our reporting law enforcement agencies. To that end, there are two investigators in this office that have some experience with digital evidence and have been trained in some areas of digital forensics and analysis. Because it is beneficial to the office to have investigators as well as attorneys who are knowledgeable in digital evidence, I would like to attend this class along with these two investigators. One is a financial crimes investigator who does substantial work with digital evidence, and the other is a general investigator who also has experience working with digital evidence. The hope is that we can have multiple individuals within the office trained in digital evidence, including connected cars, so that we can eventually create a standalone digital evidence unit, as we had in my previous office in Denver. And because connected car evidence is becoming a substantial part of the digital evidence landscape, having these two investigators trained in this area as well would be a significant benefit to our office and the digital evidence community in Adams County Colorado.