- May 8, 2024
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Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly has directed the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office's Investigation Services Division to launch a Digital Forensics Unit.
The FCSO had previously used the Seminole and St. John County Sheriff’s Offices to evaluate digital evidence, but Cpl. Mark Moy of the FCSO Major Case Unit pioneered an initiative to bring a digital forensics unit in-house in order to save time and resources.
This not only provides quicker turnaround times for examining evidence, but also lessens costs by reducing manpower spent traveling to other counties.
The FCSO was able to buy the initial forensic software and training through a grant from the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Implementing these new resources showed immediate results. Additional forensic tools have since been purchased to strengthen the new unit and expand its capabilities with cutting edge technology.
“Nowadays, every criminal leaves some sort of digital footprint behind after they commit a crime,” Sheriff Staly said. “Now if we have a homicide, a rape, or a serious domestic violence incident, our Digital Forensics Team is able to join our Real Time Crime Center and work simultaneously to create a timeline of events leading up to the crime, as well as analyzing digital evidence almost immediately. In today’s digital environment, this new unit significantly increased our crime fighting ability.”
The Digital Forensics Unit is responsible for examining all computer and computer-related items used in the commission of a crime in Flagler County.
In addition to investigating computer-related evidence, the Digital Forensics Unit assists the other units assigned to the Investigation Services Division.
