Microsoft has developed a small computer tool that police can use to easily pull forensic data from computers used in crimes.

The device is called COFEE ( Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor ) and it is a USB “thumb drive” that has been tested by a small group of law-enforcement agencies since June 2007.

COFEE contains 150 software commands that cut the time required to gather computer evidence. Computer forensics is becoming more important in both real-world crime, as well as cybercrime. The tool can also break passwords; analyze a PC’s internet activity and other computer activities.

COFEE also eliminates the need to seize an entire computer, which typically involves disconnecting it from a network, turning off the power and possibly losing electronic data in the process. The portable device allows investigators to can scan PC’s for evidence on site.

More than 2,000 police officers and investigators around the world are using the tool, which Microsoft is providing for free.

Lisa Johnson, head of the Special Assault Unit in the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said, “So many of our crimes today, just as our lives, involve the Internet and other digital evidence,” further noting that “A suspect’s online activities can corroborate a crime or dispel an alibi.”

Source: nwsource.com

Last Wednesday the FBI made a public request for new laws that would give federal police increased powers to monitor “illegal activity” on the internet.

The request from FBI Director Robert Mueller came during a House of Representatives Judiciary Committee hearing. It seems to go beyond the current plan to monitor traffic on federal-government networks.

Mueller suggested that the FBI should have widespread oversight to monitor and conduct surveillance of private-sector networks too.

Mueller said the surveillance should include all Internet traffic, including .mil, .gov and .com website domains.

It is unclear whether “illegal activity” would be limited to dealing with internet crimes like denial-of-service attacks, spam, phishing and botnets, or would also include the monitoring of other illegal activities, like online gambling, the distribution of pornographic images or selling prescription drugs without a license.

Source: News.com

The US federal government will start collecting DNA samples from anyone arrested by a federal law enforcement agency. The DNA samples will be collected with a cheek swab.

Congress has also granted federal law enforcement agencies the power to collect DNA samples from foreigners who are detained for any reason, even if they have not been charged with a crime.

The new policy is a departure from the current practice that limits DNA collection to convicted felons.

Justice Department spokesman ErikAblin said the new DNA collection is subject to the same privacy laws that are applied to current DNA sampling. None of of the DNA samples will be used for identifying genetic traits or diseases.

Congress has given the Justice Department the authority to expand its DNA collection through two laws passed in 2005 and 2006.

There are dozens of federal law enforcement agencies. Estimates put the total number of federal arrests at about 140,000 per year.

Federal officials estimate the new collecting policy will add DNA samples from an additional 1.2 million people to the database each year.

Supporters of the expanded collection say that DNA sampling could get violent criminals behind bars and stop them from committing additional crimes.

A 2005 Chicago study found that 53 murders and rapes could have been stopped if a DNA sample had been collected upon arrest.

The American Civil Liberties Union believes that the new law will allow the government to collect and store DNA samples of people who are not guilty of any crime.

However, if a person is arrested but not convicted of any crime, they can request that the Justice Department destroy the sample and remove their information from the DNA database.

Source: Yahoo.com

According to a Reuters report, the Miami police department could be the first to use a new spy-in-the-sky technology to monitor people and fight crime.

The new spy technology is the creation of Honeywell International and uses a pilotless flying drone that can hover, “stare” at and video record people using infrared sensors.

The Miami spy drone is expected to start test-monitoring areas of the Florida Everglades in the near future, but first it must be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Once approved, the spy drone will likely be used in the city of Miami for full-fledged crime fighting activities.

Miami Police spokesman Juan Villalba said “Our intentions are to use it only in tactical situations as an extra set of eyes.”

The wingless Honeywell spy drone fits inside a backpack and can takeoff and land vertically. It is ideally suited for use by SWAT teams in hostage situations.

The US military has successfully used similar manless spy drones in Iraq and Afghanistan and law enforcement officials have been interested in using the same technology to fight crime in US urban areas.

The CIA admits that it developed a dragonfly-sized spy drone known as the “Insectohopter” for laser-guided spy activities as far back as the 1970s.

The use of these drones in US cities raises numerous safety and privacy concerns.

“You don’t want one of these coming down on grandma’s windshield when she’s on her way to the grocery store,” said Doug Davis, program manager for the FAA’s unmanned aerial systems.

Privacy advocates say rules and laws need to be created to protect civil liberties during surveillance operations.

Source: Reuters

Here is an interesting news clip, featuring an interview with RateMyCop.com founder Gino Sesto and police officer Kevin Martin from Fox News.