The Albemarle County Police Department has created a new Cybercrimes Lab that will provide investigators a state-of-the art workspace to conduct forensic analysis on electronics.
This recently built lab will reduce the amount of time it takes to process electronic evidence related to criminal investigations, while at the same time providing a comprehensive analysis of digital evidence.
By bringing this lab under ACPD’s roof, computer examinations that once took months to complete can now be accomplished in as little as a few days.
The ACPD Cybercrimes Lab and new equipment was funded primarily through asset forfeiture and grant funds from partners Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children (SOVA ICAC) Task Force and the United States Secret Service. ACPD has received approximately $60,000 from SOVA ICAC over the course of this past year to fund law enforcement training, equipment, and ICAC operations.
“Partnerships with other law enforcement agencies, like the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Secret Service, enable us to expand our ability to protect and serve the residents of Albemarle County,” Police Chief Ron Lantz said. “It is our goal to establish ourselves as a leader in the rapidly growing field of computer forensics and Internet Crimes Against Children investigations.”
While ACPD’s Cybercrimes Unit is not new, it was responsible for more than 40 felony arrests related to internet crimes against children since 2019.
“This workspace is an opportunity to make our work against cybercrime more effective and efficient,” says Detective Mike Wells. “In addition, this lab creates a place for ACPD to assist other law enforcement agencies to solve cases.”
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