Digital evidence just as important as DNA.

• Position: CSI - Brief article

With the majority of the public now owning cell phones, computers, personal digital assistants, or other such technology, it is more important than ever for law enforcement---especially crime scene investigators--to learn how to extract evidence from these devices, maintains Rick Mislan, an assistant professor in the Department of Computer and Information Technology at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., who specializes in small-scale digital device forensics. He says new technology is making it possible to retrieve a vast amount of important information from devices, which can be critical to solving crimes.

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"We know that 80 to 90% of cases today have some kind of digital evidence," Mislan notes. "The issue for law-enforcement investigators is making them aware that this evidence is out there, then educating them on how to find what they're looking for in the most effective and efficient manner. That's a big job but, as digital devices become more common, it will be just as...