Clues to crime are often found in phones. Modesto police get help finding them
The Modesto Police Department is getting a new forensics tool that will let its detectives unlock more Android cell phones and gather more data from them to help them solve murders, sexual assaults and other major crimes.
The City Council on Tuesday approved spending $75,802 for the purchase of software and hardware from the Israeli-based forensics firm Cellebrite.
Modesto is using state money it receives for the purchase.
Assistant Police Chief Brandon Gillespie said in an interview that the Police Department has used Cellebrite for several years and this latest product will allow investigators to unlock more Android phones and gather more data.
He said the department has other tools to unlock and gather data from Apple phones.
Gillespie said department investigators typically examine about 400 cell phones a year. He said an investigation can result in detectives looking at one to as many as 10 phones depending on the complexity of the crime and the number of people involved.
Gillespie said about 160 of the roughly 400 phones are Androids, and the Police Department can unlock about half of them with its existing Cellebrite tools. The new product is expected to let investigators unlock “a very high percentage” of these phones, according to Gillespie.
The department has been sending some of the phones it cannot unlock to Cellebrite, which unlocks them but at a cost of $2,000 to $3,000 per phone, according to Gillespie. He said spending the $75,802 is more efficient and cheaper than sending phones out.
He said the Police Department only looks at phones when it has legal authority to do so, such as after obtaining a search warrant or when someone’s terms of parole or probation allow police to search their phones.
Gillespie said that in some cases, people voluntarily let police search their phones, such as when someone has been falsely accused and wants to clear themselves.
“The courts have recognized that people carry lots of personal and private data on their phones and have restricted law enforcement,” he said. “We need a legal basis” to search a phone.
He said police examine phones when investigating major crimes, including homicides, attempted homicides, shootings, sex crimes, child porn, human trafficking and drug sales.
“More than ever,” Gillespie said, “phones are helping us solve homicides and other major crimes.”
The Police Department is purchasing the product for one year and would need to renew it in succeeding years. Gillespie said that allows the department to get the latest version.
Cellebrite’s products are used by law enforcement, military and intelligence agencies, and businesses in more than 150 countries, according to its website and a news release.
This story was originally published February 5, 2020 at 12:31 PM.
