Senate subcommittee approves $142,900 to help Broome County law enforcement buy new computers and video forensic equipment, hire and train investigators
US Senator Charles E. Schumer's efforts to help Broome County law enforcement officials beef up their computer forensics lab took a step forward when a Senate committee approved $142,900 for Broome County's Government Security Division's (BCGSD) on Friday. The funding, which Schumer personally requested, would help the County buy new computers and video forensic equipment, as well as hire and train investigators for its computer and video forensics laboratory.
"Today we're putting Southern Tier computer hackers, and other cyber-criminals on notice: If you break the law, we will track you down and we will put you in jail," Schumer said. "These funds are going to go toward providing local law enforcement with the manpower, training and the tools it needs to track down high-tech criminals, hoaxters, and other parasites in society."
"Computer and video forensics capabilities are essential elements of modern enforcement," Broome County Executive Jeffrey P. Kraham said. "The BCGSD has taken a leading role among local law enforcement agencies in the field of video forensics. This grant money will allow our team of specialists to enhance law enforcement's ability to work more effectively and efficiently in this important investigative area. The residents of Broome County appreciate the hard work that Senator Schumer has done in securing these funds."
Computer forensics is the process of retrieving computer files related to a crime, like hidden, temporary, deleted, protected or encrypted files. The science can be applied to anti-terrorism, white-collar crime, and hacking investigations. Video forensics is the analysis of videotape evidence from a crime scene.
In its first 18 months alone, BCGSD performed 40 computer and video forensics investigations for several law enforcement agencies, including the New York State Police, the Broome County District Attorney's office, and police departments in Binghamton and Vestal. These investigations included cases of attempted attacks on government computer systems and burglaries.
But BCGSD's ability to keep up with this growing forensic caseload has been held up by the fact that it is only equipped with the personnel and equipment to handle one investigation at a time. In an effort to improve its ability to handle several cases at once, officials formed a task force to devise a plan to provide more resources to help BCGSD handle several investigations simultaneously. The group sought Schumer's help getting federal aid to help buy new equipment and hire and train investigators.
The funding still needs approval from the full Senate and House.