| Attorney
General Stuart Rabner and the Newark Division
of the FBI announced today that the New
Jersey Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory
has earned accreditation by the American
Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Laboratory
Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB).
The
New Jersey Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory
(NJRCFL) becomes one of just twelve laboratories
in the United States to have satisfied the
ASCLD/LAB governing board’s stringent
quality criteria for accredited digital
forensic laboratories.
The
NJRCFL is an FBI-sponsored partnership with
the State of New Jersey that provides forensic
examination services of video, computers,
cellular telephones, personal data assistants,
and other devices which store data in digital
format. The New Jersey lab is only the fifth
laboratory in the United States to earn
accreditation in both computer forensics
and video forensics.
“New
Jersey citizens are the primary beneficiary
of this partnership with the FBI,’’
said Attorney General Rabner. “The
NJRCFL provides the highest quality digital
forensic services to our state’s 550
law enforcement agencies, sharing resources
and expenses with the federal government
to ensure that the New Jersey criminal justice
system is best served.’’
FBI
Special Agent in Charge Leslie Wiser said,
“The FBI is proud to sponsor the NJRCFL
as part of the nationwide network of fourteen
regional computer forensic laboratories.
The FBI is committed to the continued NJRCFL
success which provides quality digital forensic
services for the FBI and for our partners
in law enforcement. The NJRCFL staff is
to be congratulated on being only the second
laboratory in the FBI-sponsored network
to achieve this prestigious accreditation
and the first since 2004.’’
“Obtaining
ASCLD/LAB accreditation is a rigorous process
that most digital forensic laboratories
may not attain,’’ said Laboratory
Director Larry Depew. “Accreditation
is part of our computer forensic laboratory’s
quality assurance program, which includes
strict evidence handling processes, examiner
certification and annual proficiency testing.
Our personnel embrace quality as a key service
to our stakeholders in the judicial system.
Obtaining accreditation in just two years
of operation is an exceptional accomplishment
in which we are most proud.”
ASCLD/LAB
Executive Director Ralph “Bud”
Keaton presented NJRCFL Director Depew with
the accreditation certification today at
the New Jersey Technology Center in Hamilton.
Keaton detailed the objectives of ASCLD/LAB
accreditation:
- Improve
the quality of laboratory services provided
to the criminal justice system.
- Develop
and maintain criteria which may be used
by a laboratory to assess its level of
performance and to strengthen operations.
- Provide
an independent, impartial, and objective
system by which laboratories can benefit
from a total operational review.
- Offer
to the general public and users of laboratory
services a means of identifying those
laboratories which have demonstrated that
they meet established quality standards.
The
NJRCFL applied for accreditation this past
summer and was inspected in October. An
inspection report was submitted to the ASCLD/LAB
Audit Committee for review, following which
the NJRCFL was recommended to the ASCLD/LAB
governing Board of Directors for accreditation.
On November 21, 2006, the Board voted to
accredit the NJRCFL in the digital forensic
discipline with competency demonstrated
in computers and video forensic sub-disciplines.
In
2004, FBI Director Robert Mueller selected
New Jersey to host an FBI-sponsored RCFL.
As part of this national program, NJRCFL
provides examination of digital evidence
in support of investigations into terrorism,
counterintelligence, and criminal activities.
Since opening its doors in November 2004,
the NJRCFL has handled more than 7,000 items
of evidence and processed nearly 100 terabytes
of digital data for New Jersey law enforcement.
NJRCFL is staffed with 20 forensic examiners
from the FBI, NJ State Police, NJ Division
of Criminal Justice, Essex County Prosecutor’s
Office, Jersey City Police Department and
South Brunswick Township Police Department.
Examiners
are trained and certified by the FBI’s
Operational Technology Division, Quantico,
Virginia. Certification includes several
hundred hours of classroom and self-paced
study, practical examinations, competency
testing, mock court testimony including
cross examination of digital evidence findings
by experienced attorneys, and annual proficiency
testing.
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