Digital Forensics plays a vital role in our agency’s investigative process. As technology continues to advance, it is important to embrace growth and develop methods to examine the information stored within electronic devices. Our agency utilizes hardware and software to forensically extract data from evidence sources.
The Digital Forensic Analyst at the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for computer forensics, mobile device forensics, social media investigations, Internet Crimes Against Children, and many other areas of expertise.
During a digital forensic examination, the analyst may be required to extract data from a variety of sources. Sources may include:
- Cellular Phones
- Desktop Computers
- Laptop Computers
- Surveillance Camera
- Recording Systems
- Digital cameras and camcorders
- Tablet computers
- Any storage device that may hold digital data.
The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office works in close partnership with the U.S. Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations, and other local agencies during digital forensic examinations. We currently provide services for agencies in our region that do not have the resources to do so. These include agencies from within Cleveland County and outside.
Report an incident of online child exploitation that did not occur in Cleveland County: https://report.cybertip.org/
Report incidents of suspicious activity involving telephone numbers (spam calls/texts, robo-dialing, etc.): https://www.fcc.gov/
Numerous resources for child sexual exploitation, sextortion, and missing children: https://www.missingkids.org/
Parent resource guide for Social Media
https://www2.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm
