Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan has announced the opening of the Chester County Computer Forensics Lab (CFL).

The CFL is where the Chester County Detectives, the investigative arm of the District Attorney’s Office, analyze electronic data. For example, the detectives use the CFL to download communications from a drug dealer’s cell phone or recover child pornography from a computer.

Two Chester County detectives are assigned full-time to work in the CFL. The CFL was designed for computer forensics work, which requires specialized engineering for energy supply, cooling, and ventilation.

Construction of the CFL was approved by the Chester County Commissioners. All of Chester County law enforcement will be able to submit electronic data to the CFL.

Hogan said, “From murder to child abuse to white-collar fraud, almost every major crime in today’s world has some electronic evidence component. The new Computer Forensics Lab allows Chester County law enforcement the top-notch hardware and software to investigate and convict modern criminals. We are grateful that the Chester County Commissioners understand the need for a facility like the CFL to keep Chester County safe.”

Ryan Costello, chair of the Chester County Commissioners, said, “Law enforcement investigative tools must keep pace with the trail of evidence created by criminal activity. This way, our prosecutors, detectives, and police departments have the best resources in order to root out criminal activity, and keep our Chester County families and communities secure.”

Chief of the Chester County Detectives, Jim Vito, said, “Criminals frequently use computers, telecommunications devices, electronic organizers, and other electronic media to commit crimes. This state-of-the-art forensics lab will substantially enhance law enforcement investigations and prosecutions of electronic crime cases.”

The CFL was designed by the architectural firm Bernardon Haber Holloway Architects.