GPD opens new forensics lab

Friday, September 7, 2007
The first-ever forensics lab recently opened at the Greencastle Police Department.

Cases could be processed more quickly at the Greencastle Police Department, thanks to a first-ever computer forensics lab recently installed at the police station.

Assistant Police Chief Brian Hopkins and Sgt. Terry Eastham have been trained in conducting computer forensics.

In the past, departments had to utilize the State Police Lab in Indianapolis and the turnaround could take up to six months to a year before being processed, due to their case loads.

Now, the turn-around could be less then two days, he said.

Hopkins has compiled nearly 200 hours in computer forensics training. This type of lab has been needed for sometime, because technology changes every day, Hopkins said.

Once a hard drive has been taken into custody by an officer, the hard drive would then be turned over to the Greencastle Police for a forensic examination.

The examination might be looking for child pornography, harassing e-mails and other crimes.

Putnam County Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter provided the funding for the lab. The prosecutor has spent more than $9,000 getting this lab up and running.

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  • Did Bookwalter get the funding from the sheriff's forfeiture fund?

    -- Posted by MB on Fri, Sep 7, 2007, at 8:41 AM
  • I am sure he did!! Maybe he sold the boat that was purchased for Heritage Lake out of the sheriff's forfeiture fund!!

    -- Posted by concerned3 on Fri, Sep 7, 2007, at 9:13 AM
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