URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — As technology evolves, the Urbana Police Department said they’re evolving too — and they’re doing it with software which has been extremely valuable in cracking cases.
The technology is called Cellebrite, and it is used in departments across the country to surf through online data. The police department said it’s already paying off — making the city’s streets safer thanks to its capabilities.
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Urbana police said Cellebrite was recently used to make an arrest in a case. Officers went through a cell phone and found pictures of two people holding firearms.
With those photos, they were able to identify where they were taken, get a search warrant and arrest the two people in those pictures. The case is still under investigation.
But, the department does want people to know that this technology is being used in an ethical way.
“The first and most important thing is, we use legal processes. So either we have a search warrant or an exception to the Fourth Amendment. So that could be consent. So we make sure that all extractions are legal,” said Deputy Chief Michael Cervantes.
Cervantes said Cellebrite can be used to comb through everything from pictures, to texts and more. He said this technology is not just designed to prove people guilty. Cellebrite can also clear someone’s name if they’re innocent or help in missing persons cases.
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