“Today, virtually every crime has an electronic component in terms of computers and electronic technology being used to facilitate the crime. Computers used in crimes may contain a host of evidence related to the crime being investigated, whether it is a conventional crime or a terrorist act” (Best Practices For Seizing Electronic Evidence) Digital Evidence can be photos, videos, text documents, Internet activity logs, phone number, or any other data that is stored electronically and is relevant to a criminal case. There are many devices that are capable of storing electronic data and the list continuously grows. Some examples of these devices that can contain digital evidence are personal computers, cellular phones, and digital video cameras. …show more content…
Crime scene investigators must never alter a crime scene. If there is any part of the crime scene or evidence that has been altered, it can cause the investigators to lose a case. The second concern of the evidence is to keep it safe since it is so fragile. Digital evidence can easily be ruined by being stepped on, wet, and even written over. Another issue that is a concern with digital evidence preservation is that it can be lost by simply powering on or off. It is a bad idea for any investigator to most the mouse, click on anything, use the keyboard, or manipulate any input device on a suspects computer system. These minor actions can cause data to be written and can have special commands built into the operating system. The “hands-off” approach is always the best. Keeping the suspect away from the evidence is also very important because they may be able to delete any incriminating