WASHINGTON – Rep. John Ratcliffe’s (R-Texas) legislation to fight crime using digital evidence led to the prosecution of dozens of child exploitation cases throughout Northeast Texas since it was signed into law by President Donald Trump last year. “I’m incredibly grateful that my new law allows law enforcement officers in Northeast Texas to better leverage digital avenues to get dangerous child sex offenders off the streets,” Ratcliffe said. “Whether it’s a cell phone call that was made, or a geolocation that was sent – we’ve got many emerging ways to pinpoint predators in our communities. It’s critical that our state and local police know what digital evidence to look for and how to find it, so we can prosecute those who commit sickening crimes against the most vulnerable in our society.”
The Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act (P.L. 115-76) equips state and local law enforcement officers to properly identify and collect evidence needed to prosecute an increasing number of cases involving digital footprints. The law enables officers from across the country to learn about the collection of cyber evidence from Secret Service agents at the National Computer Forensics Institute (NCFI) in Hoover, Ala. Continue Reading →
