Kentucky law enforcement has a brand new ally in the fight against online predators and other criminals using digital communications to commit crimes.

The new lab is one of 14 across the country that will combine the efforts of the FBI, UofL, and local police to conduct in-depth examinations of digital evidence in criminal investigations.

This is the regional computer forensics lab located on the UofL campus.

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This equipment will be instrumental in aiding law enforcement in their fight against criminals that use digital equipment in their crimes terrorism, online child pornography, financial crimes, and fraud just to name a few.

RCFL staff will use this technology to analyze data pulled from computer hard drives, cell phones, video camera, and personal digital assistants.

The FBI invests $26,000 in each workstation and keeps each one up to date with the most advanced computer equipment available.

“Today, the smoking gun that every investigator hopes to find might take the form of a very tiny computer chip hidden in an ordinary electronic device,” says FBI Assistant Director Kerry Haynes. “That’s not a prediction for the future – this is reality for law enforcement today.”

Prosecutors and judges involved in cases where digital evidence is key will also use information gathered by RCFL staff members in the courtroom.

Web story produced by Jay Ditzer.

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From The Associated Press:

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- A new digital forensics center opened today in Louisville. It’s a move Kentucky law enforcement says will help them catch and prosecute criminals.

F-B-I special agent Tracy Reinhold says the Kentucky Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory will serve as a central place for law enforcement to seek help in crimes involving computers and other technology.

Reinhold says the center will allow law enforcement agencies from around the state to pool their resources to more quickly process and analyze digital evidence of a crime.

The center is housed at the University of Louisville’s Shelby Campus. It’s being funded in part by a two-point-nine million dollar federal grant. It is one of 14 such centers around the country.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)