The FBI and other law enforcement officials are recognizing the 20-year anniversary of the Heart of America Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory. The HARCFL, which officially opened on July 9, 2003, was the fourth among 17 FBI-sponsored digital forensic and training centers in the U.S. devoted entirely to the scientific examination of digital evidence.
Since 2003, the HARCFL has provided digital forensic services to law enforcement agencies within its service area – the entire state of Kansas and the western district of Missouri.
At inception, the HARCFL had 11 full-time agencies with 14 full-time computer forensic examiners. Today, there are 17 participating law enforcement agencies, with more than 20 full-time examiners.
In the past 10 years, the lab has performed more than 4,700 examinations of digital evidence for cases.
In the past decade, the HARCFL has participated in several high-profile and extensive cases.
A few highlights of the lab’s efforts include:
*Airport Bombing Plot: an avionics technician moved forward with a plot to detonate explosives at the Wichita Mid-Continent Airport in 2013. The HARCFL aided with the digital evidence and supported the investigation conducted by Wichita FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.
*Hesston Shooting: on February 25, 2016, a shooter, identified as Cedric Ford, drove toward a plant where he had previously been employed and fired shots on his way to and upon arriving at the plant. During the shooting, three people were killed and 14 more wounded. In the aftermath of the shooting, the HARCFL deployed its Mobile Digital Forensics Lab to the scene and assisted in processing digital evidence in this investigation.
*Swatting Incident in Wichita: in 2017, police personnel responded to a reported incident of domestic violence involving a death and a threatened arson. Upon arrival, one of the Department’s officers shot and killed the occupant after he believed the occupant was preparing to use deadly force against other officers. It was thereafter determined the reported incident was a contrived “swatting” call made by Tyler Barriss in California. HARCFL examiners were involved in the examination of gaming devices and onsite assistance at several search warrant locations.