LAKE COUNTY, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Prosecutors in north suburban Lake County say the addition of a federal grant will allow them to upgrade their Cyber Lab.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office said it has received a nearly $124,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice and will be able to improve its Cyber Lab to be able to get into more locked smartphones than it currently has been able to.
The Cyber Lab is wholly operated by the State’s Attorney’s Office and consists of two full-time employees and dozens of forensic tools and computers, according to a news release. All State’s Attorney investigators and attorneys are able to use the lab, in addition to local law enforcement.
"At the time we were only able to analyze 70 percent of phones or devices with a search warrant," State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart told the Lake County Board’s Finance and Administration Committee.
"I always have to emphasize that, because people always assume that we’re doing things without search warrants."
Rinehart said that if someone has been involved in anything from an armed robbery to murder to the sexual exploitation of a child, investigators need to be able to get into suspects’ phones.
This project will go hand-in-hand with the establishment of the new Violent Crimes Unit within the State’s Attorney’s Office. The VCU will be assigned several experienced prosecutors who will work with law enforcement early in an investigation to develop complex evidence quickly.
As a result, the VCU will need a strong Cyber Lab in order to quickly analyze phones and computers.
“This upgrade will allow all parts of our office to better prosecute those who would harm our community," said Rinehart.
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