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Shute, R. L., Faris, B., Mecray, M. C., Martin, M., Rodriguez, A. L., Krauss, S., & Melton, P. A. (2022). Digital transformation of cold case reviews: Digitizing case files. National Institute of Justice Forensic Technology Center of Excellence. https://forensiccoe.org/private/65482f62c8fdf
Advances in forensic science and investigative capabilities represent opportunities and challenges for allied criminal justice professionals involved in violent crime cold case investigations. Modern techniques and technologies can uncover important insights that may not have been previously possible; however, law enforcement and other associated agencies can struggle to effectively manage and use the large amounts of information associated with a cold case. Factors such as a lack of case file organization, decentralization of documents, and the time-intensive process of manually searching paper records for relevant details make it difficult to identify cases that may benefit from the application of modern techniques and technologies.
Tracking down and extracting relevant information to create an informed forensic or investigative strategy is both time and resource intensive. Multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) may look to technology to digitize paper cold case records, thus enabling multiple agencies on a secured network to search, share, and access files. The digitization of case files may support the future implementation of text analytics tools, which are enabled by artificial intelligence (AI) and can quickly identify key details, relationships, and patterns within or between case file records. Applying AI to the cold case review process can help MDTs become more agile and efficient in collaborating and developing valuable forensic and investigative strategies.
This three-part in-brief series highlights the potential value, approaches, and considerations for digital transformation of cold case files and the case review process. Although created for cold case MDTs with an emphasis on the role of law enforcement and forensic science service provider (FSSP) involvement, this series is valuable for all FSSPs involved in an MDT and criminal justice decision-makers. The information presented within these in-briefs can be applied to and benefit all cases regardless of the passage of time.
