Issue link: http://lawandordermag.epubxp.com/i/98779
FEATURE Cell Phone Analysis, Part 2 Get up to speed on sexting, cyber-bullying and sextortion. Learn the acronyms. A wide variety of sex crimes have their start with ���harmless��� sexting between two consenting parties. One of the predictable results of sexting is teen suicide. Then ask the service provider to provide the PCMD (Sprint), RTT (Verizon) or Activity Log (T-Mobile). This can put a handset down to a certain distance from the tower. For example, the handset was between 6/10ths and 7/10ths of a mile from this specifc tower within the sector with compass readings of 300 degrees (WNW) and 60 degrees (ENE). That covers a lot of urban area, is more restrictive in a suburban area, and actually helpful in a rural area. Even in a heavily urbanized area full of multi-level buildings, it tells you the handset was within those few city blocks���and nowhere else in the country. Remember, a lot of factors can infuence this range, so it may not be accurate. It is not GPS, but the handset being ���this��� distance from ���this��� tower in ���this��� sector is a valuable piece of investigative information. A valid CSA will be able to accurately come up with this kind of conclusion. Again, one of the advantages of call measurement data is that juries understand it, they get it...he said he wasn���t at the crime scene, so how did his phone get there? All Classes of Crime The uses for the evidence on cell phones cross all paths of felonies and misdemeanors. Smartphones allow YouTube videos. YouTube keeps copies of all videos placed on YouTube indefnitely and YouTube is law enforcement friendly. All you need is a subpoena and the user ID who posted the 54 LAW and ORDER I December 2012 Cell phone technology allows a wide variety of crimes involving money. With Mobile Peer-toPeer (AKA bump pay), just touching one phone to another transfers money. The detective must also know about Near Field Communication and Quick Pay. When you seize a cell phone, check all the apps! video. Real Player software will allow you to immediately download the YouTube video. ���With serious and fatal traffc collisions, we are not looking at cell phones enough,��� Roberts said. ���Get the cell phone log for all fatals.��� Texting at the time may be hard to prove, but being distracted may be easier to prove. Being distracted during (time) or near (location) the collision might be negligence. At least rule it out. Talking on a cell causes 25% of accidents and 80% of accidents are attributed to distracted drivers. In perspective, drunk drivers cause 33% of the collisions. Roughly 20% of the fatals involving teens were the result of cell phone use. Talking on a cell phone while driving can reduce a young driver���s reaction time to as slow as a 70-year-old driver. Texting while driving has formed the basis of a manslaughter charge in some states. Sexting and Cyber-bullying The cell phone handset and call log may also have evidence of sexting and cyberbullying. The difference between the two is both content and intent. Sexting is the act of sending sexually explicit pictures, messages or videos via text message, instant messaging or e-mail. Sexting may quickly result in cyber-bullying. This is the use of any form of digital communication to send or post content meant to threaten, harass, demean or intim- idate. Get familiar with sexting acronyms. Sexting may start off as voluntary between two consenting parties. It may end up as cyber-bullying as others get involved, and the images are posted on websites or social networking sites. Sexting can also lead directly to sextortion, the most popular event going on today. Sextortion is either a demand to send more images, or have sex with the bully or the frst image will be sent to family, friends, websites, or the victim���s social network sites. The vast majority of young people fall victim to this tactic. Types of charges that can result from sexting include child pornography, distributing a sexually explicit photo, communicating with a minor with intent of a lewd act, Internet sex crimes, and sending harmful matter with the intent of seduction. In Ohio, for example, cyber-bullying on school property or at school sponsored events may involve a whole series of violations, criminal and civil. These are all based on the Jessica Logan Act. Logan committed suicide in 2008 as a direct result of sexting, which led to bullying. One of the consequences of sexting and cyber-bullying is teen suicide, as the teen cannot cope with the humiliation. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people. In addition to pornography and sex crimes, other crimes from sexting and bullying can be rape, extortion, aggravated menacing, stalking and human traffcking (prostitution). Financial Crimes Cell phone technology allows a wide variety of fnancial transactions to be conducted any time, anywhere. This means money laundering and a variety of other money transfer crimes to be conducted anytime, anywhere. Were you expecting to see one perp hand an envelope to another perp in a drug deal? And all they did was high-fve or fst-bump one another and then they left the scene? So, what about the cash? What you saw was a bump pay. That is a Mobile Peer-to-Peer (P2P). With bump technology, i.e., Mobile Peer-to-Peer (P2P), you can transfer money with the bump of a cell phone. No account numbers are needed. With P2P, you click or touch a few keys that basically selects the amount of money and set up the ���I am sending��� mode. The other person goes into ���I am receiving��� mode. On smartphones equipped with accelerometers (and many are), bumping