URBANA, Illinois (WCIA) – As technology is evolving, the Urbana Police Department said they are evolving too – and they’re doing so with software that has been extremely valuable in solving cases.
This technology is called Cellebrite, and it is used in departments across the country to surf data online. The police department said it is already reaping the benefits – city streets have become safer thanks to its capabilities.
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Urbana police said the Cellebrite was used to make an arrest in a recent case. Officers examined a cell phone and found photographs of two men holding firearms.
From those photos, they were able to identify where they were taken, obtained a search warrant, and arrested the two men in those photos. The case is still under investigation.
But, the department wants people to know that this technology is being used in an ethical manner.
“The first and foremost thing is that we use legal processes. So we either have a search warrant or an exception to the Fourth Amendment. So it can be consent. So we make sure that all findings are legal,” said Deputy Chief Michael Cervantes.
Cervantes said Cellebrite can be used to scrape everything from images to text and more. He said that this technology has not been created just to prove people guilty. Celebrite can also clear someone’s name if they are innocent or help in missing persons cases.
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