There probably are not too many electronic crime investigators that read this website.  Still, a few readers no doubt watch the very fictionalized, romanticized, time-compressed “CSI“.  For those readers who are interested in a better understanding of the breadth and complexity of identifying, collecting, preserving, and presenting electronic evidence in the real world, the US Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, has published the Electronic Crime Scene Investigation:  A Guide for First Responders, Second Edition.  Even here in Coeur d’Alene and Kootenai County, the importance of electronic evidence must not be overlooked.

The guide was released on April 14, 2008.  It’s synopsis states:

Electronic Crime Scene Investigation: A Guide for First Responders, Second Edition is intended for first responders to a variety of crime scenes who may have the responsibility of protecting, recognizing, collecting, and preserving electronic evidence at the scene. The first chapter profiles the types of electronic devices commonly encountered in crime scenes, provides a general description of each type of device, and describes the potential evidence that may be found in each type of equipment. Chapter 2 lists the investigative tools and equipment recommended for the collection, packaging and transportation of electronic evidence. Chapter 3 focuses on securing and evaluating the crime scene, and outlines the steps necessary to ensure the safety of all persons at the scene while protecting the integrity of all evidence—traditional and electronic. Chapter 4 provides guidelines for documenting the scene while chapter 5 covers evidence-collection procedures. Chapter 6 then addresses procedures for packaging, transportation and storage of electronic evidence. The concluding chapter provides guidelines for the forensic examination of electronic evidence by 14 crime categories. A glossary completes the guide.

The NIJ publishes other guides on digital evidence from crime scene to courtroom. Those guides include:

Forensic Examination of Digital Evidence: A Guide for Law Enforcement

Digital Evidence in the Courtroom: A Guide for Law Enforcement and Prosecutors

Using and Presenting Digital Evidence in the Courtroom: Training Material (CD-ROM) 

Using and Presenting Digital Evidence in the Courtroom: Mock Trial (DVD)