ASSOCIATE Magazine FBINAA Q1-2024

THE ‘DIGITAL WITNESS’ AND THE FIGHT AGAINST AMERICA’S OPIOID EPIDEMIC

DESMOND RACICOT, NA Session 199

Every day in cities and small towns across America, an officer responds to the scene of a drug overdose. Our priority is to save lives, but beyond that critical mission, we have a duty to investigate and determine whether a crime occurred. I have personally witnessed the devastating impact of the opioid epidemic on our communities. During my 28 years in law enforcement and particularly during my tenure as chief of police, I watched the toll it takes on individuals, families, and entire neighborhoods. As law enforcement professionals, we must tackle this crisis head-on, and in recent years, we have a new and powerful ally in our fight: the “digital witness.”

O verdose investigations have traditionally relied on physical evidence and witness statements, which while essential, are often fraught with subjectivity and the potential for error. However, in the modern digital age, we have access to a wealth of information stored on digital devices such as mobile phones, com puters, tablets, smartwatches, etc. These digital witnesses give us a unique advantage: objective data free from human error or bias. LEVERAGING DIGITAL INTELLIGENCE

At any crime scene, the digital witness provides the most detailed, accurate and extensive information about the victim’s life, helps determine if a crime was committed and often leads investigators to the source of the drugs responsible. While a witness’s memory can be open to different interpretations or misperceptions, data on a device is not. If the deceased bought fentanyl from a dealer, then texts, emails, phone calls, pictures and GPS coordinates can provide the evidence and a clear path to that dealer and, subsequently, the drug trafficking network.

16 FBINAA.ORG | Q1 2024