Criminal Justice

As a Law Enforcement Officer working on this big case, I would bring all the components of the computer that is there on the scene to the IT department for forensic analysis because everything that makes up the computer is important information. The main thing that makes up the computer is the Hard Drive. The Hard Drive is the permanent storage for the computer, it functions mechanically. This is important for investigation purposes because we can find all the information that suspect has saved on the computer and all their activity on the computer. For example, you can find all the pictures, documents, programs, software, and videos. This information is very valuable to the case at hand because it can be used to incriminate the suspect, if we find exactly what we need. The second most important part is the RAM. The RAM saves information through technology. It helps investigators estimate how much information and websites suspect was potentially accessing all at once. With this information, we can show that the suspect was accessing throughout their computer use. The CPU is the brains of the computer. It is a software that helps tell the computer what to do. This helps investigators find out the things the suspect as allowed on the computer and it is whole set up of the computer, where they put files, how they saved it, what kind of file it is, etc. The motherboard is very important part to have because it allows the CPU and RAM to communicate with each other. Without the motherboard, the IT department can not investigation the CPU and RAM that are essential to the investigation and evidence. Input and Output devices are so important as well. Expansion cards or even USBs carry extra memory that is not a part of the computer system. This is important to collect because this has extra information that could have been copied from the computer and/or information that has saved that is not on computer. If the suspect has something to hide investigating these devices is the key to unlocking information that’s not on the computer but can be accessible through the computer. The keyboards and mouse may not seem so valuable, but it is just as valuable as everything else comes with the computer. These devices show what they were typing with and can be used to access all the information needed and to navigate around the computer. Overall, having all the aspects of a computer id helpful, I find it necessary because everything works hand in hand. We need every part of the computer to understand the way it was used and what information is on there and the only way to see all the information is to have all the parts ready and available to use. So, when looking at a computer it is most valuable with all its components. Technology is always advancing, and it is good to be informed of the importance of all the components of the computer and to know the worth of it all.