Neumann University opened a high-tech forensics lab on May 2, the result of a yearlong collaboration with the Delaware County District Attorney’s office and the Aston Police Department.
Funded by a federal grant of $258,000, the lab will give law enforcement throughout the county the tools to investigate crimes quickly – by analyzing seized digital devices, examining video surveillance recordings at crime scenes, and monitoring live video cameras during real-time crime.
Located in the Abessinio Building on Neumann’s campus, the forensics lab will also provide internship opportunities for students who major in cybersecurity. Interns in the lab will have experience working on real criminal cases to include in their resumes.
Cutting-edge technology in the new facility includes a $15,000 Sumuri computer that is custom-made for forensics; a Faraday box to isolate and preserve seized cell phones and laptops; license plate reader software; and three large monitors (one measuring 65 inches) to view video feeds.
Several students interned in the forensics lab during its construction, including Robert Licciardello, who discovered a vehicle theft while he was reviewing a video surveillance recording during his first day in the lab.
“I saw this van drive by very slow in front of a U-Haul lot. It stopped at the corner. Then guys came walking into the lot, and I saw them steal trucks,” he explains.
Licciardello documented what he saw and alerted Detective Joe Walsh, an active member of the Aston Police Department and director of the lab. Police handled the investigation from that point, identifying the van’s license plate, tracking down the suspect, and getting an arrest warrant.
“I felt like a pioneer,” said Licciardello. “I’m the first one to help solve a case at the forensics lab.”
Four students worked in the lab while it was being configured during the spring semester. According to cybersecurity major Matthew Revelas, “The internship gives a lot of hands-on experience that you don’t get in the classroom. You learn how classroom theories are applied.”
Revelas accompanied Walsh on a dispatch call to someone’s home in February. An elderly woman had been hacked and had no access to her bank accounts. She was getting emails from the hackers, who threatened to reveal false information about her if she didn’t pay them.
Revelas took notes and watched first-hand as Walsh restored access to the accounts and helped the woman arrange two-factor authentication.
Walsh envisions a time when as many as five interns could work in the lab, supervised by a police officer or analyst. “The student intern experience is great for resumes,” he says. “They’re working on real cases.”
Walsh became a police officer in 2008 with Aston Police Department, left to become a county detective with the DA’s office, and has worked in digital forensics since 2010. He thought of the partnership concept and presented the idea to Eric Wellington, dean of the School of Business at Neumann, Aston chief of police Dan Ruggieri, and Aston commissioners.
Discussions led to an application for a federal High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) grant. According to Walsh, there were 17 submissions, and the Neumann University forensics lab was the only project that received funding.
To learn more about Neumann University degree programs in cybersecurity, criminal justice, political science, and pre-law, visit www.neumann.edu/academics.
