District Attorney Hoovler Announces Training for DA’s Office Staff on Proper Uses of Cellular Telephone Evidence

May 9, 2018

Two-Day Training to Enhance Assistant District Attorneys’ and DA’s Investigators
Understanding of the Role of Cell Phone Technology in Criminal Cases

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced on Monday, May 7, 2018, that his office will be conducting a two-day training program for the District Attorney’s staff about the use of cellular-telephone evidence in criminal cases. The training will be presented by Geocell, LLC, a law enforcement training firm based in Austin, Texas, with the assistance of a member of District Attorney Hoovler’s legal staff. The training will be held for two full days, on May 15 and 16, 2018, and is part of the District Attorney’s ongoing effort to modernize criminal prosecution in Orange County.

The training will include several topics related to the gathering and use of cellular-telephone data. Topics will include:

​The nature of communications data;
​Proper techniques for conducting surveillance related to communications data;
​Determining the identity of users of cellular data;
​Determining the cellular carrier associated with a phone;
​Legal issues, including laws dealing with searches of cell phones;
​The use of cellular data in continuing investigations; and
​The use of cellular data in the courtroom.

“Technology is continuously advancing,” said District Attorney Hoovler, “and a surprising amount of evidence can be made available using that technology. Very often, significant evidence can be found on the cell phones of criminals, evidence that would never have been accessible twenty-five years ago. If we are to succeed in solving and prosecuting complex crimes in this ever-changing world, we must learn how to use all the technological tools at our disposal to gather and use new types of evidence. Through this training program, I hope to make my staff aware of the value of cellular telephone evidence, and the proper means to obtain and use that evidence in investigations and in the courtroom.”

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