How DNA database searches work in CODIS and familial searching
CODIS compares crime scene profiles against a national database of millions of offender profiles, and familial searching extends the match to relatives.
Software
Software coverage from Daily Detective News.
What case management software does for prosecutors and defense counsel
Case management systems track the deadlines, evidence and people in thousands of criminal cases, in a process where more than 95 percent of federal convictions come from pleas.
How body camera video platforms handle retention and disclosure
Every activated body camera produces hours of stored video, and commercial platforms — not public statutes — decide much of how that video is kept and shared.
What digital forensics tools extract from phones, and what courts require
Mobile forensic extraction can pull a phone's messages, photos and location history, but the Supreme Court has required a warrant since its 2014 Riley decision.
How gunshot detection systems perform, according to independent studies
Acoustic gunshot detection promises faster alerts and more gunfire data, but the strongest independent audits find its evidence value thinner than the vendor's marketing.
What police records management systems store, and why data quality varies
A department's RMS is the database behind nearly every crime number the public sees, and its quality depends on local practice as much as on the software.