The DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office plans to allocate funds toward a digital forensics unit that officials say will assist in navigating the ever-changing, ever-evolving technological landscape.
Robert Berlin, the county’s state’s attorney, outlined the rationale behind the creation of such a unit at a recent DuPage County Board meeting. The unit, Berlin said, would be an asset to prosecutors within the state’s attorney’s office, as well as countywide law enforcement.
“Digital device data — it’s increasing faster than law enforcement’s ability to keep up,” Berlin said. “It’s contained in smartphones, laptops, Apple watches, tablets, and any other device that stores data.”
What the new digital forensics unit will entail
Because of the prevalence of digital technology in day-to-day life, Berlin said data retrieval has grown progressively challenging to analyze under the current setup within the county.
“The reality is we’ve just seen an explosion with these digital devices and an explosion in the amount of data that we’re getting,” Berlin said. “It’s raw data, and the key is the analysis.”
Extracted data files, oftentimes ranging anywhere from 30 gigabytes to 1 terabyte in size, are transferred to such external sources as CDs, DVDs, and flash and portable drives.
“We want to provide our prosecutors with the ability to easily review and analyze all digital devices for charging decisions and prosecution,” Berlin said at the county board’s Tuesday, June 23, meeting. “We want to improve investigative and operational efficiency, by eliminating the hours or even days currently lost to uploading or downloading files.”
There are a number of components behind the digital forensics unit, Berlin said, including procurement of hardware and software and training and certification for current staff within the state’s attorney’s office. Web-based tools and cloud storage are the backbone of the initiative, he indicated.
“Organizing the data and making it readable is an incredible tool for us, and for law enforcement,” Berlin said. “But it also produces more fairness because we can use this data in charging decisions to make sure we’re charging the right people and that we’re not charging those where we have insufficient evidence.”
The cost behind the new initiative this year and beyond
In his presentation to the board, Berlin outlined an initial 3-year spending plan for the digital forensic unit that would begin in the final four months of this current fiscal year.
Beginning in August, as a part of the county’s fiscal year 2026 budget that runs through the end of November, Berlin said the plan in motion is to allocate $230,770 in state’s attorney funds toward the purchase of servers, training, and other start-up activities.
Berlin said he has adequate funds within the FY 2026 budget to cover the expenses to launch the digital forensics unit.
Looking further out, Berlin’s budget proposal includes $244,500 in FY 2027 and $249,456 in FY 2028. The costs in future years, he said, include software license renewals and other recurring costs.
At this time, Berlin said he is not proposing any staffing increases within the state’s attorney’s office for the new unit, but he left the door open to a potential scenario playing out in the future as technology continues to advance.
“Our plan right now is to use existing personnel,” he said. “We may have a need for up to two more certified analysts. We just don’t know at this point.”
County board shows unanimous support
During deliberations at the recent county board meeting, members were roundly in support of Berlin’s proposal. By a show of hands, there was unanimous consensus to give Berlin the go-ahead to launch the digital forensics unit.
“Our ASAs (assistant state’s attorneys) are not digital experts; they’re legal experts,” District 1 board member Cindy Cronin Cahill said. “They need help with technology. They need this. I think this is such a smart investment for public safety, and for all of us in DuPage County. I would just say, whatever you need, I would 100% support.”
Several board members, including Paula Deacon Garcia, of District 2, expressed belief the unit’s creation is much needed at this point.
“I really am in disbelief that this has not come before us already,” Deacon Garcia said. “This is something that has actually been needed in our county for quite a while.”
Board member Andrew Honig, also of District 2, said he believes the use of the funds will enhance public safety across the county in the long run.
“Not only do these units help solve crimes, but they help possible exonerate others, with the technology and advancement,” Honig said.
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