2006 DPS Annual Report - Arizona Department of Public Safety

Criminal
Investigations
Division
Computer Forensics Unit assists with school teacher child pornography case
In April 2006, the DPS Computer Forensic Unit (CFU) received a request from an Arizona police department for
assistance with a case involving a school teacher suspected of viewing child pornography pictures on a schooldistrict
computer while in the classroom. A twelve-year-old student observed
the pictures on the teacher’s classroom computer and reported the incident to
another school employee. The police department was called to investigate the
incident. The school district computer and the suspect’s home computer were
seized and delivered to the DPS Computer Forensic Unit for analysis. Forensic
Unit detectives examined both computers and determined the suspect
was viewing numerous websites that contained child pornography pictures
on both computers. In addition, it was determined that the suspect
was receiving emails at home and at work with attached links to
known child pornography websites. From the wording in the emails, it
was apparent that the suspect was searching for child pornography pictures while working in his classroom.
Detectives completed the case and a report was submitted to the requesting police department. This case is
pending.
Computer Forensic Unit assists with seeking of sexual predators
During July 2006, the DPS Computer Forensic Unit (CFU) assisted the Arizona chapter of the Internet Crimes
Against Children (ICAC) Task Force with Operation Safe Childhood. This operation was a cooperative effort
between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in support of the United States Attorney General’s Safe
Childhood Project.
The operation consisted of five undercover investigators from local law enforcement agencies posing as minors on
the internet in an attempt to apprehend internet sexual predators. The undercover investigators, who identified
sexual predators while chatting on the internet, guided the suspects to a target location, which was an apartment in
East Phoenix similar to sting operations seen on the NBC television show Dateline. The suspects were arrested
upon arriving at the target apartment. In support of this operation, the CFU served search warrants on the suspects’
residences and seized the suspects’ computers. The CFU detectives then conducted computer-forensic
examinations for evidence of the crimes committed. During the operation five arrests were made for Luring a Minor
for Sexual Exploitation, Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, and Attempted Public Sexual Indecency Involving a Minor.
DPS detectives follow up on suspect shipping marijuana
In Jan. 2006, DPS detectives conducted surveillance of a subject believed to be involved in shipping 23 pounds of
marijuana from Maricopa to Miami, Fl. via the United Parcel Service. The subject was observed meeting with a
commercial vehicle transporter in Phoenix. The unit maintained surveillance and arranged to have the commercial
vehicle stopped near Tucson by a DPS canine officer. DPS seized 1,275 pounds of
marijuana and approximately $6,000 from the trunks of four of the transported vehicles.
The truck driver and passenger were arrested. An additional $206,330 in
drug proceeds were seized.
With the assistance of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials, a controlled
delivery of the drugs to their destination in Florida resulted in two additional arrests
and the seizure of a home valued at over $1,000,000.
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