Personal computers continue to grow in popularity for use in both homes and businesses throughout the world. Likewise the use of computers by criminals who have discovered new ways to victimize the public has also grown. In response to this new criminal element, the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office has created the Computer Crimes Unit to assist in the investigation of computer-related crimes and to conduct on-line investigations. The goals of the Computer Crimes Unit are to aggressively investigate on-line computer crimes, to forensically analyze computers to find evidence and to assist in educating the community on how to avoid becoming a victim in the first place.

The Computer Crimes Unit was unofficially started in mid-2000 when the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office completed moving into its newly refurbished home at 7474 Utilities Road in Punta Gorda. It was at that time that a room was set up to serve as a Computer Forensics Lab. Simultaneously, the two people - Lt. Debbie Bowe and Cpl. Gary Ellsworth - who would initially staff the unit were sent to specialized schools to prepare them for their up-coming jobs. Then came the purchase of certain specialized equipment, such as a F.R.E.D. computer and software that would assist in conducting the forensic analysis of other computers

In October 2001 the Computer Crimes Unit officially became an active unit within the Charlotte County Sheriffs' Office. That is when Lt. Bowe and Cpl. Ellsworth were transferred from their previous positions within the agency to the Computer Crimes Unit. As of the beginning of the year 2002, both Lt. Bowe and Cpl. Ellsworth had successfully completed the testing to be A+ Certified through the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) and to be Certified Forensic Computer Examiners (CFCE) through the International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists (IACIS). Lt. Bowe is also a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) and Cpl. Ellsworth has completed an intensive course concerning the forensic analysis of Macintosh/Apple computers.

The Computer Crimes Unit began in January 2002 to set up the necessary equipment and resources to start conducting on-line proactive investigations involving people who prey on children via the Internet.

What We Do

The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office Computer Crimes Unit is tasked primarily with conducting the forensic analysis of computers suspected to contain evidence of crimes and assisting detectives in conducting investigations in which computers are involved. The Unit is also beginning to conduct pro-active on-line investigations aimed at identifying and making viable criminal cases against individuals who prey on children via the Internet

Computer Evidence

Computer evidence is not limited to cases of Internet Fraud or hacking. Today it is altogether possible that evidence of just about any type of crime could be found on a computer. It isn't hard to imagine that a burglary suspect might email his friends to brag about what he had done. Or that a drug dealer might keep a record of his transactions on a computer.

For the Computer Crimes Unit, the first order of business with each case, whether they are working it or they are assisting another detective in another unit, is to determine if a crime has occurred, whether digital data exists and, if it does, where it might be located. The timing in these cases can be critical. Users may unintentionally destroy evidence or simply overwrite files in their normal course of business. It is necessary to move quickly when a case comes to light to preserve and collect the evidence.

The Computer Crimes Unit can assist members of other units with the preliminary interviews of witnesses to make sure that the proper questions are asked so as to identify the location of possible target computers.

Once the computers and media such as floppy disks or CDs are collected, it is up to the members of the Computer Crimes Unit to conduct a forensic analysis of the contents of the computers and media. The storage unit within a computer is its hard drive. The Forensic Analysts begin by making an exact copy of the suspect's hard drive. During the analyzing process, the investigators employ a variety of techniques, using special hardware and special software, to go through the entire contents of the hard drive. Sometimes their efforts lead to a fairly detailed picture of a fraud, child pornography or other crime. Even with just bits of data - fragments of memos or pictures, for example, they are often able to show wrongdoing.

On-Line Investigations

Children are particularly vulnerable when they use the Internet. They are usually trusting, curious and eager to explore. Unfortunately that means that they can find themselves in areas of the Internet they shouldn't be in or that they can wind up chatting with people they should be talking to. The Internet offers a sense of anonymity that results in people of all ages doing and saying things they wouldn't normally say to someone they knew and who knew them. But it also means that the person who claims to be a 12-year-old child may actually be a 45-year-old child molester who is searching for an easy victim.

In order to combat the growing number of people who prey on children via the Internet, the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office's Computer Crimes Unit has joined the multitude of other Federal, state and local agency conducting pro-active on-line investigations. Just as the adult child molester may pretend to be a child to chat with potential child victims, the on-line investigator can pretend to be child waiting to be "picked up." Special care must be taken by the investigators to make sure they react properly on-line so as to make a viable case that can be taken to court anywhere in the country. The investigators are careful to follow the guidelines set down by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program that was established by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Children Safety Sites

Netsmartz Workshop by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children offers children a fun site to learn about Internet safety as well as offering parents and educators tips on what they should do to safeguard children on the Internet.

Protect Kids offers parents information on actual cases in which children have been victimized via the Internet as well as solutions they can utilize to make the Internet a safe and interesting place for children.

Contact Information

Sgt. Gary Ellsworth
7474 Utilities Road
Punta Gorda FL 33982
(941) 575-5238
gary.ellsworth@ccso.org