Cellebrite’s 2024 Industry Trends Survey Reveals Urgent Digital Challenges in Law Enforcement

November 13, 2023 at 08:30 AM EST

TYSONS CORNER, Va. and PETAH TIKVA, Israel, Nov. 13, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cellebrite DI Ltd. (Nasdaq: CLBT), a global leader in Digital Intelligence (DI) solutions, unveils the critical insights from its 2024 Industry Trends Survey for the Public Sector. Now in its fifth year, the survey findings reveal the urgent need for agencies to digitally transform key workflows to address severe staffing shortages and a growing volume of evidence.

The survey, gathering insights from 2,000 law enforcement leaders and practitioners, underscores challenges in device access, data extraction, evidence management and analysis. A notable majority report increased overtime and insufficient training to tackle digitally driven crimes. Disturbingly, many still rely on outdated paper-based reviews or manual digital tools, resulting in a staggering 45 hours typically spent reviewing digital evidence per case. With three out of four practitioners agreeing digital evidence is pivotal in case resolution, it is critical for agencies to adopt technologies that will transform their workflows, increase productivity and create efficiencies to solve cases faster, smarter and more defensibly.

“Technology has changed the nature of crime,” says Steve Foster, Special Agent in Charge at the Georgia Bureau of Investigations whose unit utilizes Cellebrite technology to solve crimes. “We need the tools and people in place to be able to work through the challenges.”

“Digital evidence continues to play an important role in modern investigations. As criminal technology evolves, it is that much more critical agencies are equipped with the tools, solutions and training needed to identify and analyze all case data,” said Leeor Ben-Peretz, Chief Strategy Officer, Cellebrite. “This year’s survey validates our commitment to supporting agencies through their digital transformations, help them manage their growing caseloads, and reduce investigator and examiner fatigue.”

Key survey revelations include:

Increase in evidence sources: significant YoY increase from cryptocurrency, car infotainment systems and wearables
Examiner reports to investigators: In 2021, it took an average of six days for investigators to receive an extraction report from examiners, which has now increased to 14 days
Evidence Handling: 75-80% agencies use portable drives or USB sticks for evidence, risking chain-of-custody breaches
Growing Backlogs: 52% see worsening case backlogs year-on-year
Evidence Sources Expand: Smartphones dominate, but cryptocurrency, cars and wearables are on the rise
Digital Evidence Power: 60% of practitioners deem digital evidence has more impact on case resolution than DNA
Evidence Delays: 75% of investigators note device analysis can exceed two weeks, even in high profile cases
Tech’s Role: 65% of agency managers believe technology can alleviate staffing strains

The annual survey includes respondents from North America, Europe, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region. To view the full survey results, please click here.

About Cellebrite

Cellebrite’s (NASDAQ: CLBT) mission is to enable its customers to protect and save lives, accelerate justice, and preserve privacy in communities around the world. We are a global leader in Digital Intelligence solutions for the public and private sectors, empowering organizations in mastering the complexities of legally sanctioned digital investigations by streamlining intelligence processes. Trusted by thousands of leading agencies and companies worldwide, Cellebrite’s Digital Intelligence platform and solutions transform how customers collect, review, analyze and manage data in legally sanctioned investigations. To learn more, visit us at https://www.cellebrite.com and https://investors.cellebrite.com.

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