077 - Digital is the New DNA

Digital evidence has transformed modern investigations, and Harding University is helping law enforcement keep pace. In this episode, Brink and Tom sit down with RJ Holt, John Stone, and Jeff Cavitt from Harding University's Digital Forensics Lab, the only accredited digital forensics lab at a university in the United States.

They discuss how the lab partners with local, state, and federal agencies to process digital evidence, connect cases, train investigators, and give students hands-on experience in the field. From drug investigations and scheduled text messages to the growing role phones play in nearly every case, the conversation explores why "digital is the new DNA" and what the future of digital forensics looks like.

1:05 Introducing RJ Holt, 28-year law enforcement veteran and lab manager; John Stone, Searcy PD detective and Harding professor teaching digital forensics; and Jeff Cavitt, sworn Searcy PD officer and director of the Digital Forensics Lab at Harding University

4:18 RJ's start in digital forensics as phones became a major source of evidence and investigative leads

6:45 Working with the Secret Service and adapting to changing digital forensics laws

8:00 RJ's transition from law enforcement to lab manager at Harding

8:18 Nearly 300 phones processed in the lab so far

9:15 Partnering with federal agencies and combining resources through task forces

13:15 The only accredited digital forensics lab at a U.S. university

13:35 How an 18-month evidence backlog helped inspire Harding's lab

15:30 State funding and providing services to agencies at no charge

16:50 The reward students experience when they uncover evidence that helps solve a case

18:20 Training detectives in digital forensics because "digital is the new DNA"

19:40 Maintaining chain of custody and protecting the integrity of digital evidence

26:50 The difficult reality of digital forensics involving CSAM and other sensitive material; Protecting students from exposure to certain cases

28:45 How a scheduled text message provided critical evidence in an overdose investigation

29:25 Arkansas' aggravated death by delivery charge and the importance of phones in drug cases

31:00 Connecting evidence from multiple phones to a traffic stop and larger investigation

32:20 Serving as a digital evidence "fusion center" for Central Arkansas agencies

37:55 RJ's daily work creating forensic copies of digital evidence

40:50 The lab's current caseload: 60% CSAM, 20% drug cases, 20% property crime

41:50 Completing extractions and much of the investigative analysis within 30–35 days

47:05 How to learn more or contact the Harding University Digital Forensics Lab: [e-mail] or hudfl.org

49:19 Visits from a former President, the Secret Service, and FBI, and interest in Harding students for future careers

49:45 Harding's faith-based mission supports the lab's work through difficult cases