A Revolutionary Feature for Law Enforcement
At Grayshift, we strive to be at the forefront of mobile forensics and constantly push the boundaries for what is possible. Our “What Lies Beneath,” blog series will delve into game-changing features, recent innovations, and other items that you want to know more about.
So, with that, let’s kick off this series by diving into Mobile Excursions.
In August 2022, we polled users to gauge their need and interest in performing extractions in the field. One hundred percent of respondents said if they could process phones on-scene, they would do so a few times a year. So, to better equip our GrayKey customers, we built a feature called Mobile Excursions to help law enforcement agencies transform how they conduct their investigations. We announced this earlier this year at INSIGHTS – if you missed it, check out the recording.
What Are Mobile Excursions?
We like to think of a Mobile Excursion as a “hall pass” for geo-fenced GrayKey devices. Mobile Excursions allow users to take their GrayKey device to unlimited physical locations for 24 hours. This ability helps agencies that need to use GrayKey in the field but do not need a Premier Mobile license. Being able to process devices in the field can help save time and gives agencies more flexibility and convenience during investigations.
How Do Mobile Excursions Work?
While GrayKey is still online and connected to the home geolocation, the user can enable a mobile excursion from the GrayKey UI. Once the mobile excursion is enabled, the user can move the GrayKey to unlimited locations and connect to a different network, Wi-Fi, or Hotspot for up to 24 hours. The GrayKey must remain online during the extraction. At the end of the 24 hours, the GrayKey must be returned and connected to the home geolocation.
When To Use Mobile Excursions?
No matter the size of your agency or what types of crimes you investigate, mobile excursions could benefit you and your department. We have outlined some use cases below, but these aren’t an extensive list of when or how you could use Mobile Excursions.
When You Have Multiple Devices
Let’s say you are executing a search warrant or are on a scene and have found multiple devices and need to determine if you are going to seize these devices or leave the devices as they are not needed for your investigation. If your digital forensics tools do not allow for comprehensive on-scene data collection and preview, the process is more complicated and time consuming. , If you do not have the ability to access and review data on scene, you will likely need to make a determination on which devices to seize, transport them back to your agency, enter them into evidence, and process them later which adds to your existing backlog. With the GrayKey Mobile Excursion feature you can avoid most of these steps by processing devices on scene, in turn speeding up the investigation, obtaining actionable intelligence quickly, and avoiding backlog.
When An Investigation Is Time Sensitive
A missing persons case is time sensitive, and the correct tools are needed for a successful outcome. When digital forensics investigators are called upon, they need tools that can handle on scene device preservation for quick case resolution. Instead of waiting for the devices to be transported back to your lab, you can be on-scene with your GrayKey accessing and extracting evidence in real time. And, if you are using ArtifactIQ, you can begin examining those artifacts as GrayKey extracts them, giving investigators immediate insights and clues to help solve the case.
When You Are Preparing for Same-Day Arrest
A cybertip report leads to the execution of a search warrant and numerous devices are located that need to be examined immediately. It is important in these types of cases to identify and rescue any victims to prevent revictimization. GrayKey Mobile Excursions can be leveraged to conduct on-scene collections and previewing of mobile devices for immediate actionable intelligence that can be used to make those same day arrests and rescues.
Note: All information found in the use cases listed above is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a guide.
When Time Matters, Mobile Excursions Can Help
The ability for GrayKey users to take their unit mobile is crucial in law enforcement and investigations. Mobility gives investigators greater flexibility and convenience when conducting their work, allowing them to extract data from devices on scene without transporting them back to the lab saving valuable time and resources that would otherwise be spent transporting devices back and forth. This makes investigations more efficient and increases the chances of obtaining critical evidence so decisions can be made regarding next steps, arrests, and victim advocacy.
Learn more about Mobile Excursions by visiting the Investigator’s Corner.
Not a customer and want to learn more? Contact us.
© 2023. Grayshift, LLC. All rights reserved. Proprietary and confidential.
