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Franklin County commissioners approve contract for mobile-device data extraction service
Summary
County commissioners voted to approve a sole-source agreement for a mobile-device data extraction service to speed investigations, after county and district attorney staff described uses in homicides, child-exploitation and drug cases.
Franklin County commissioners on Feb. 26 approved an agreement to purchase mobile-device data extraction services from a vendor county staff said is the county's sole available provider.
The service, presented by county staff and District Attorney Ian Brink, is intended to allow investigators to extract data from phones and other devices more quickly than relying on the Pennsylvania State Police lab, which staff said can take months to return results in urgent cases.
District Attorney Ian Brink said the technology is used for a range of investigations, including homicides and child-exploitation cases, and that warrants are generally obtained before accessing devices. "They're basically the sole source that does a specific service regarding downloading of phones that we obtain through various means," Brink said. He added that the state police can provide similar services but sometimes take "6, 12, 18 months" to return results in cases the county needs expedited.
County staff told commissioners the service historically was charged to the drug task force budget but is used across many case types. Staff said the vendor was holding prices through March 1 and would begin work from the approval date. No dollar total for the multi-year agreement was given in the meeting record.
A motion to approve the agreement passed after staff presentation and brief discussion. The motion and second were recorded in the meeting; the roll-call vote tally was not specified on the record.
The commissioners and the district attorney characterized the purchase as a public-safety measure to speed evidence collection and prosecution; they noted the option to request expedited work from the state police still exists but can involve long delays. The contract will allow local staff to respond more quickly when time-sensitive data is needed for investigations.
Background: county staff said similar services are available through the Pennsylvania State Police but that turnaround times can be lengthy. Staff also said counties with more resources sometimes perform parts of this work locally or collaborate regionally to expedite results.
A record of the contract approval will be included in the county minutes and procurement files; the vendor name was discussed during the meeting but recorded pricing and contract length beyond statements that some years are contingent on future funding were not specified.
