Safeguarding Washington State Correctional Facilities and Public Safety by Addressing Contraband Cellphones

Currently, Washington Department of Corrections (WA DOC) relies on outside law enforcement (LE) agencies to assist with cellphone examinations. While WA DOC has had some success having phones examined by other LE agencies, the process is slow, often leading to valuable intelligence being outdated and unactionable. With funds from this grant, the WA DOC will purchase a software program such as Cellebrite, to digitally examine contraband phones recovered throughout the prison system. This software will help mitigate the rise in contraband cellphones inside of correctional facilities and increase successful investigations by giving investigators sophisticated forensics tools to examine the phones. Additionally, WA DOC will create consistent processes, procedures,  policies, and trainings across the board for contraband cell phones.