Implementation of the BERLA iVE vehicle system forensic tool to fortify investigative methods and strengthen criminal prosecutions for restoring justice and safety for victims and the community.

The Gilbert Police Department is requesting $25,647 in funding from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) to purchase a BERLA iVE Toolkit and training for two investigators.  According to the Berla website (https://berla.co/), the iVE kit is a vehicle system forensic tool that supports vehicles throughout the world.  iVE provides forensic examiners and investigators a means to quickly acquire and analyze data from vehicle systems.  These systems store a vast amount of data such as recent destinations, favorite locations, call logs, contact lists, SMS messages, emails, pictures, videos, social media feeds, and the navigation history of everywhere the vehicle has been.  The data contained within vehicle systems is extensive and can more quickly identify the people and locations associated with serious criminal offenses thereby enhancing public safety overall and especially in those areas most hard hit by these types of crimes.