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15 www.officer.com April 2014 Law Enforcement Technology I N V E S T I G AT I O N S among young adults and teens in dating relationships. Keep this in mind when collecting evidence from suspect and victim devices, and be careful to use the information as a path to leads, rather than ironclad evidence in and of itself. Even apparently unrelated incidents may have their roots in mobile device or social media evidence. The Urban Institute referred to a 2011 study that reported eight percent of surveyed youth having had physically violent encounters because of something that occurred on a social network site. This can be an ave- nue to explore when you've responded to a fight on school property. Best practices when responding to complaints ■ Ask whether the complainant has a mobile device, and if so, how many others they own or have access to. ■ Ask whether the abuser, or oth- ers, also have access to the same device(s). ■ Ask the victim(s) what apps they use to communicate. ■ Obtain any passwords to the device. ■ Ask for consent to search the device, and ensure the search properly col- lects, preserves, and documents the evidence. Make sure the consent is written and signed. ■ Don't risk the potential loss of criti- cal evidence. If the victim is in immi- nent danger, seize both the victim's device and, if possible, the suspect's. Ensure the victim has a backup device to call for help if needed. ■ Use the information you find not just at face value, but also to develop leads and lines of questioning. Teen dating violence and cyber abuse Aside from evidence collection and investigation, you have an opportunity to help prevent cellphone-related abuse. The Urban Institute noted, "Our find- ings on higher cyber bullying victimiza- tion rates in schools providing greater access to communications technology suggest that as such access continues to grow, schools will need to train youth on how to use technology." Law enforcement can and should take an active role in this training. As technol- ogy evolves, so will abusers' capacity to use it to get at their victims and evade detection. Stay informed, and you can prevent and mitigate their behavior. ■ Christa M. Miller is Director of Mobile Forensics Marketing for Cellebrite USA. Christa has worked for more than 10 years as a journalist, specializing in digital forensics and other high tech topics for public safety trade magazines. Christa is based in South Carolina. Circle 26 on Reader Service Card LET_13-15_TeenDating0414.indd 15 3/20/14 9:12 AM