The exponential expansion of the internet of things (IOT) and their widespread adoption have enabled the collection, storage, analysis, and sharing of vast quantities of individuals data

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) awarded a $440,000 Cooperative Agreement under the Economic, High-Tech, and Cyber Crime Prevention (CFDA 16.752) federal grant program to the Research Foundation of the City University of New York (RFCUNY), doing business as Rfcuny - John Jay College. The funding will support the development and delivery of training and technical assistance to state, local, territorial, and tribal (SLTT) criminal justice agencies on identifying and extracting digital evidence from Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Key products and services to be provided include: an enhanced searchable IoT database with a dashboard to track information and requests for technical assistance, a mobile application to identify IoT devices and facilitate requests for assistance, and mock crime scene training rooms with IoT devices for in-person and online trainings. The project aims to increase SLTT agencies' ability to prevent, investigate, and respond to crimes involving IoT technologies.

These IOT devices can provide critical information in criminal investigations. Despite an increase in the introduction of IOT-related evidence in courts, there is a current deficit in national criminal justice capacity to identify IOT devices at crime scenes and extract evidence from these devices in a forensically sound manner. To fill this deficit in national capacity, the center for cybercrime studies at john JAY college of criminal justice will provide cutting-edge IOT forensics training and efficient and tailored technical assistance to state, local, territorial, and tribal (sltt) criminal justice agencies. As part of the training and technical assistance (TTA), the center will provide an enhanced searchable IOT database with a dashboard that tracks information contained in the database and law enforcement requests for technical assistance in real time; a mobile application that identifies IOT devices, accesses the IOT database, and facilitates requests for technical assistance; and mock crime scene training rooms with IOT devices that will be used in online and in person trainings. The TTA provided can be used to assist sltt law enforcement agents, intelligence analysts, prosecutors, judges, fusion center staff, and other criminal justice entities who prevent, investigate, prosecute, adjudicate, and otherwise respond to crimes; identify best practices for handling IOT evidence in a manner that meets judicial standards; and inform and train stakeholders and communities on IOT capabilities and vulnerabilities, and the scope of IOT data collection, use, storage, and sharing. The center will develop and share technical documentation and other resources with criminal justice professionals. The projects objectives are to: 1) increase IOT knowledge of criminal justice agents through the development of training tools and materials and in person and online training; 2) enhance the features and scope of a searchable IOT database that can be used by criminal justice professionals; 3) develop a mobile application and new educational materials and technical resources that can be used by criminal justice professionals; 4) increase the ability of criminal justice agencies to solve problems and modify policies or practices related to preventing, investigating, and responding to the IOT through the provision of IOT-related training and technical assistance; and 5) assess and improve the impact of the TTA by collecting, analyzing, and incorporating performance and evaluation data into the TTA provided.