CI 121 - Cellular Records Analysis

This course is for officers, investigators, and analysts who encounter cell phone evidence that includes information external to the phone. Class concepts include instruction on how to request, read, and analyze call detail records from cellular providers, as well as how to plot cellular site locations to determine the approximate position of a suspect during a given period. No special hardware or software is required. However, this course focuses heavily on analysis; as such, a strong working knowledge of Microsoft Excel is highly recommended. Students are provided with a free copy of the National White Collar Crime Center's (NW3C) PerpHound tool, which assists in the plotting of call detail record locations.

Course structure:

• Cellular technology. Understand land-line and cellular networks, the types and generations of cell phones, and cell site design and its implications for law enforcement.
• Analysis of call detail records. Learn to request information from service providers; convert records into a useful format; merge two related spreadsheets; read and analyze using filters, sorting, and pivot tables; and plot location information.
• Hands-on experience. Obtain hands-on experience with NW3C's free software tool PerpHound and Microsoft Excel to analyze various types of records that are available from cellular providers.