Computer forensics lab opens in Menlo Park Computer forensics lab opens in Menlo Park (January 12, 2005)

Menlo Park became a nerve center for the fight against high-tech crime last week, when the FBI opened a computer forensics lab on January 6.

The $2 million, 17,000-square-foot Silicon Valley Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory (SVRCFL) opened at 4600 Bohannon Drive with much fanfare from law enforcement officials.

Because computers and other electronic devices such as cell phones and personal digital assistants are being used more and more often, they are often where investigators find evidence. So officials from other agencies, including the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, teamed up to help establish the lab, which provides forensic examination of such devices, said Mark J. Mershon, the special agent in charge of the FBI's San Francisco office.

Investigators at the lab can, for example, work with a seized computer system to recover deleted or encrypted files that could become evidence in court.

The lab is expected to become a regional center for criminal, terrorism and intelligence investigations, Agent Mershon said.

Local law enforcement personnel will be able to get training at the lab in computer investigation and handling sensitive electronic equipment, Agent Mershon said. They will also be able to pool resources and information.

The Menlo Park lab is the sixth of its kind in the nation and the second in California; the FBI opened its first regional computer forensics laboratory in San Diego in 1999.

For more information about the lab, go to www.svrcfl.org.

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