Presume you are given call detail records from three phone companies, spanning two crime scene locations including five cell towers. A day later, you are given social media data from a popular social media account and the GPS locations (spanning 30 days) for a vehicle connected to your investigation.

How do you put it all together? Are there limits to combining these data? Is there a local resource within your agency to help you? How can you be sure the data you put into a software program is not being saved by a vendor? Do you already feel overwhelmed? Did you mentally put the files into the back section of a case binder and tell yourself that you will go through them … ‘later’?

If you said “yes” to “later”, this course is for you. After completing this course, you will jump at the opportunity to go through hundreds of thousands of lines of data, all with ease, excitement, and anticipation knowing there is a very good chance a viable suspect is contained within. 

This course is designed for law enforcement investigators who encounter cell phone call detail records and cell tower downloads in connection to criminal cases. This course is software agnostic and provides attendees with the skills necessary to understand cellular records independently without reliance on third party vendor specific cell analysis software. 

Note: This course is a pathway course to becoming a CDR Subject Matter Expert.

This is an advanced class.

It is recommended that attendees have:

• High level of comfort with moderate to advanced functions of a Windows computer
• Requested, and been granted, either Call Detail Records or Cell Tower Download records through a court order within the past year (from the course start date)

Course ​​​​​​​Prerequisites: 

Be comfortable with the basic functions of a computer. 

Familiar with Microsoft Word, Excel, Access.

Understand basic mathematics and associated principles.

Students will need to have access to a Windows laptop (personal or employer issued/assigned). The host agency is unable to provide students with a laptop for use within the course.

Duration: 40 Hours (5 days)

Method: In Person 

Restrictions: Restricted to active and credentialed criminal justice employees only who are in a full duty (or light duty due to medical) status.

Required Disclosures: None

Fee: Course attendance is free.

Course Objectives

After successfully completing the course, attendees will be able to know, discuss, use, and execute the following fundamentals:

• Fundamentals of a Subject Matter Expert
• Standards in terminology
• Data Science Processes
• Fundamental understanding of Cell Phone Connectivity Fundamentals  
  • Cellular tower coverage; theory versus reality
  • Azimuths and Sector coverage
  • Data tower transmission types
• Communications ethics in the age of postmodernity
• Understanding the delta between raw data and plotting / mapping
• Creating and maintaining a Curriculum Vitae
• Exploration of Call Detail Records (CDR)
• Various data types
  • 4G VOLTE
  • RTT
  • AluLTE
  • IP Sessions
• Spotting Cell Site information
• Date / Time conversions
• Locate, identify, and understand Timing Advanced
• Understanding the delta between raw data and plotting / mapping
• Cellular tower downloads
•  Practical exercises using Microsoft Excel
  • Exploration of Call Records (100,000 + calls/messages)
  • Making the most of a court ordered cell phone download
  • Combining CDR data with cell site data spanning multiple days/jurisdictions/phone providers
  • Creating visuals (top 5 callers, common phone numbers found in cell tower downloads, ect.) 
• Legal considerations
• Exploration of data ethics within criminal justice investigations
  • Type I Errors
  • Type II Errors
• Mock Trial - cross examination mock trial exposure