Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to open new digital forensics lab in 2027
COOK COUNTY – In 2027, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office is set to expand its digital forensics capabilities with a brand-new lab.
It aims to streamline the process of analyzing digital evidence and help move criminal cases through the court system more efficiently.
New digital forensics lab
The backstory:
From cellphone records to surveillance video, digital evidence has become a critical component of criminal investigations.
With the demand for digital analysis growing, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO) is working to keep pace.
“The evidence landscape has changed in the last 20 years. It used to be physical evidence, and everybody expected the CSI effect of physical evidence. Well, that’s shifted now to digital evidence,” said CCSAO Investigations Bureau Chief James Roache.
Until this summer, Roache says prosecutors relied on outside law enforcement agencies to analyze digital evidence, while handling other aspects of the evidence process themselves.
“A lot of what happens is, prosecutors will get the evidence and try to make copies on their own, and it’s a very cumbersome process,” Roache said.
But in July, under Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke, the office opened a temporary lab space inside the Leighton Criminal Courthouse — allowing its own investigators to take on that work.
And in a matter of months, a brand-new 10,000-square-foot digital forensics lab is expected to open near Van Buren and Canal streets.
“The fact that we’re going to be able to look at all the data that’s out there, whether they’re surveillance cameras, whether they are Ring cameras, all those things, and put those under one umbrella for a case is going to be tremendous,” Roache said. “It really is going to benefit our trials, reduce the time from the crime committed until the court adjudication, and just hopefully represent the citizens of Cook County in a much more fair fashion.”
The office currently has three certified forensic examiners, with four more analysts in training.
Roache says the office is also working to ensure its digital forensic findings can stand up to scrutiny in court.
“We’re working with a consultant right now who has done this previously for the federal agencies, state agencies, and the private industry and walked them through the steps to get their laboratories up and running — and not just up and running, but also accredited, which is the main value, because you can then testify in open court that your laboratory meets all the standards for accreditation,” Roache said.
What’s next:
The county has approved a lease for the new lab through September 2042, with an average annual rent of just over $540,000.
The project is still in its planning stages — and officials are continuing to assess staffing, equipment, and software needs.
The Source: The information in this report came from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and an interview with Investigations Bureau Chief James Roache.
