Fairfax County PD clears device backlog, shares evidence in minutes with cloud-powered workflow

Steven Randazzo says he got started in digital forensics because he wanted to arrest more criminals, “and the way to do that was to get through my cases a lot quicker.”

That drive eventually led to his current role as a detective sergeant — supervising the department’s digital forensics section which examines devices tied to nearly every case the department handles.

As mobile technology advanced, devices arrived faster than the Fairfax County PD team could examine them. Its backlog grew to more than 80 devices. Evidence reports took anywhere from six to 14 months, leaving cases — and victims— waiting.

Fairfax County PD also operates nine district stations with many officers working on machines unequipped to run modern forensic tools. It led to a growing collection of physical hard drives in Randazzo’s office.

Moving to the cloud with SaaS support seemed like the answer. But in a large law enforcement agency, technology decisions don’t come easy.

To smooth the path to cloud storage and SaaS tools, Randazzo worked closely with the department’s IT team and command staff, sharing metrics for how a cloud-based solution would streamline effectiveness in the field.

The efforts paid off. With alignment across digital forensics, IT, command staff, and county government, Fairfax County PD moved forward with Magnet One and Magnet Review.

Through Magnet One, the team gained a centralized platform for managing cases and evidence across the investigative workflow. Magnet Review then gives investigators and stakeholders instant, web-based access to reports and evidence.

In addition, tools like Magnet Automate help the team power through devices, while Magnet One Case Stream provides evidence to stakeholders the moment it’s extracted.

Results came quickly. Within months of deploying Magnet One and Review, Fairfax County PD achieved something it never had before — bringing its backlog to zero.

Where investigators once waited six to 14 months for an examination report, they now receive results within days. While devices keep coming in, the team now has the tools and workflow to keep pace.

Also, the impact reaches beyond the backlog.

Within its first week of using Magnet One, Randazzo’s team uploaded cases and opened access to investigators through Magnet Review. Using Case Stream, they delivered results within 15 minutes, corroborated by what detectives found on the scene.

“We’ve seen great success. Not just in speed, but in collaboration,” he said.

That same workflow extends to the courtroom. When phones come in, the digital forensics team now relies on Magnet One to manage the workflow, from Magnet Graykey extraction through prosecutor review.

For Randazzo, that’s the point. He says training and tools freed him and his team from managing hardware to focus on the top priority: speeding up investigations and arresting more perpetrators.

And helping every station in the district do the same.