HUNTSVILLE, AL—The FBI and members of the Local Executive Board of the Tennessee Valley Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory (TVRCFL) held a grand opening ceremony today to commemorate the new TVRCFL in Huntsville, Alabama.

The RCFL program has evolved from a single pilot project laboratory established in San Diego in 1999 to a national network of digital forensic laboratories today.

Located inside Redstone Arsenal, the TVRCFL was established in 2017, and is one of 17 laboratories in the country, serving as a full service digital forensics laboratory and training center devoted entirely to the examination of digital evidence.

The FBI provides the facility, equipment, and training for the TVRCFL. Along with the FBI, four participating agencies detail the staff who work at the lab. The participating agencies are: the City of Huntsville Police Department, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama National Guard Counterdrug Program, and the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama is also a prosecuting agency partner.

Today’s opening ceremony provided an opportunity to celebrate the partnerships that supported the selection of Huntsville as a vital resource for law enforcement agencies throughout Alabama and southern Tennessee.

Johnnie Sharp Jr, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Birmingham Division, who oversees the TVRCFL, applauded the lab’s achievements stating, “Prior to the TVRCFL, we did not have sufficient computer forensic capability to address the proliferation of cases involving digital media. Today, thanks to the TVRCFL, law enforcement throughout Alabama and southern Tennessee can significantly enhance their capabilities by partnering with one of the world’s most advanced state-of-the-art digital forensics examination facilities. I want to extend my personal thanks to our partners, the Huntsville Police Department, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama National Guard Counterdrug Program, the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Attorney’s Office for their investment of personnel.”

The national RCFL program represents one of law enforcement’s most successful partnership initiatives. Individuals from over 140 different agencies work side-by-side in the RCFLs to provide expert digital forensic services to any law enforcement agency in a lab’s service area. Those assigned to the RCFL undergo extensive training to become FBI-certified as computer forensics examiners and must strictly adhere to the laboratory’s quality standards.

For more information on the TVRCFL, visit www.rcfl.gov