Orange County Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory Receives Prestigious International Accreditation, Unveils Mobile Lab

The FBI announced today that the Orange County Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory (OCRCFL) has earned international accreditation from the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB), the world’s largest forensic science accrediting body. Accreditation demonstrates to OCRCFL customers and the general public that a laboratory meets or exceeds the rigorous standards established by the international scientific community.

Currently, only 38 laboratories worldwide hold international accreditation in the digital and multimedia evidence-computer forensics discipline. Requirements are based on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 17025-2005 standard and ASCLD/LAB supplemental requirements.

At an accreditation ceremony and press conference held today at the OCRCFL in Orange, California, ASCLD/LAB Executive Director, Ralph Keaton, presented the official accreditation certificate to members of the Orange County RCFL local executive board and FBI management.

The OCRCFL becomes the 13th laboratory in the RCFL program to be accredited by ASCLD/LAB, and the fifth to earn accreditation under the international program. It achieved this distinction only two years after its official opening. “We are very proud of the hard work and dedication to quality demonstrated by the Orange County RCFL team,” said Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Division Bill L. Lewis. “Laboratory accreditation is a vital plank in our efforts to provide the finest digital forensic services available to the hundreds of law enforcement customers who rely on the OCRCFL to help fight crime.”

The OCRCFL is part of the RCFL program, a national network of 16 FBI-sponsored digital forensic laboratories and training centers devoted entirely to the scientific examination of digital evidence. The national program represents one of law enforcement’s most successful partnership initiatives with representatives from 130 agencies working side-by-side to provide expert digital forensic services to any law enforcement agency in an RCF’s service area.

The OCRCFL is funded and administered by the FBI’s Operational Technology Division (OTD) and overseen by the FBI’s Los Angeles Division and FBI Headquarters RCFL national program office. Executives from 14 participating federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies serve on the OCRCFL’s local executive board. They are the Anaheim Police Department, FBI Los Angeles, Fontana Police Department, Fullerton Police Department, Irvine Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Police Department, Newport Beach Police Department, Ontario Police Department, Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, Santa Ana Police Department, and the Westminster Police Department.

Thirty-two personnel from the participating agencies are assigned to the OCRCFL. They undergo extensive training to become FBI-certified as computer forensics examiners and must strictly adhere to standard operating procedures and institutionalized peer review measures to provide consistent, accurate, repeatable, and verifiable results.

OTD’s Assistant Director, Amy Hess, said, “We take great pride in our ability to provide the highest-quality digital forensic services to every law enforcement agency customer we serve. When launching the RCFL program, the FBI pledged not only to expanding the digital forensic capacity nationwide, but to doing it the right way. The OCRCFL’s accreditation and the accreditation earned by our other labs is a point of pride and a testament to our unwavering commitment to quality. “

At today’s press conference, the OCRCFL also officially rolled out its new Mobile Forensic Laboratory (M-LAB). The M-LAB provides full digital forensic processing and examination capabilities in the field. The M-LAB is outfitted with multiple “state-of-the-art” computer workstations, servers, custom on-board power systems, and specialized equipment to examine all types of mobile computing devices. The M-LAB can process, in real time, standalone computers, computer servers, all types of mobile computing devices such as cell phones, smart phones, iPADs and all other forms of digital evidence found during the course of a breaking investigation. The OCRCFL’s M-LAB is currently one of six mobile forensic laboratories that the FBI has deployed across the U.S. to provide onsite support on critical FBI and partner agency investigations.

To learn more about the RCFL program, visit www.rcfl.gov or contact personnel with the Orange County RCFL directly at www.ocrcfl.org.

Media Contact
FBI Media Relations: 310 996-3343 or laura.eimiller@ic.fbi.gov
OCRCFL Director: Supervisory Special Agent Jason Weiss: 714 385-6201