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Coping Strategies

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Jamie
(@jamie)
Posts: 1288
Moderator
 

Good post and good advice, t3chb0y. Thank you.

 
Posted : 13/06/2011 9:48 pm
suegiff
(@suegiff)
Posts: 3
New Member
 

Can someone tell me what CP stands for? I'm a little new to this. Thanks.

 
Posted : 28/08/2011 7:52 pm
suegiff
(@suegiff)
Posts: 3
New Member
 

Ok….CP is probably child pornography, right? and CF would be ??

 
Posted : 28/08/2011 7:54 pm
Jamie
(@jamie)
Posts: 1288
Moderator
 

Computer Forensics

 
Posted : 28/08/2011 8:57 pm
chrisdavies
(@chrisdavies)
Posts: 55
Trusted Member
 

t3chb0y excellent post.

After reading all the above comments, I have changed my opinion, i always have the attitude "nothing bothers me" soon as foot steps out of the office all is forgotten but it can only be beneficially to have someone to talk to that isnt a friend or colleague and hopefully later in life (am a young pup or so i would like to believe) things don't come back to haunt me.

This thread really helpful. Thanks

 
Posted : 18/04/2012 7:33 am
(@merlin403)
Posts: 1
New Member
 

Hi Forensic Focus

I'm new to the forums and just beginning my digital forensics career (still taking college classes).

I remember reading an article (and I'm not trying to start a gender debate) that discussed how in cases involving children (CP, child abuse, child molestation, ect …) female officers typically had a more difficult time because women in general are more emotional. This is not to say that men aren't effected either.

Furthermore, officers who have a family (especially, those with young children) were found to be constantly looking over their shoulder for fear of what might happen to their own kids. This reaction stems from the cases they've been involed with at work.

I can see how a person's psychology would affected in each of the above scenerios.

 
Posted : 12/06/2012 6:35 pm
(@michael556)
Posts: 12
Active Member
 

Is that a result of some study? From some 'experts' in sex offences?

I can say off the bat it's something that eats away and ruins you over the years, if you're not mentally resilient enough to handle it. Some things you wouldn't forget as long as you live, upsetting thoughts you cannot get rid of. It goes much deeper than emotions. Are you really prepared for that?

 
Posted : 06/10/2012 6:35 am
(@sometimeforensic)
Posts: 1
New Member
 

I can say off the bat it's something that eats away and ruins you over the years, if you're not mentally resilient enough to handle it. Some things you wouldn't forget as long as you live, upsetting thoughts you cannot get rid of. It goes much deeper than emotions. Are you really prepared for that?

Can absolutely vouch for that.

Regular counselling and support should be mandatory for anyone whose line of work brings them into contact with CP, regardless of whether or not you think you can handle it. And yes, if you don't think you can face such material (and who would blame you) be completely upfront about it.

 
Posted : 15/11/2012 4:57 pm
steve862
(@steve862)
Posts: 194
Estimable Member
 

Hi,

I thought I would re-post in this thread as it is a major factor for those that are considering working in digital forensics. The massive increase in digital forensic degrees in the UK means more people looking to work in this field but I wonder how well these degrees are preparing those people for what lies ahead.

I've worked in digital forensics for nearly 10 years now and although I do some smartphone analysis it has been almost exclusively on the computer side. I've worked for a child protection high tech crime unit where we did lots of CP cases, grooming cases etc and I've worked for a 'general purpose' lab where we do murders, fraud, CP (as well) and all sorts of other crimes.

Here are my observations now I've had some more experience… (warning the points below are quite frank!)

• In computer analysis you aren't just extracting and explaining the provenance of data but you’re investigating. You are looking for elements of planning, you are looking at aggravating factors such as bragging about what they did. In essence you are studying the psyche of your suspect and seeing how dark some people can be and that can be very shocking.

• It doesn't have to be a child abuse related job to be disturbing. Murders, rapes and violent crimes can be very disturbing to investigate. Studying the final moments of your victim's life or reading about the circumstances of the crime has the potential to be heartbreaking if you cannot focus on what you need to do.

• Following on from that you might feel remorse for family left behind. You might wonder how they are getting along years later. I know of Police Officers who face this challenge and because you investigated the details of this case you could experience this too.

• If you go on scene attendances as well be prepared to walk in to some horrible places and be prepared to see anything and everything. There will be nauseating sights and smells. It's what traditional forensics people cope with as well as officers. You might not think of digital forensics as having this remit but it might well do if you work in LE.

• You will find it more difficult to have regular conversations with 'normal' people on some topics. They'll be talking about how terrible something they saw in the news was and you'll be thinking, that's nothing! Other people won't have the same experiences as you and therefore will have a different perspective. It's something to be aware of and not to get frustrated about.

• You will want to feel like these 'sacrifices' which you make were worth it and continue to be. If you make a difference it is very rewarding but if you find yourself getting bogged down in management structures and internal change management, which will inevitably happen, you will need to be aware of how you might feel you aren't achieving what you came into this field to achieve.

• You will need to be pretty flexible in terms of your personal life. Be prepared to cancel holidays in extreme circumstances because you are needed at court, they can't do it without you but unfortunately they forgot to warn you. Be prepared to work long hours from time to time, or be called in at a moment's notice for something urgent. The job is one of the most invasive jobs you can have.

• There can be no coasting in this career. Software versions keep changing. Different version, different artefacts, or even same artefacts but different interpretation. New hardware comes out and so on. Hopefully your employer will help to keep your skills up to date but be prepared to do your own research and make sure you are still giving every job your best, even if it's been a while since you last went on formal training.

I’ll call it quits there although there are other considerations.

Part of the reason I wrote this extra post was the talk about the things I’ve felt from time to time and observed in others as well. My experiences are different now than they were at the beginning and even 2-3 years in.

The big questions then is, is this job worth it? Well for me it is and I can see me staying in this field and mostly likely within LE until I retire. Is it worth it for you? Only you can answer that question but maybe some of these comments will help you make that decision.

Steve

 
Posted : 19/04/2013 4:05 pm
(@lasvegascop)
Posts: 98
Trusted Member
 

Wow.. this is an old thread.. but a great topic.

I was assigned to the children sexual abuse detail in 1997 and then started in computer forensics in the late 1998-99 and created the Las Vegas Metro Police Departments ICAC unit as well as helped create the FBI/LVMPD Innocent Images Task Force.
As a matter of protocol the FBI sent us for regular psych exams. After a few years I left the ICAC unit to create a Computer Forensics unit that did all the exams except ICAC related cases. Soon after that the ICAC and ECU joined forces again and I began doing CP cases but I wasn't eligible for the psych exams. I continued with examining CP cases for many years until my retirement in 2012.. Not for mental reasons either.. I saw u thinking that.

My supervisor in the ICAC unit in the late 90s early 2000s was a working supervisor and he was constantly subject to CP also. We had different ways of viewing CP.
I would see the picture bookmark it and move on.
He would try to memorize the face, put together the series in his mind, memorize the age, name, and as much as he possibly could about the images.
He knew all the series names and all the info about them.
He burned out quickly to the point of having nightmares about those children and his own.

In my opinion, it takes a special personality to constantly view CP but you can't, or shouldn't, try to concentrate on it to hard or memorize it. You know what CP is, book mark it and move on.

 
Posted : 06/09/2013 4:44 am
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