Chad Gish has just closed the books on an incredibly impactful career with the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD)—building a truly world-class lab and helping to reduce some of the crime affecting the Nashville area.
In his time with the MNPD, Chad utilized Magnet Forensics products to help maximize the potential of his investigations and has been a tireless evangelist for all things DFIR. With his recent retirement, it was only natural for Chad to bring his expertise to Magnet to help customers make the most of their digital investigations. Learn more about Chad’s history, his views on current DFIR trends, and a lot more, in this interview.
FF: Hi Chad, thanks for joining us today. Can you start off by telling us a bit about your history in law enforcement?
Certainly. I spent 26 years with Metro Nashville, starting in patrol and later serving as a detective in major crimes. In 2005, recognizing the increasing significance of computer-related evidence, the police chief asked me to lead in the creation of a pioneering unit in our region—a digital forensics unit. This marked the beginning of an intense two-year crash course to learn digital evidence, despite my initial lack of experience. Interestingly, the continuous evolution of technology turned that two-year crash course into a twenty-year learning journey.
But I’ll tell ya, designing and building the lab, managing cases, and creating policies for the digital forensics unit was also a 20-year journey. Like a lot of folks, I began with humble beginnings: a small room with minimal equipment, gradually developing the unit into Nashville’s current state-of-the-art facility, equipped with top-tier tools and a highly skilled team. Building this advanced digital lab not only enhanced our investigative capabilities, but also set a new standard for digital forensics in our region.
Throughout my career, I investigated hundreds of homicides, crimes against children, sexual assaults, active shootings, internal investigations, and various other cases. A couple years ago, I began sharing insights from these impactful investigations through a LinkedIn blog where I was hoping to achieve three goals:
- Emphasize the critical role of digital evidence in solving cases.
- Showcase Metro Nashville PD’s use of cutting-edge tools like Magnet Graykey, Magnet Automate, Portable Case in Magnet Axiom, Magnet Review, and Magnet Graykey FastTrak.
- Provide guidance to investigators—both seasoned professionals and newcomers—in this very important and challenging field.
The blogs had their intended effect as so many investigators have reached out to share how my investigations helped them with their cases. After a few months, I discovered an unexpected benefit: the impact on recruiting at MNPD. I’d say no fewer than twenty people contacted me about starting a career as a police officer in Nashville.
FF: What made you want to join Magnet Forensics?
There are a lot of things that drew me to Magnet, but first and foremost is Magnet’s unwavering passion for protecting our most vulnerable. There is nothing more noble than fighting for a child.
Magnet is renowned for their powerful yet user-friendly forensic tools, consistently leading the industry with cutting-edge technology tailored to the needs of law enforcement. Their artifact-first approach, emphasis on Time to Evidence, focus on investigator well-being, and their genuine understanding of the needs of law enforcement are unparalleled.
Every interaction I had with the team at Magnet Forensics reinforced their professionalism and unwavering support in delivering justice. I haven’t met anyone from Magnet who I wouldn’t consider a valuable partner, someone who I’d gladly work alongside in my lab.
However, it’s not just their dedication to protecting children and unwavering support for law enforcement that attracted me to Magnet. Their commitment to innovation by always anticipating what lies ahead is truly remarkable. Their forward-thinking approach ensures they are prepared for any future challenges we might face in digital forensics. I’d have to say that joining Magnet is not just about a job—it’s about being part of a community that strives for excellence and contributes so much to fighting crime. Over the last 10 years or so, I’ve had a front-row seat watching how Magnet Forensics has revolutionized digital forensics, and that’s also a big part of why I am now on Magnet’s team. I want to be a part of helping them shape the next 10 years.
Magnet offered a unique opportunity for me to join a team that continues to make a significant impact, and after years of service in Nashville, I’m eager to leverage Magnet’s cutting-edge tools to help investigators worldwide. The thought of applying my experience on a global scale, assisting law enforcement agencies in obtaining and utilizing the very tools that have proven invaluable in Nashville, is deeply motivating. I will say this is more than a career move, it’s a chance to expand my reach with an established team and contribute even more to the pursuit of justice on an international scale.
FF: What types of initiatives are you looking forward to taking part in with the company?
The most significant transformation we’ve ever experienced at our lab occurred with the implementation of Magnet Automate, followed by Magnet Review and Graykey Fastrak. I know I have mentioned it many times before, but we were overwhelmed by data, operating with limited staff, and struggling with morale and well-being. If you’ve investigated the most challenging and heart-wrenching cases as a front-line detective, you understand the immense stress involved. Now, imagine the stress of investigating everyone’s toughest cases using traditional forensic methods of ‘connect and wait’. That’s a lot of waiting and little solving.
One thing I’m particularly excited about is supporting agencies in establishing modern, cost-effective forensics labs. These labs can deliver crucial data to stakeholders in hours and days, a significant improvement over the weeks and months it used to take. Additionally, I’m looking forward to contributing during the rollout of the Magnet One platform, which provides seamless technology integration. I’m all about fast, efficient, and convenient, and Magnet One checks all these boxes with collaboration, case management, automation, storage, usage metrics and more, allowing forensic teams to focus on what they should be doing: actual case analysis.
FF: What trends and challenges are you seeing in the field?
Well, in this field, the challenges stack up quickly and always have. I’ve witnessed significant trends and obstacles that have fundamentally reshaped our investigative methods. Initially, there were concerns from some folks that BitLocker would render computer forensics obsolete. Then, we faced the necessity of conducting chip-offs and ISPs on mobile devices to bypass security. The battle then moved to full chip encryption, restricting some of our mobile phone access until technologies like Graykey emerged. The evolution of the landscape has been remarkable.
Looking ahead, I anticipate there will be even faster progression, driven particularly by generative AI, the exponential growth in data volumes we must extract and process, and the ongoing debate over cloud storage vs. on-prem storage for law enforcement. As I mentioned earlier, it’s impressive how Magnet Forensics anticipates what lies ahead. Much of this due to their culture, their strategy of hiring top talent across various disciplines, and their innovation initiatives such as the Magnet Idea Lab, which creates solutions to problems before they become problems.
FF: How do you think people should combat those challenges?
I believe it starts with two essential factors: education and willingness to embrace change.
I’ll admit, change isn’t always easy, and it affects all of us. When Magnet first proposed their new Automate solution to address our growing workload, I initially dismissed the idea, insisting that we could just ‘overtime’ our way out of the problem as we’ve done in the past. But, after educating myself and my command staff on their innovative platforms, I realized that making a few adjustments could significantly reduce our years-long backlog of devices.
Promoting a culture of continuous learning and adaptation within our law enforcement agencies is important. To combat all the challenges that will arise, we must continually emphasize to our command staff and decision makers that nearly 90% of all crimes committed today involve digital evidence—a stark contrast from only 20 years ago when digital evidence in a case was rare. This evidence has become central to criminal investigations, necessitating investments in new technologies to ensure justice is served quickly. Years ago, it was said that digital forensics was a nice thing to have in a police department. Today, it’s a necessity in nearly every investigation and I’m excited about my role with Magnet, where I’ll team with the best to assist law enforcement agencies in navigating the complexities of modern digital forensics to embrace this necessity.
FF: Any other words of advice?
I’ve been in this industry for nearly two decades, starting out with a copy of Norton’s Disk Edit and JadSoftware to the cutting-edge software we are working on today. My advice to fellow professionals is simple: don’t stop learning and don’t lose sight of the fact that you hold potential evidence in your hands that can determine someone’s fate. Each digital clue you uncover has the potential to change someone’s life. Embrace the responsibility that comes with this role and continually hone your skills to uphold integrity and deliver justice effectively.
Looking back over my career, I wouldn’t change a thing. Hundreds of families experienced a measure of justice because of the work I did in the lab, and that’s something that’s hard to put into words.
