Athens Police Department may soon be able to gather evidence 40 times faster than their current rate.
On Monday night, Athens City Council members appropriated $17,000 to APD toward purchasing a data-analysis system for mobile devices.
This system would expedite the acquisition of deleted text on the hard drives of cell phones — an outsourced process through Columbus Police Department that currently takes four to six weeks, said Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle.
“For crimes that involve passion, like domestic violence…(four to six weeks) is a long time,” Pyle said. “The evidence that sits on (cell phones) is really volatile. In my mind, ($17,000) is a small price to pay for the security of our community.”
Data-acquisition under the new system would be a 24-hour process, Pyle said, adding that he expects APD officers to use the system as much as two to three times each week.
With the large amount of data on modern cell phones, relying on computer-based evidence has become obsolete, said Councilman Steve Patterson, D-at large.
“We’ve had the software to look into computers,” Patterson said. “This is just bringing us into 2013 and keeping us pace with technology.”
Though citizens had been concerned about possible invasions of privacy, Patterson said APD would respect a citizen’s right to privacy.
“If the data is irrelevant on a cell phone and not pertinent to a crime, it will be disregarded,” Patterson said. “It won’t be used as a snoop device.”
After an admitted 50 years of disregarding potential upgrades to the city’s sewers, council members approved an increase in citywide sewer rates to compensate for a $19 million project to modernize the waste system.
Monthly rates will increase slightly over the next 20 years, from the current average rate of about $12 each month to about $19.50 a month, said Councilwoman Chris Knisely, D-at large, who added that the current system is a threat to public health.
“We need to keep (the system) current and the community safe,” she said.
Council members also unveiled an improvement plan for a private road belonging to University Estates.
From May 17 to July 1, the city will be dedicating $700,000 toward repairing University Estates Boulevard, Knisely said, adding that 60 percent of the project’s funding will come from Citizen’s Bank, which owns houses on the road.
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