GAMEPLANS: A template for robust digital evidence strategy development.

Abstract

Law enforcement officers should now expect to encounter forms of digital evidence at most of their inquiries, and as a result ensure they are prepared to effectively deal with it. This should involve the production of a digital evidence strategy (DES) which describes those actions required of any investigative team to effectively identify, collect, examine, and evaluate any digital devices/data, while also defining the circumstances for when it is appropriate to conduct such tasks. To help officers to produce robust DESs this work provides a DES template which utilizes the "GAMEPLANS" acrostic to identify nine fundamental components that are required of all DESs-"G"-Grounds for investigation; "A"-Authorization; "M"-Method of investigation; "E"-Evaluation of the meaning of any findings; "P"-Proportionality; "L"-Logic; "A"-Agreement; "N"-Necessity; "S"-Scrutiny. Each of these components are described including the sub-tasks that are contained within each, which any officer constructing a robust and effective DES must address (and provide evidence of having addressed). To support this, a DES template file is also provided, which can be utilized by officers.