Introduction
When designing a forensic laboratory, there should be efficient planning done. This is because a forensic laboratory should function effectively to avoid interruptions. A forensic laboratory handles sensitive criminal investigations and is the reason why this investigation process should not be interrupted. This calls for the budget committee to have effective planning so that there is a reserve fund for any emergencies. A computer forensics laboratory is a place that can be either permanent or temporary that is used to carry investigations that deal with computer crime. Computer forensic investigations are a collection of techniques, procedures, and processes that are used to collect, store, and analyze digital evidence that is related to computer crime. Coming up with a digital laboratory is, therefore, complex and requires exhaustive planning. There are many issues that should be considered when designing a computer forensic laboratory. This is because the laboratory is not like other computer laboratories. The issues that should be considered in the design include environmental safety and health, materials that can be hazardous to the environment, security of evidence, preservation of evidence, efficiency, the degree of adaptability, and the financial aspect of the budget. This paper will focus on the parameters and the issues that should be considered when building a forensic laboratory that will be used in the university.
Steps in budget planning
The budget for a forensic laboratory is an important tool for allocating the necessary funds for the building. This requires that all the stakeholders of the university be involved. This is so that the support of all the stakeholders is assured. The planning committee should get the rough estimate of the cost of the whole project. This will be obtained by getting the cost of other projects in other universities or commercial enterprise. The budget should be guided by the objectives of the whole project. The budget should have a reserve fund that will be used to procure any need when it arises. This will save the building process from being interrupted in the entire process. The budget should be reviewed at some interval so that other pressing matters may be incorporated to the budget if there is a need to do so.
When undertaking the budgeting process, the tasks that will be undertaken in the computer laboratory should be listed down. This will help get the costs of the materials that will be used in this process. The scope of the investigations should be established as it will determine the complexity of the forensic laboratory that will be constructed. The more exhaustive the investigations will be done, the more expensive the forensic laboratory will be. The process of designing the forensic laboratory should be guided by the need to have integrity of the university protected. The design should also factor in the need to optimize the efficiency of the university. The laboratory should also provide a working environment that is safe for employees. It should be built within budget (Mozayani, & Noziglia, 2011).
When undertaking the construction of the forensic laboratory, there are four steps that should be included in the budget. These steps include planning, designing, constructing, and moving. They should be well planned for the entire process. The planning process is where the plan and the analysis of the forensic laboratory are delivered. This will include the delivery of the requirements document, needs of the laboratory, and the assessment of the facilities that exist. The planning will also entail estimating the overall cost of the project. The budget document can be used to alter some items and the scope of the project (Beveridge, 2011).
The second stage is that of the design. The design will be based on the assessment document for the needs. The design of the forensic laboratory will be based on what will be done in the forensic laboratory. Since it is a university forensic, there might not be much. The physical layout and all the features and functionalities of the forensic laboratory should be included in this stage.
The construction stage is the stage where the actual building of the laboratory is undertaken. Construction of the laboratory will only take place after the designs have been approved by the university management.
The evaluation process will be done to check if the objectives of the project have been met. It is important to understand the initial objectives and assess whether these objectives have been met. Moving is the process of equipping the forensic laboratory.
Physical requirements and controls
The construction process is an important process as the issues that should be looked into should be integrated in this stage. There should be security issues that will cover the site like CCTV cameras, fence enclosure, and a parking area that is secured. There is also a need to ensure secured public access to the forensic laboratory. The laboratory should be constructed far away from the public transportation systems and the highways. This does not mean that it should not be accessible. The ability to be accessible at any time is crucial for the operation of the forensic laboratory. The accessibility should not be accessible so that terrorists can access the forensic laboratory easily. It should be designed so that the space requirements of a laboratory should be met. There will be the need to consult county and federal requirements for constructing forensic laboratories.
There will also be a need to consider emergency and accessibility of the forensic laboratory. This will ensure that the laboratory will be accessible easily in case there is a disaster like fire. There should be space and logistics that will allow the coordination of the local authority and the laboratory. There will be the need to have equipment that will be used for safety so that the security of the laboratory will be assured. Apart from this, another factor would be the lighting of the laboratory which will prevent vandalism and theft in the laboratory.
Hardware and software tools needed
One of the software that will be included in the design of the laboratory is the operating systems that will run in the computers. If the computers will run on Microsoft products, then there will be a need to have Microsoft Operating Systems in place. To avoid extra costs, there will be a need to have some forensic software tools that will be bought at the design stage. With Windows operating system, there will be a need to have Windows forensic tool kit referred to as the Ultimate Tool Kit. This will go hand in hand with EnCase. If the forensic laboratory in the university will use Mac OS X or any version of Linux operating systems, there will be a need to SubRosaSoft forensic tool. There are other forensic packages that are free.
I will also buy UPS gadgets that will prevent power interruptions which will affect the delivery of results. There will also be the need to buy processors for the workstation. This way, it will be clear the number of workstations that will be required in the forensic laboratory. The processors are expensive and will require proper planning and budgeting in order to be able to buy the processors. There will be the need to understand the type of drive buses to be purchased. It will determine whether the buses will be SCSI, IDE, or SATA (Anslinger et al., 2005).
Criteria to be used when selecting the forensic workstation to be usedThe University should have the budget assigned to forensic workstations. The server of the forensic workstations will be installed according to the tasks and the workstations that they will manage. One factor that will be considered when purchasing forensic workstations is the ability of the workstation to execute the tasks. One of the tasks that will be required on a regular basis is the duplication of digital evidence from different storage media. There are two types of forensic workstations: special and customized workstations. Special workstation has high compatibility with other technologies and has high capabilities. One problem is that they are more expensive when compared to customized workstations. The university can still be served well with customizable workstations. The choice of which workstation to use will be chosen basing on the budget allocated.
Mandatory policies, processes, and procedures
The forensic laboratory will follow the policies, regulations, and the requirements of the university, local authority, and the national body. The procedures that will be required to dispose waste will be laid out so that there is protection of the environment. The forensic laboratory management board will come up with procedures that will be followed when disposing any waste that come from forensic laboratory. The waste that cannot be properly disposed will be disposed in accordance to the guideline from forensic laboratory management (James, & Nordby, 2005).
There will be annual review of the environmental practices of the laboratory to ensure that they stick to the guidelines and procedures set. There will also be an audit from external bodies regarding the environmental sustainability of the forensic laboratory to ensure it follows the guidelines set.
Floor plan of the digital laboratory
References
Anslinger, K., Bayer, B., Rolf, B., Keil, W., & Eisenmenger, W. (2005). Application of the BioRobot EZ1 in a forensic laboratory. Legal Medicine, 7(3), 164-168.
Beveridge, A. (Ed.). (2011). Forensic investigation of explosions. Taylor & Francis US.
James, S. H., & Nordby, J. J. (Eds.). (2005). Forensic science: an introduction to scientific and investigative techniques (p. 16). Boca Raton: CRC press.
Mozayani, A., & Noziglia, C. (2011). The forensic laboratory handbook procedures and pra
