Forensic Focus

Matt Goeckel, Global Technical Marketing Leader at Cellebrite, joins the Forensic Focus Podcast to talk about Cellebrite Genesis, the company's new agentic AI platform for investigations. Matt tells Si and Desi how he went from Police Explorer to detective, set up his agency's mobile forensics lab, and then moved to Cellebrite. The three discuss why so many police examiners leave the job when promotion means returning to patrol. They also explain why rotating detectives through specialist roles doesn't work in a field that changes with every iOS release. The conversation then turns to Genesis, which lets investigators "talk to the evidence" across phones, computers, documents, CCTV and more. Matt explains how every finding links back to its source so a human can verify it. He also covers consistent results, support for 110 languages, the platform running on Google Cloud with Gemini models, case sharing, PDF exports, and image, video and audio analysis. He walks through Deep Investigator, which can decode raw databases that haven't been parsed yet, along with file limits, processing times and token-based pricing. He also previews warrant scoping, a feature currently in beta that keeps the AI within the scope of a warrant. The episode closes on whether planted files could poison an AI-assisted analysis. #Cellebrite #CellebriteGenesis #AIForensics #MobileForensics #LawEnforcement #DigitalForensics #DFIR 00:00 Take the Forensic Focus State of DFIR Survey 00:26 Back After the Break 01:33 Meet Matt Goeckel of Cellebrite 02:39 From Police Explorer to Examiner 06:49 Knowing When It's Time to Leave 09:31 No Career Path for Police Examiners 12:50 Why Examiner Rotations Don't Work 16:22 Introducing Cellebrite Genesis 19:49 Investigation vs Evidence: Human in the Loop 23:10 Consistent Results and 110 Languages 26:11 Gemini, GCP and Data Privacy 27:51 Case Sharing and PDF Exports 29:59 Why Genesis Won't Write Your Report 32:30 How Examiners Put Genesis to Work 33:57 Searching Images, Video and Audio 36:25 Finding Guns, Drugs and Contraband 37:58 iOS Changes and Deep Investigator 41:28 Teaching Genesis New Databases 45:03 1 TB Uploads, E01s and PSTs 46:10 Processing Time: It Depends 48:59 Token Pricing and Case Storage 51:38 Roadmap and Warrant Scoping 55:39 AI Poisoning and Guardrails 57:19 Wrap-Up and Where to Listen 📋 Take our survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/H86YN5S 👉 Visit Forensic Focus: https://www.forensicfocus.com 🎧 Video/Transcript: https://www.forensicfocus.com/podcast/agentic-ai-for-digital-investigations-matt-goeckel-introduces-cellebrite-genesis/ 📝 Show Notes Cellebrite Genesis – https://cellebrite.com/en/products/cellebrite-genesis/ Cellebrite Physical Analyzer – https://cellebrite.com/en/products/cellebrite-inseyets/physical-analyzer/ Cellebrite Reader – https://cellebrite.com/en/products/cellebrite-inseyets/reader/ National Computer Forensics Institute – https://www.ncfi.usss.gov Google Cloud – https://cloud.google.com Google Gemini – https://deepmind.google/models/gemini/ OpenClaw – https://openclaw.ai Forensic Focus Podcast with Heather and Jared Barnhart – https://www.forensicfocus.com/podcast/the-idaho-murders-from-behavioural-clues-to-ais-role-in-digital-forensics/ 👉 Follow Forensic Focus RSS | https://www.forensicfocus.com/feed YouTube | https://youtube.com/@ForensicFocus Podcast | https://forensicfocus.com/podcast LinkedIn Page | https://linkedin.com/company/forensicfocus LinkedIn Group | https://linkedin.com/groups/693917 X (Twitter) | https://x.com/ForensicFocus Facebook | https://facebook.com/forensicfocus Bluesky | https://bsky.app/profile/forensicfocus.bsky.social Instagram | https://instagram.com/forensicfocus TikTok | https://tiktok.com/@forensicfocus Mastodon | https://dfir.social/@forensicfocus  

Phil Anderson, Senior Lecturer at Northumbria University, returns to the Forensic Focus Podcast to continue unpacking the mental health findings of the Forensic Focus International Well-Being Study. Host Paul Gullon-Scott walks through the clinical picture emerging from a survey of 179 digital forensic investigators, beginning with PTSD symptoms measured by the PCL-5: 47% reported hypervigilance at a moderate level or above, 45% difficulty sleeping, 44% difficulty concentrating, and 43% intrusive thoughts about their casework. Paul and Phil discuss the comorbidity behind those numbers — investigators rarely experience these symptoms in isolation — and how they follow people home, into short tempers, withdrawal from partners, and imagery appearing in dreams. They also examine the most clinically significant finding in the study: 20% of respondents reported active suicidal or self-harm ideation at a clinically meaningful level, roughly four times the estimated general workforce rate. The conversation then turns to why so few investigators seek help, and what organisations are failing to provide. 49% of respondents receive no clinical or psychological supervision whatsoever, 54% have never taken part in a peer debrief, and 61% did not access support services in the past year — with lack of time, confidentiality concerns, and fear of career consequences cited as the main barriers. Paul and Phil discuss the PHQ-15 physical health data, why resilience is a depletable resource rather than a personal trait, and how coping strategies built around AI-generated CSAM are already breaking down as the material becomes more realistic. #InvestigatorWellbeing #MentalHealth #PoliceWellbeing #CSAM #AIGeneratedCSAM #DigitalForensics #DFIR 00:00 Welcome and Study Setup 01:18 PTSD Symptoms Breakdown 05:27 Comorbidity and Home Impact 08:16 Case Volume and CSAM Reality 10:16 AI Trauma and Other Content 11:42 Depression and Suicidal Ideation 17:36 Stigma and Support Gaps 24:31 Mandatory Support and Priorities 25:59 Physical Health Effects Begin 26:37 Stress Hits The Body 29:04 No Respite In Casework 31:28 Resilience And Stigma 35:06 AI CSAM Coping Limits 37:20 Supervision Support Gaps 41:42 Peer Debriefs Missing 45:01 Barriers To Seeking Help 49:12 Reach Out And Resources 👉 Visit Forensic Focus: https://www.forensicfocus.com 🎧 Video/Transcript: https://www.forensicfocus.com/podcast/impact-coping-and-support-further-reflections-from-the-dfir-well-being-study/ 📝 Show Notes Forensic Focus International Well-Being Study 2026 Report - https://www.forensicfocus.com/well-being/forensic-focus-international-well-being-study-2026-report/ Forensic Focus Well-Being - https://www.forensicfocus.com/well-being/ If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this episode, these organisations may be of help: Samaritans – https://www.samaritans.org Mind – https://www.mind.org.uk Oscar Kilo – https://www.oscarkilo.org.uk/ Occupational health unit (OHU) – all police forces have access to an OHU providing a range of support services Employee Assistance Scheme (EAS) – check with your employer to see what specific resources are available to you GP – your GP can provide access to various local resources and make referrals to psychological support services 👉 Follow Forensic Focus RSS | https://www.forensicfocus.com/feed YouTube | https://youtube.com/@ForensicFocus Podcast | https://forensicfocus.com/podcast LinkedIn Page | https://linkedin.com/company/forensicfocus LinkedIn Group | https://linkedin.com/groups/693917 X (Twitter) | https://x.com/ForensicFocus Facebook | https://facebook.com/forensicfocus Bluesky | https://bsky.app/profile/forensicfocus.bsky.social Instagram | https://instagram.com/forensicfocus TikTok | https://tiktok.com/@forensicfocus Mastodon | https://dfir.social/@forensicfocus

Ben Dimmock, Police Well-Being Lead at Bedfordshire Police, joins the Forensic Focus Podcast to talk about psychological safety, trauma exposure, and the long-term emotional toll of working in policing and digital forensics. Ben shares his own experience of depression 12 years into his service, the stigma that made him hide it, and how opening up eventually led him to build and lead one of the largest full-time police well-being teams in the country. He and host Paul explore why well-being has to be treated as an operational necessity rather than a "pink and fluffy" add-on, and how a culture of stoicism has historically driven burnout, long-term sickness, and unresolved trauma. The conversation digs into cumulative trauma — the gradual erosion that builds job after job until something small flicks the switch — and what genuinely psychologically safe leadership looks like versus performative box-ticking. Ben explains the day-to-day work of his team, from 80–100 welfare interventions a month and TRiM (Trauma Risk Management) assessments to peer support networks, and two services he believes are unique to Bedfordshire: dedicated welfare support for officers under investigation, and support for their families. Drawing on Paul's own background in online child abuse investigations and his current work as an NHS psychologist, the two discuss supervision, proactive check-ins, and why sometimes people just need to be listened to rather than "fixed." #PoliceWellbeing #PsychologicalSafety #MentalHealth #TraumaInformedLeadership #Policing #DigitalForensics 00:00 Introducing Ben Dimmock 02:22 Depression and Breaking Stigma 04:46 Speaking Out 06:48 Why Well-Being Is Operational 10:12 Stoicism and Burnout Costs 12:00 Defining Psychological Safety 15:19 Proactive Support Culture 16:44 Building a Well-Being Team 20:57 Cumulative Trauma and Check-Ins 22:09 Supervision and TRiM Tools 26:45 Quick Check Ins 28:02 Cumulative Trauma Explained 30:13 Investigations And Welfare 33:45 Real Versus Performative 36:40 Inside The Well-Being Team 39:34 Supporting Families Too 41:47 Don't Suffer Alone 42:59 Listening Versus Fixing 44:03 Closing Thoughts 👉 Visit Forensic Focus: https://www.forensicfocus.com 🎧 Video/Transcript: https://www.forensicfocus.com/podcast/cumulative-trauma-in-digital-forensics-and-policing-with-ben-dimmock/ 📝 Show Notes Bedfordshire Police – https://www.beds.police.uk/ Oscar Kilo / National Police Well-being Service – https://www.oscarkilo.org.uk/ TRiM (Trauma Risk Management) – https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a79e5f4e5274a18ba50f9cf/0392-12attachment2of2.pdf Ben Dimmock on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-dimmock-6325b4316/ 👉 Follow Forensic Focus RSS | https://www.forensicfocus.com/feed YouTube | https://youtube.com/@ForensicFocus Podcast | https://forensicfocus.com/podcast LinkedIn Page | https://linkedin.com/company/forensicfocus LinkedIn Group | https://linkedin.com/groups/693917 X (Twitter) | https://x.com/ForensicFocus Facebook | https://facebook.com/forensicfocus Bluesky | https://bsky.app/profile/forensicfocus.bsky.social Instagram | https://instagram.com/forensicfocus TikTok | https://tiktok.com/@forensicfocus Mastodon | https://dfir.social/@forensicfocus

David Shipley, Instructor at Anglia Ruskin University, joins the Forensic Focus Podcast to talk about the human cost of online safeguarding work and his fight to close a gap in UK law. Drawing on 16 years investigating abusive imagery and online child sexual offending, David reflects on what the work actually involves — from the scale of the problem and the relentless build-up of warrants and digital forensic backlogs, to the difficult triage decisions investigators must make when no team can examine every device. He's candid about what "safeguarding" really means in practice, and about the mental toll the role takes on the people who do it. The conversation then turns to David's final year in policing, when his work on the David Fuller case led him to discover that much of the sexual abuse of corpses he was cataloguing was not actually illegal. David explains how he took that discovery from a Ministry of Justice rejection through a lost bill and a change of government to eventual Royal Assent — a four-year campaign that introduced a new offence and raised the maximum sentence for sexual penetration of a corpse from two to seven years. He closes with frank advice for the next generation of investigators on protecting their own well-being and holding onto an investigative mindset. #OnlineSafeguarding #InvestigatorWellbeing #LawReform #Policing #MentalHealth #DigitalForensics #DFIR 00:00 Introducing David Shipley 01:20 An Unusual Route Into Safeguarding 03:23 The Scale Of The Problem 06:55 Warrants, Workload And Backlogs 08:40 Triage: You Can't Examine Everything 11:52 What Safeguarding Really Means 14:46 The Hidden Mental Toll 18:21 How Welfare Support Evolved 22:27 Questionnaires And Team Culture 24:58 The Session That Changed My Mind 26:15 The David Fuller Case 29:27 Retiring, Then Returning To Finish The Job 31:51 Continuity And Limiting Exposure 33:50 Discovering The Gap In The Law 36:38 Shock, Duty And Dignity In Death 38:24 Launching The Campaign 41:11 The Ministry Of Justice Says No 44:05 Setbacks, A Lost Bill And A Second Chance 47:00 Royal Assent And Mixed Emotions 50:31 What The New Law Actually Changes 55:32 Advice For The Next Generation 58:08 Closing Reflections 👉 Visit Forensic Focus: https://www.forensicfocus.com 🎧 Video/Transcript: https://www.forensicfocus.com/podcast/david-shipley-investigating-the-darkest-corners-of-digital-evidence/ 👉 Follow Forensic Focus RSS | https://www.forensicfocus.com/feed YouTube | https://youtube.com/@ForensicFocus Podcast | https://forensicfocus.com/podcast LinkedIn Page | https://linkedin.com/company/forensicfocus LinkedIn Group | https://linkedin.com/groups/693917 X (Twitter) | https://x.com/ForensicFocus Facebook | https://facebook.com/forensicfocus Bluesky | https://bsky.app/profile/forensicfocus.bsky.social Instagram | https://instagram.com/forensicfocus TikTok | https://tiktok.com/@forensicfocus Mastodon | https://dfir.social/@forensicfocus

Marcus Rowe, Business Director – Public Safety & Forensics at Leica Geosystems, joins the Forensic Focus Podcast to talk about 3D laser scanning, forensic digital twins, and the role of LiDAR in modern crime and collision investigation. Marcus shares his path from military and civilian policing — including a career in forensic collision investigation with Devon & Cornwall Police — into industry, and explains how Leica Geosystems (part of Hexagon) is empowering investigators with tools that capture entire scenes for analysis, courtroom presentation, and cold case review. Marcus and Si also discuss the upcoming Forensics Europe Expo at Olympia on 1–2 July, which is set to bring together senior leaders, practitioners and solution providers from across the forensic community. To learn more and secure a free visitor pass, visit: https://www.forensicseuropeexpo.com. The conversation also turns to Marcus's involvement in the world's largest crash test, featured in the Channel 4 documentary Pile Up. Working blind to the staged scenario, Marcus reconstructed the multi-vehicle collision from post-event scene capture and 3D modelling — at times surfacing detail that the 90 cameras filming the event had missed. #LiDAR #3DScanning #CrashInvestigation #ForensicDigitalTwins #LeicaGeosystems #DigitalForensics #DFIR ⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 Welcome Marcus Rowe 02:44 From Policing to Leica Geosystems 05:35 Leica Conference Highlights 08:43 Forensic Digital Twins Talk 17:55 What to Expect at FEE 22:29 Students and Career Pathways 26:08 World's Largest Crash Test 31:07 LiDAR Explained Simply 34:36 Courtroom Storytelling in 3D 36:02 Real Cases and Proof Standards 38:40 TV Production 41:20 Micron Accuracy Use Cases 42:25 Footprints Without Contact 46:56 From Microns to Kilometers 50:35 VR for Juries and Trust 52:04 Holistic Capture Beats Bias 56:02 FEE Event Invitation 01:00:36 Wrap Up 👉 Visit Forensic Focus: https://www.forensicfocus.com 🎧 Video/Transcript: https://www.forensicfocus.com/podcast/leicas-marcus-rowe-on-investigating-the-worlds-largest-crash-test-plus-what-to-expect-at-fee-2026/ 📝 Show Notes Leica Geosystems – https://leica-geosystems.com Hexagon – https://hexagon.com Leica DISTO – https://shop.leica-geosystems.com/disto Forensics Europe Expo (FEE) – https://www.forensicseuropeexpo.com Channel 4 "Pile Up" documentary – https://www.channel4.com/programmes/pile-up-worlds-biggest-crash-test 👉 Follow Forensic Focus RSS | https://www.forensicfocus.com/feed YouTube | https://youtube.com/@ForensicFocus Podcast | https://forensicfocus.com/podcast LinkedIn Page | https://linkedin.com/company/forensicfocus LinkedIn Group | https://linkedin.com/groups/693917 X (Twitter) | https://x.com/ForensicFocus Facebook | https://facebook.com/forensicfocus Bluesky | https://bsky.app/profile/forensicfocus.bsky.social Instagram | https://instagram.com/forensicfocus TikTok | https://tiktok.com/@forensicfocus Mastodon | https://dfir.social/@forensicfocus