Latent Wireless has proven to be far more versatile than we initially expected. We’ve used it not only to detect stolen devices but also to compare Wi-Fi artifacts from mobile phones with field data—successfully placing suspects at the scene of multiple homicides. The Scout units in our patrol cars have helped us collect accurate, real-time data on local Wi-Fi access points, even identifying inconsistencies in commercial forensic databases. In one major case, Latent helped us locate a suspect just houses away from a home invasion scene by matching a broadcast SSID to a Wi-Fi artifact recovered from the suspect’s phone.

During an investigation into stolen hospital laptops, we entered the MAC addresses into Latent’s platform and began scanning the area where a suspect was believed to be living. Over two consecutive days, detections consistently pointed to a specific residence, and the broadcast network name matched the suspect’s last name. This, combined with additional case information, gave us probable cause to secure a search warrant. The resulting search led to the successful recovery of one of the stolen devices.

Our Major Crimes and Electronic Forensics units have been working with Latent for over a year now. The data we've collected has opened up a whole new pool of evidence we were unable to access before or even knew was possible. We've been able to find several devices related to major cases and the Wi-Fi network geolocation data has been invaluable to supplement our forensics work.