Cell Phone Evidence: Call Records, Cell Towers, GPS & Warrants
Online Version Order Here: Cell Phone Evidence - Call Records, Cell Towers & GPS | NACDL CLE Catalog
Cell phone evidence now appears in a vast range of criminal prosecutions—from homicide investigations to routine street-level cases. Prosecutors increasingly rely on location records, GPS data, call detail records, geofence warrants, and digital forensic extractions to argue where a person was, who they communicated with, and what they were doing at a particular time. This program gives criminal defense lawyers a practical understanding of how this evidence is created, how law enforcement collects it, and—most importantly—how to challenge it effectively in court.
Viewers will learn how to break down the technical systems behind mobile data, including how cell towers, Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth signals, and GPS satellites generate location information that investigators later use in criminal cases. The program also explores emerging investigative techniques such as geofence warrants and large-scale digital location searches, explaining how these tools gather data from potentially hundreds or thousands of devices within a geographic area. Attorneys will learn how this information is analyzed by law enforcement, mapped through specialized software, and presented to juries as seemingly precise proof of location.
In this program, defense lawyers will learn how to:
- Understand how cell site location information (CSLI) is generated from cell towers and carrier records.
- Analyze call detail records (CDRs) and identify the limits of what they actually prove about a phone’s location.
- Evaluate evidence derived from GPS tracking, Wi-Fi signals, and Bluetooth proximity data used in criminal investigations.
- Litigate challenges to geofence warrants and reverse-location searches that sweep up data from large numbers of devices.
- Cross-examine government experts who present cell phone location evidence to juries.
- Understand how mobile forensic extractions recover hidden data, deleted files, and location history from devices.
Viewers will gain a clearer understanding of the assumptions behind cell site location analysis and how seemingly precise location claims often rely on incomplete or misunderstood data. By the end of the program, defense lawyers will be better equipped to analyze cell phone records, challenge flawed forensic conclusions, and prevent digital evidence from being overstated in criminal trials.
CLE Credit: Up to 6 hours of self-study CLE credit, where authorized. Please confirm with your state's CLE commission to ensure this program is available for self-study CLE certification.
Presentations Included:
1. Cell Towers: The Science and the Law | Larry Daniel
2. CDR Reports, Cell Towers and GPS Tracking | Robert Aguero
3. Cell-Phone Forensics: LIVE DEMO of Investigative Tools | Jerry Grant
4. Cross Examination of Prosecution Cell Phone Witnesses | John Ellis
5. Geofence Warrants Make Bad Fourth Amendment Neighbors | John Ellis
6. Challenging Geofence Reverse Location Data Post-Carpenter | Catherine Turner
Order by Mail or Fax by downloading a PDF order form. Call (202) 465-7661 to order by phone!
Prices
- List Price $119.00
- Member Price $99.00