Photocopiers: A Reservoir Of Evidence

When we think about incriminating digital evidence most people imagine computers, smartphones, or digital cameras…but photocopiers? You may not know this but modern photocopiers have memory too. Much like a computer they will receive and store that data until or unless it is written over.  In fact, thousands of pages of data can be found on these memory drives. The private security fields have been aware of this for years out of concerns for corporate trade secrets, medical records, and identity theft. A number of news stories have been done on the massive amount of data that can be found on leased and second-hand copiers.

Police have become aware of this data source as well. Let’s face it, not every criminal works in a darkened basement or medieval castle. Most people don’t own their own photocopier so if they choose to employ one in their crimes they’ll probably use one at work or a Kinkos. I’ve seen cases where an abuse ex-husband or boyfriend will make the classic magazine cut-out threatening note. “Smarter” criminals may choose to photocopy that note (so they don’t leave DNA or fingerprints behind from handling the magazines before deciding to use them in a crime) before taping it to the victim’s car, front door, or desk.

It may not even be the bad guy using the copier. Imagine a future murder victim copying incriminating files at work as insurance. Later he/she turns up dead and the original files “disappear” along with the copies. The copies will still exist on the copier and savvy investigators can recover it, just as the bad guy thinks he’s gotten away with the crime!

In many offices or University departments where copiers are shared by numerous people they sometimes require an access code. You can add a layer of intrigue by having that code stolen. for example, maybe a student intern uses a professors access code to make threatening notes to a female student. Police would begin by looking at the professor which could lead you down all kinds of roads, especially with sex crimes. The same type of thing could happen in an office environment as well. If your photocopier gets sold or “retired” before the police get to it then the chase becomes that much more interesting. If you have a way to work a photocopier into your crime keep these examples in mind.  Play around with some options and imagine the most bizarre use of a photocopier in the commission of a crime. Good luck!