Rob Roberts, Vigo County chief deputy prosecutor, conducted the swearing-in ceremony in Holmstedt Hall as students raised their hands and vowed to uphold the U.S. and Indiana constitutions.
The students are sworn in as digital forensic investigators for the prosecutor’s office and have law enforcement powers while on duty.
They will help law enforcement recover and review evidence from digital devices for investigations and prosecutions.
The partnership also is helping students get real life experience by investigating and working real life criminal cases, according to ISU.
Four students hired as HTCU interns will be trained this year and begin those new duties next fall, said Jason James , director of the Vigo County HTCU and an assistant professor in the School of Criminology and Security Studies.
They will replace four HTCU interns who will graduate in May. Three other students sworn in Monday are part of the cold case unit.
While the students are sworn in investigators with the prosecutor’s office, they have limited powers, James said. They can analyze digital forensics for purposes of a case, but they can’t arrest someone, he said.
The program is a competitive one, and there were more applicants than positions available, James said. “It provides students with experience they wouldn’t get anywhere else.”
The HTCU receives funding from state government and students receive paid internships.
Since the program began, the HTCU student interns have been making a major difference in many important cases, Roberts said.
“It’s so important for us. We have about half of the actual number of deputy prosecutors we should have, according to recent studies,” Roberts said. “We don’t have time to go through all of the cell phone data, to listen to all the jail phone calls, or to go back and review old cases.”
Among those sworn in was ISU sophomore Angie Anglum , who is majoring in cybersecurity and criminology. Having the opportunity to be part of the HTCU “is absolutely amazing,” she said.
Vigo County’s High Tech Crime Unit was selected as one of 10 regional units for funding by the Indiana Prosecuting Attorney’s Council in 2021. It serves eight counties.
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