The Universal Forensic Extraction Device, UFED for short, allows law enforcement agents to extract critical information from a suspect’s cell phone — even if the suspect thought the information was deleted.

The device is used with regularity in San Mateo County and prosecutors find it useful.

So far, in none of the cases in which the device was used has the defendant challenged or sought to suppress the information obtained by use of the UFED, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.

“The defendants in those cases all pleaded out before any challenge occurred. Thus to this point the UFED has been a helpful investigative device without any problems in court,” Wagstaffe said.

Law enforcement agencies in San Carlos, San Mateo, Redwood City, Palo Alto and San Francisco are all using the device locally.

The technology supports 1,600 plus models of cell phones, including smart phones and PDA devices.

Although its not a catch-all device, it is 90 percent effective in the field, said San Francisco police Sgt. Wayne Hom.

Hom uses the device and says it works well.

The device has been in use for about 18 months now and is used by more than 1,000 law enforcement agencies around the world, including Homeland Security and the FBI, said forensics expert Adi Ofrat.

Ofrat is also the chief executive officer at CelleBrite, the company that makes the $4,000 device.

“This technology is an extension of computer forensics,” Ofrat said. “Cell phones are little computers now. Call logs, text messages and multimedia messages can all be extracted.”

The technology can be especially useful to bringing pedophiles to justice who may use cell phones to transmit lurid photos, Ofrat said.

“In a world of growing local and national security concerns, equipping our agents with the very best technology to battle terrorism and criminal activity is mission critical,” Ofrat said.

Bill Silverfarb can be reached by e-mail: silverfarb@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106.