Local judge completes National Computer Forensics Institute training

Cobb County Magistrate Court Judge Janné Y. McKamey successfully completed the National Computer Forensic Institute’s (NCFI) Digital Evidence for Judges five-day training course in Hoover, Alabama. Judge McKamey was the only judge to attend from Georgia this session.

One of 24 judges chosen across the United States to attend this training through NCFI. The National Computer Forensics Institute, Judge McKamey was able to participate in the partnership between the United States Secret Service, the U.S Department of Homeland Security, the state of Alabama, and the Alabama District Attorney’s Association to train state and local law enforcement, judges and prosecutors in digital evidence, network intrusion, and computer/mobile device forensic issues. 

The five-day course focused on cybercrime and computer forensics, computer hardware, operating systems and their respective forensic artifacts and processing, data concepts, search and seizure of digital evidence, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), and authorizing the collection of digital evidence from third-party providers, social media, evaluating expert testimony, fifth amendment: encryption and passwords. “Digital evidence is an evolving area of criminal law. 

There was no cost to state or local governments because the specialized training the judges received is paid for through federal funding.

What an opportunity to meet, train, and network with experts in this field,” Judge McKamey said. “Bringing back this information will assist the Magistrate Court in legally-sound digital evidence decisions and analyzing search warrants as they arise in the future.  It was an honor to represent Georgia at this training.”

Judge McKamey is a 1988 graduate of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and North Carolina Central University School of Law in 1993. She began her legal career as an attorney in Georgia in 1993 and was appointed to the Cobb County Magistrate Court in December 2016 by former  Chief Magistrate Joyette Holmes. Chief Magistrate Brendan Murphy retained her when he assumed the helm of the Court.