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February 6, 2008

State Police: "Unlikely" deleted emails can be retrieved

The computer systems manager for the state police testified today that he didn’t believe deleted files related to the 2003 raid on a Narragansett Indian smoke shop could be retrieved.

James Shea, who has handled state police data processing for 12 years, said it was highly unlikely given the amount of time that had passed and the condition of the department’s servers.

Shea took the stand in Providence County Superior Court as Judge Susan E. McGuirl weighs a request by defense lawyers that she order computer experts to try to recover the deleted files.

It is estimated the work would cost $20,000 to $50,000.

Shea said he asks state police personnel whether they want to save any items when they retire. He then asks their replacement whether they chose to save an of their predecessor’s files. If so, then those documents are transferred, he said.

He said he relies of officers to tell him what documents should be saved.

At issue are files retired Inspector Gary Treml used in writing the internal investigation into the raid. Treml testified today that he believed he relied on computerized witness statements as well as hard-copy accounts from the 51 officers involved in completing his findings.

No e-mails to or from Treml have been included in any of the documents turned over by state police.

Shea said he had security concerns about a computer expert for the defense trying to extricate files from the state police system.

-- Journal staff writer Katie Mulvaney

Posted by Brandie Jefferson  at 2:04 PM | Permalink

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