The Problem at Hand · Chapter 1 11 vitae, outlining our computer investigation history and our training. Fearing that there wouldn't be enough work to justify our existence, we propagated the myth that we should be consulted on all cases relating to computers. I'm sure my agency was not the only one that did this. It was hard to convince superiors why they needed to fund and staff the unit--so we gave them a little push. By engaging in this type of behavior, our unit effectively segre- gated itself from the rest of our department based on our technological knowledge--real or perceived. In fact, there may have been any number of officers that could have investigated these types of cases. Prioritizing Evidence One of the saddest moments of my entire career was when a prosecutor dropped a child rape case because computer evidence was accidentally dam- aged. In this case, a rapist met a child online and traveled to the victim's home state to engage in sexual intercourse with them. After the child came forward, an investigation was conducted and the suspect was identified.