Inside F3: Building Community And Sharing Knowledge In Digital Forensics
Gareth Davies, Chairman of F3 (First Forensic Forum), joins the Forensic Focus Podcast to explore how a grassroots, vendor-neutral community has helped shape digital forensics in the UK for three decades. He traces F3’s origins in the 1990s, when affordable training and tool-agnostic knowledge-sharing were scarce, and explains why the forum still focuses on byte-level, lab-ready techniques over sales pitches. Looking ahead, Gareth previews F3’s 2025 conference in Warwickshire (Nov 18–20), the not-for-profit pricing model, and upcoming trainings on UAVs, software-defined radio, implants/biomed devices, smartwatch and vehicle forensics, and video authentication/deepfakes. He also discusses international growth (including interest in an Australian chapter) and an open call for volunteers to help run events and keep training affordable. #DigitalForensics #DFIR #ForensicsTraining #IncidentResponse #VehicleForensics #CryberCrime #DigitalEvidence #DigitalInvestigtion #DigitalEvidence 👉 Visit Forensic Focus at https://www.forensicfocus.com 00:00 Introducing Gareth Davies 01:09 What is F3? 03:01 Gareth's Journey into Forensics 05:35 PhD and Research Work 06:54 Current Role and Responsibilities 09:08 Interesting Cases and Projects 12:27 Involvement with F3 14:41 F3's Global Reach and Community 20:03 Challenges and Future of F3 22:39 Personal Experiences and Networking 24:47 Becoming Chairman of F3 30:50 Upcoming F3 Event Details 35:28 Digital Forensics Teaching and Research 37:30 Upcoming F3 Training 42:38 Challenges in Digital Forensics 45:28 The Importance of Community and Resources 55:04 Personal Interests and Hobbies 57:46 Conclusion and Final Thoughts 🎥 Video/Transcript – https://www.forensicfocus.com/podcast/inside-f3-building-community-and-sharing-knowledge-in-digital-forensics/ 📝 Show Notes F3 – First Forensic Forum website - https://f3.org.uk F3 – First Forensic Forum LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/f3.org.uk/ Spyder Forensics - https://www.spyderforensics.com Bénédictine - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9n%C3%A9dictine APOLLO - https://github.com/mac4n6/APOLLO DFRWS - https://dfrws.org GCK File Signature Table - https://filesig.search.org NIST - https://www.nist.gov/itl/ssd/digital-forensics 👉 Follow Forensic Focus here: RSS | https://www.forensicfocus.com/feed/ YouTube | https://youtube.com/@ForensicFocus Podcast | https://forensicfocus.com/podcast LinkedIn Page | https://linkedin.com/company/forensicfocus LinkedIn Group | https://linkedin.com/groups/693917 X | https://x.com/ForensicFocus Facebook | https://facebook.com/forensicfocus Bluesky | https://bsky.app/profile/forensicfocus.bsky.social Instagram | https://instagram.com/forensicfocus TikTok | https://tiktok.com/@forensicfocus Mastodon | https://dfir.social/@forensicfocus Website | https://www.forensicfocus.com
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Inside The Fight Against Child Exploitation – Leadership And Wellness Lessons From Debbie Garner
Debbie Garner, retired Special Agent in Charge at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, joins the Forensic Focus Podcast to share insights from her 30-year career. From undercover narcotics work in her early 20s to leading Georgia’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, Debbie brings a unique perspective on collaboration, child protection, and investigator wellness. She discusses the challenges of cyber tips backlogs, the importance of cross-border cooperation, and why well-being must be built into the culture of child exploitation investigations. Debbie explains how she introduced practical, budget-conscious wellness initiatives — from group discussions to peer support and mental health check-ins — and how these efforts helped transform trust, retention, and resilience within her unit. Debbie and Paul also explore the stigma investigators often face, how leadership decisions can make or break support for officers, and what agencies can do to better safeguard the people safeguarding children. #DigitalForensics #DFIR #WellBeing #LawEnforcement #childprotection 👉 Visit Forensic Focus at https://www.forensicfocus.com 00:00 Introduction and Guest Background 00:49 Early Career in Law Enforcement 02:11 Specialization in Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes 03:27 Challenges and Changes in Law Enforcement 06:03 The ICAC Task Force Program 09:34 Cross-Border Investigations and Cooperation 14:46 Wellness and Resiliency in Law Enforcement 18:01 Building a Culture of Wellness 28:16 Personal Stories and Agency Support 39:57 Final Thoughts and Advice 🎥 Video/Transcript - https://www.forensicfocus.com/podcast/inside-the-fight-against-child-exploitation-leadership-and-wellness-lessons-from-debbie-garner/ 📝 Show Notes Innocent Justice Foundation - https://innocentjustice.org Raven (ICAC Task Force Funding Advocacy) - https://raven.us Hexordia - https://www.hexordia.com 👉 Follow Forensic Focus here: RSS | https://www.forensicfocus.com/feed YouTube | https://youtube.com/@ForensicFocus Podcast | https://forensicfocus.com/podcast LinkedIn Page | https://linkedin.com/company/forensicfocus LinkedIn Group | https://linkedin.com/groups/693917 X | https://x.com/ForensicFocus Facebook | https://facebook.com/forensicfocus Bluesky | https://bsky.app/profile/forensicfocus.bsky.social Instagram | https://instagram.com/forensicfocus TikTok | https://tiktok.com/@forensicfocus Mastodon | https://dfir.social/@forensicfocus Website | https://www.forensicfocus.com
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Well-Being In Digital Forensics And Policing: Insights From Hannah Bailey
Hannah Bailey, founder of Blue Light Wellbeing, joins the Forensic Focus Podcast to share her powerful journey from frontline policing to becoming a psychotherapist, trauma therapist, and well-being coach. Drawing on 15 years in the police — including CID and major crime — Hannah brings unique cultural credibility to her work supporting digital forensics professionals, first responders, and other high-risk roles. She talks openly about living with PTSD and burnout, facing two breast cancer diagnoses, and how those experiences inspired her to focus on proactive mental health support. Hannah and Paul discuss why cultural awareness in therapy matters, how approaches like psychoeducation and regular supervision can help, and why therapy isn’t just for people who are “broken.” Hannah also explains BrainWorking Recursive Therapy (BWRT), a modern trauma therapy that transformed her own recovery, and shares practical advice for those in digital forensics and other trauma-facing roles on spotting early signs of stress and building long-term resilience. #DigitalForensics #DFIR #MentalHealth #WellBeing #PTSD 00:00 Introduction 02:44 Hannah Bailey's Background and Career 04:08 The Onset of Mental Health Challenges 06:01 Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Its Impact 06:37 Returning to Policing and Further Challenges 09:44 Lack of Support 12:14 Proactive Mental Health Approaches 17:18 Hannah's Work with DFIs and Other Forces 20:22 The Importance of Early Intervention 26:28 The Value of Therapy in Organizations 27:35 The Importance of Culturally Aware Therapists 29:29 Introduction to Brain Work Recursive Therapy (BWRT) 33:52 Combining Trauma Therapy and Wellbeing Coaching 34:32 The Therapeutic Process and Its Benefits 36:21 Supervision and Support in Therapy 36:57 Proactive Approaches in Digital Forensics 39:11 Building Trust and Non-Judgmental Spaces 43:30 Final Thoughts 🎥 Video/Transcript - https://www.forensicfocus.com/podcast/well-being-in-digital-forensics-and-policing-insights-from-hannah-bailey/ 📝 Show Notes Blue Light Wellbeing - https://www.bluelightwellbeing.uk 👉 Follow us here: RSS | https://www.forensicfocus.com/feed/ Youtube | https://youtube.com/@UCQajlJPesqmyWJDN52AZI4Q Podcast | https://forensicfocus.com/podcast LinkedIn Page | https://linkedin.com/company/forensicfocus LinkedIn Group | https://linkedin.com/groups/693917 X | https://x.com/ForensicFocus Facebook | https://facebook.com/forensicfocus Bluesky | https://bsky.app/profile/forensicfocus.bsky.social Instagram | https://instagram.com/forensicfocus TikTok | https://tiktok.com/@forensicfocus Mastodon | https://dfir.social/@forensicfocus Website | https://www.forensicfocus.com
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Digital Forensics And Stress: Understanding Your Body’s Signals
Dr Zoe Billings and Mark Pannone from Adapt & Evolve join Paul to discuss their unique approach to mental health and well-being in digital forensics. Dr Billings is a biologist and former senior investigator, while Mark is a former Assistant Chief Constable. Together they've developed a model that focuses on recognising the early biological signs of stress rather than waiting for mental health problems to develop. They discuss how stress shows up physically in the body, why many digital forensic investigators feel unheard in their organisations, and why standard well-being support often doesn't work in law enforcement. The conversation covers practical stress reduction techniques and how understanding what stress does to your body can help people spot problems early. Mark and Zoe have worked with various organisations including the FBI, using their combined decades of police and investigative experience to provide support that actually fits the culture of law enforcement and forensic work. #DigitalForensics #CyberInvestigation #DFIR #Wellbeing 00:00 Introduction 00:22 Spotlight on Mental Health in Digital Forensics 00:59 Meet the Experts: Dr. Zoe Billings and Mark Pannone 01:39 The Origins of Adapt & Evolve 03:48 Biological Aspects of Stress 04:57 Implementing Preventative Measures 09:05 Leadership and Organizational Challenges 20:01 Physical Ailments from Stress 26:09 Cultural Awareness in Law Enforcement 31:45 ISO Standards and Legal Obligations 39:32 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Show Notes Adapt & Evolve - https://www.adaptandevolve.co.uk/
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Well-Being Interventions For Forensic Practitioners – Have Your Say
Dr Jo Morrissey joins Paul to discuss her research into wellbeing challenges faced by forensic practitioners worldwide. As Workforce Strategy Lead at the Forensic Capability Network, Dr Morrissey is conducting a comprehensive study examining mental health impacts across all forensic disciplines - from digital forensics to crime scene investigation, DNA analysis, and fingerprint examination. They explore the unique psychological pressures forensic practitioners face, including exposure to traumatic material, working in isolation, and the barriers that prevent many from seeking help. Dr Morrissey discusses how stigma around help-seeking behavior and fears about career prospects continue to affect practitioners, and why evidence-based national guidelines are urgently needed. Take part in the research: Dr Morrissey is seeking responses from current and former forensic practitioners worldwide across all disciplines and sectors. The survey examines well-being challenges, available interventions, and their effectiveness. Your participation could help shape future well-being support for the forensic community. Survey closes Friday 4th July 2025. Survey link: https://forms.office.com/e/GXPMwnpyMi #ForensicScience #MentalHealth #Wellbeing #DigitalForensics 00:00 Introduction to Dr. Jo Morrissey 01:31 Overview of the Wellbeing Study 03:34 Challenges Faced by Forensic Practitioners 08:25 Survey Specifics and Goals 14:57 Barriers and Stigma in Wellbeing 18:49 Ethical Considerations and Future Research 20:09 Open Access to Research Report 20:38 National Guidelines for Wellbeing 22:00 Challenges in Implementing Guidelines 25:07 Importance of Survey Participation 27:02 Potential for Funding and Further Research 28:06 Exploring Differences in Wellbeing 30:51 Impact of Experience and Culture on Wellbeing 33:39 Resilience and Adverse Childhood Experiences 37:05 Closing Remarks and Future Research
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