THE CHALLENGES OF DATA-DRIVEN POLICE INVESTIGATION

Abstract

The intensification of social digitalization processes and the consolidation of the network society have profoundly transformed contemporary criminal investigation models, shifting a significant portion of legally relevant traces to the immaterial domain of digital data. In this context, Judicial Police activity—particularly that performed by Police Chiefs—must increasingly deal with evidence characterized by volatility, fragmentation, third-party dependence, and mediation by complex technological systems. This study analyzes the impacts of the so-called datafication of social relations on investigative and evidentiary logic within criminal prosecution, with special emphasis on the doctrinal and practical challenges related to the collection, preservation, and assessment of digital evidence in Brazilian criminal procedure. Adopting a qualitative approach and a deductive method, grounded in bibliographic research, normative analysis, and critical examination of investigative practice, the research examines the role of digital chain of custody as a procedural safeguard for ensuring the authenticity, integrity, and reliability of digital evidence. The study concludes that digital evidence requires specific doctrinal treatment and enhanced procedural rigor, under penalty of undermining both the effectiveness of criminal prosecution and the legitimacy of state punitive power.