In 2006, Detective David Petzold conducted a workshop on the dangers of social media at his alma mater, DeSales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania. He cared about the community and, as a groundbreaker, he became a D.A.R.E officer, the Upper Saucon Township Police Department’s first detective, and a member of the State Police Computer Crimes Task Force.

That same year, Petzold, a 32-year-old father of three, was killed while correcting a traffic hazard. To honor his responsible citizenship, relatives and associates established the Officer David M. Petzold Memorial Foundation. The Foundation’s board hoped to create a lasting tribute that would benefit the community for years to come. That goal coincided with law enforcement’s urgent need to handle an increasing number of digital crimes.

Detective Joe Pochron, Petzold’s coworker in the Upper Saucon Township Police Department in Lehigh County, replaced him on the Computer Crimes Task Force. Pochron knew that the state police served ten counties and that demand for the investigation of digital crimes in Lehigh County was growing. Between 2009 and 2010, the number of local arrests involving digital devices had increased nearly 100%. These cases were quite diverse, including missing persons, harassment, sexting, child pornography, murder, suicide, counterfeiting, burglaries, identity and retail theft, auto theft, and even movie pirating.

Pochron believed that these demands warranted a local resource. However, there was little space for a digital lab in township offices. Pochron had to manage the workload with a single computer on a small desk. Undaunted, he researched other possibilities. With State Trooper Paul Iannace, who directed the Computer Crimes Task Force for southeastern Pennsylvania, Pochron approached the Rev. Tom Dailey, director of the Salesian Center for Faith and Culture at DeSales University. Pochron was an adjunct professor there and, like Petzold, had offered community safety seminars. Dailey agreed to look into the matter.

They had a modest vision. They hoped to find room for a few computers, which a county grant would fund. Police departments with tight budgets would then have access to expensive equipment and programs that they could not otherwise afford. Dailey showed Pochron and Iannace several small classrooms in the lower level of the primary teaching building, Dooling Hall. When they discovered that there was no cell phone reception and, therefore, no interference, they knew the space was perfect. Dailey arranged clearance through university channels.