As the computer and the internet have become more common as research tools by everyone, we need to remember just how often it can assist in the investigation of crime. As an example, read this story about a man who tried to electrocute his wife in the bathtub but forgot to erase his research from his computer.

What have you found on your suspect's computer (other than porn -- we know everyone has porn)?

Obviously, he didn't use the right search engine. If he had "googled", he might have learned that 'dead men tell no tales'.

We had a defendant who had downloaded "How to Beat the Box" onto his computer.
Needless to say, his attorneys never brought us a passed polygraph report to try and convince us of his innocence.

We find that in meth lab raids, we can inevitably find some downloads relating to either the production of methamphetamine or some notes about the price and purchasers of the finished product.

I haven't come across any dope dealer keeping everything in an Excel spreadsheet for easy analysis of business trends--but I'm guessing its only a matter of time.