The LKPD Brothers Who Take Their Work Home and Around the World
Published on October 01, 2026
Meet the Browns. M.T. and Dean are brothers. They’re also detectives in the Lawrence Police Department’s (LKPD) Investigations Unit. They could easily spend their off-the-clock hours unwinding after pouring through intense criminal cases. Instead, they spend a significant part of their “leisure” time traveling the globe, teaching law enforcement officers how to master video and data collection.
From VHS Tapes to Digital Forensics
The brothers’ journey into digital forensics began when surveillance video was rapidly shifting the landscape of police work, but many departments weren’t prepared to handle it. M.T. was working in the Juvenile Investigations Unit. Dean, an officer working in the IT department, had degrees in mathematics and computer science. As brothers do, Dean teases his sibling about how their journey began: “Well, he was interested in video, and he would always come to me for help. It's just like now. He's always coming to me for help.”
Their search for further guidance led them to LEVA (the Law Enforcement and Emergency Services Video Association) and a foundational class at Quantico in 2001. That’s when the brothers began building a dedicated forensic computer at LKPD. "We went to it, and then after that class, we were able to buy our first Avid machine," M.T. recalls.
In the early days, "video evidence" usually meant clunky VHS tapes and grainy frame captures from CCTV multiplexers. Officers had to grapple with technical hurdles that could easily derail a prosecution if defense attorneys attacked date-and-time authentication and more.
Over the next two decades, technology exploded. Today, the Browns are certified forensic video technicians through LEVA and leaders in their field. A grant also allows MT to expand his knowledge through an organization called the Scientific Working Group on Digital Evidence, and he’s certified by the International Association for Identification.
The “Caught on Tape” Myth
One of the biggest hurdles the Browns now face—both in court and when training young officers—is correcting public misconceptions about video evidence.
"The biggest thing that I think the public and many law enforcement officers get incorrect, is they see video as a black and white that is interpreted by everyone the same," M.T. explains. "Video is not a reflection of what people saw. It's a reflection of maybe what the video recorded, but it is not always; even body cameras don't reflect what an officer saw."
Factors like camera angles, lighting limitations, frame rates, and digital compression mean that a video records data, not perception. As M.T. notes about a high-stress instance he encountered, "I was so zoomed in... and if I would have had a camera that time, it's recording a very wide angle, but I'm looking at a microscopic view of this guy trying to pull a gun and I don't see all around me."
Video is a powerful investigative support tool, but as the brothers emphasize, it tells part of the story—it is never the entire case on its own. “Digital evidence is like the Air Force,” Dean jokes, “They are really good air support, but they've never taken any ground.”
Discovering the Truth and Clearing the Innocent
While digital evidence is often viewed as a tool to lock up suspects, the Browns emphasize that its true power lies in uncovering the objective truth—which frequently means clearing the innocent. M.T. stresses that video and data analysis don't just point fingers; they provide an indisputable timeline that can entirely clear someone of wrongdoing.
"It can also show other things to help you say, ‘hey, we need to look at this, or that exonerates this person,’" M.T. explains. "It doesn't always have to show the event to be of use."
By painstakingly synchronizing disparate digital pieces—such as matching security footage with cell phone metadata, receipts, and digital logs—the Browns help construct an accurate, chronological sequence of events. This meticulous synchronization helps the entire judicial process. It cuts through conflicting witness statements and mistaken assumptions, ensuring that prosecutors present an objective narrative to the court.
The Sweet Spot and Resource Realities
Navigating this digital landscape requires a delicate balance of resources, and law enforcement agencies across the country handle it very differently. Smaller departments may lack the time, expertise, or specialized equipment to process complex video and cell phone data in-house. Conversely, some massive metropolitan agencies may deal with such a staggering volume of violent crime and detectives simply don't have the hours required to analyze every piece of digital footage.
In many ways, the Lawrence Kansas Police Department sits in a unique "sweet spot." Thanks to a manageable volume of major crimes, LKPD has carved out the capability to train certified technicians and thoroughly process digital evidence. To meet these demands, this year, the investigations commander added a specialized team called the Technical Forensics and Services Unit, which focuses exclusively on the digital aspects of cases.
Global Educators
The Browns’ expertise extends far beyond Lawrence. As certified instructors for LEVA, they travel several times a year, training law enforcement personnel across the United States and even internationally. Teaching forces them to stay at the absolute cutting edge of their discipline.
As M.T. pointed out, "When you teach, you're teaching this, but they're going to ask questions, and it forces us to research what we're talking about." Dean adds, "We probably learn as much or more than we teach because the methods we use now are developed out of those interactions."
The residents of Lawrence also benefit from their specialized training, as it keeps LKPD ahead of the curve. Several detectives are now LEVA-certified technicians, and the department routinely hosts free training courses, ensuring local officers and investigators remain adept at recovering and authenticating digital evidence.
Managing the Data Deluge
As the policing industry enters the era of smart devices, geofencing, and advanced artificial Intelligence tools, the nature of crime-solving continues to rapidly evolve. Yet, this digital revolution brings a new challenge: information overload.
"I'm more worried about how to manage that data and how to separate the wheat from the chaff," Dean notes. When a single major investigation yields terabytes of data from dozens of sources, detectives face a monumental bottleneck. Going through every digital frame and metadata log requires immense time and resources.
Looking ahead, the Browns believe the future of policing will rely heavily on advanced analytical tools, real-time crime centers, and strategic organizational oversight to bring together mountains of data into actionable and factual evidence.
For now, the Brown Brothers remain on the front lines and teaching officers around the world how to bring clarity to a digital-first world.