Christopher Jordan
Detective
City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police


Biographical Sketch:
At the age of 13 Christopher Jordan had a 1 car garage that resembled an operating room equipped by his Step-Father, an aircraft mechanic and motorcycle enthusiast. Six cylinder behemoths and turbo charged nightmares came out of that operating room. Chris quickly mastered the way of the wrench as he altered his dirt bikes to increase their performance on the trails and race tracks of New England. This unquenchable thirst for performance excellence manifested itself into a career as an automotive technician for a major dealership half way through his senior year of high school. Chris was the only one in his class to complete the full four year program, and he received the New England Automotive Show Trust Scholarship and a tool-ship award for his efforts. Along the way Chris noticed mechanics could be enhanced by computers. Chris was aware of computer developments while befriending electronics tradesmen when floppy disks were actually floppy. DOS commands were used to navigate a robot through a maze. Chris’ Grandfather fixed video games and allowed Chris to test them before others knew they existed. It was about this time that microchips were being placed in cars to adjust the air to fuel mixture more efficiently and diagnostic tests were being run on computers. Carburetors were being replaced by EFI, electronic fuel injection and mechanics were being replaced by technicians. There were bumps in the road. His mother's second divorce resulted in his step-father's departure for a Government contracted position testing missile guidance systems in the Philippines. While providing community service at an assisted living center, Chris developed a genuine concern for helping those who depend so much on others. Then he sustained a broken leg in his second season as leading scorer and Captain of his college soccer team. The leg was nearly removed on three separate occasions. He didn't stay down for long deciding to continue his education in Pittsburgh where his father was raised. His father encouraged him to pursue a career in law-enforcement. After receiving a bachelor’s degree from Duquesne University and while attending the Heinz School at Carnegie Mellon University for his master's degree, Chris secured a position with the Pittsburgh Police Department. This is where he soon became a driving force in Computer Crime investigations. Criminal investigations can be enhanced by computers as well! As time went by the unit expanded and nearly every high profile case comes through his office. When asked on the witness stand if he knows how a certain algorithm the software he used worked, he replies, “A driver does not need to know how an internal combustion engine works to drive the car.” However, fortunately he does.