This is not about music, but well, it's the off-topic area, right? Lots of experts here, so I might as well give this a try.

I'm following up on a thread elsewhere about a crime investigation. Some conversation was recorded and turned in to the police. Now, some people feel strongly about the recording because the recorder - the machine/device/equipment/whatever - was never presented. They claim the recorded evidence is worthless without the recorder, and the police should have apprehended the equipment, whatever it was.

Apart from possible pigheaded legal procedure requirements, does that make any sense? Should the recorder be relevant at all when the police has the recording and experts to analyse it? Can you even hack a recorder with the intent of fraud? Why would someone ever hack a recorder when you can just edit the recording?