The forensicweek.com Show – TONIGHT – Episode 16
The forensicweek.com Show is airing Episode 016 tonight LIVE, March 21, 2013 at 7:00 PM (EST). Tonight’s show will be an “Open Forum” discussion of a number of forensic sciences topics, as well as the introduction of the use of “Virtual Teaching Crime Labs.” Dr. Richard Saferstein, Forensic Consultant and the foremost author and pioneer of forensic science textbooks will be a return guest. So join ForensIQ host, Tom Mauriello, and the rest of the University of Maryland forensicweek.com webcast team, and watch the show LIVE or view it at your convenience. Remember all episodes are archived, so just GO TO www.forensicweek.com to view the LIVE show or any of the previous shows whenever you want. Thank you for watching!
The 3 Fs of Spotting Photo Fraud
With advances in digital imaging continually increasing, so has increases in photographic fraud. The field of photo forensics has emerged to help restore and regain some trust in digital photographs. There are a variety of tools experts can use to help determine the history of a photograph. These tools have been characterized into one of three main categories: files, footprints, and flaws, the three Fs. The application of forensic tools in these categories can help verify the authenticity of a photo or detect photographic fraud. The first category, files, relies on the packaging of the image into a file and relates to the format used to save the photo. The footprints category relies on the photo’s collection of pixels, defined by numerical values that represent individual colors. Every editing operation that was done to the photograph leaves behind statistical traces. The last category focuses on flaws of the image, errors made while trying to manipulate factors of a photograph including shadows, lighting, and reflections.
Source: Evidence Technology Magazine
[Abstract by ForensIQ intern, Andrea Williams]
Citation: Connor, K., & Farid, H. (2013, March-April). The 3 Fs of spotting photo fraud. Evidence Technology Magazine, 11(2), 16-19. Retrieved from http://www.evidencemagazine.com/v11n2.htm
Straight to the Bone – Advances in Forensic Anthropology
The Forensic Research Seminar, Straight to the Bone: Advances in Forensic Anthropology, airs live on April 2 at 1pm ET. The seminar will include presentations by experts within the Forensic Anthropology community. Forensic Anthropology experts for these events include Natalie Shirley, Jennifer Love, and Stephen Ousley.
This seminar is sponsored by NIJ and presented by RTI International, NIJ’s Forensic Science Technology Center of Excellence.
If you can’t make it online on Tuesday, two additional times have been added – April 4 at 1pm ET and April 18 at 1pm ET.
Register for this free webinar here.
Source: forensicmag.com and NIJ
Falling Into Decay: Postmortem Interval and Molecular Autopsy
Join NIJ as they host another live webinar. Presentations include:
- Microbial Community Change Associated with Decomposing Corpses, Rob Knight
- Using Differential RNA Degradation to Estimate an Extended Postmortem Interval, Clifton Bishop and Joshua Moor.
Register to attend on one of the following days:
This webinar is presented by RTI International, NIJ’s Forensic Science Technology Center of Excellence, in their Live Forensic Research Seminar Series.
Source: forensicmag.com and NIJ
The forensicweek.com Show – Episode 15 – “Gun Safety, Identification, and Awareness.”
The forensicweek.com Show is airing Episode 15 TONIGHT— March 14, 2013, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (EST). This special two-hour show will be broadcast LIVE on location at the University of Maryland, Marie Mount Hall, Multi-Media Lecture Room. The entire show will be dedicated to broadcasting a student sponsored campus wide event that is focused on reducing gun violence and promoting gun safety, awareness, and recognition. The significance of this topic is paramount, because guns are a part of American culture so steeped in misconceptions and media sensationalism, that it needs this honest attention.
THIS CAMPUS EVENT AND THE BROADCASTING OF THIS SHOW IN NO WAY PROMOTES THE SALE, PURCHASING, USE, OR OWNERSHIP OF GUNS.
So join forensicweek.com host, Tom Mauriello, the forensic firearms experts and the University of Maryland Police Department, as the Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity and Criminal Justice Student Association presents, “Gun Safety, Identification and Awareness.” Watch the show LIVE or view it at your convenience after the show is aired and archived at http://www.youtube.com/forensicweek/ . Thank you for watching!
NIST Offers Forensic Science Education and Training Webcasts
The National Institute of Standards and Technology will be offering two upcoming educational workshops and a conference for forensic science professionals. All three events will be free to attend and viewable through live webcasts.
The first workshop scheduled for April 12, 2013 and will be focused on interpreting forensic DNA mixtures in casework. Some topics to be covered include why working with DNA mixtures is difficult and approaches being used around the world to cope with complex mixtures. The second two-day workshop is scheduled for April 30-May 1, 2013. This workshop will be focused on exploring emerging trends in the forensic analysis of three types of designer drugs: synthetic cannabinoids, substituted cathinones, and novel hallucinogens. The Measurement Science and Standards in Forensic Handwriting Analysis Conference will take place June 4-5, 2013 at the NIST Headquarters in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The conference will focus on enhancing the current state of forensic handwriting analysis through the use of advancements in science and research.
For more information on the DNA mixtures workshop, click here.
For more information on the designer drugs workshop, click here.
For more information on the handwriting conference, click here.
Source: Forensic Magazine and NIST
[Abstract by ForensIQ intern, Andrea Williams]
Citation: (2013, March 6). NIST offers forensic science education and training webcasts. Forensic Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.forensicmag.com/news/nist-offers-forensic-science-education-and-training-webcasts.
Every Clue Counts – Forensics Inconceivable Without Microscopy
Shell casings, fingerprints, hair, and fibers – All are examples of physical and trace evidence that contain huge weight in the success of solving a case. However, the real value of the evidence is proven when it is placed under a microscope where investigators can find the tiny clues that link a perpetrator to the crime. There are several types of microscopes and macroscopes that crime scene technicians use, but for a close examination of tiny clues on suspected evidence, investigators use comparison macroscopes. This type of macroscope allows investigators to compare the impression and striation marks on shell casings and bullets from a scene with that of a projectile from a lab test fire. By matching up firing pin impressions, breech marks, and/or ejactor and extractor marks, investigators can prove that a suspected weapon was in fact the weapon used in the commission of a crime. Similarly, comparison microscopes also allow for the comparison of tool mark impressions, suspected documents, hairs, fibers, paint chips and glass that are found at crime scenes.
[Abstract by ForensIQ Intern – Mark Lombard]
Source: forensicmag.com
Citation:
Wiesner, J. Leica Microsystems. Every Clue Counts – Forensics Inconceivable Without Microscopy. Retrieved March 12, 2013, from http://www.leica-microsystems.com/science-lab/forensics/every-clue-counts-forensics-inconceivable-without-microscopy/
Senate Panel Casts Votes on Gun Purchases
While background checks are now required for firearm sales by the nation’s 55,000 federally licensed gun dealers, they are not required for private sales between individuals, like those at gun shows or online. In Congress’ first gun votes since the Newtown, Conneticut school shooting, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to deter gun trafficking and straw purchasing by heighten federal penalties against illegal firearms purchases. The Democratic-led panel voted 11-7 to impose penalties of up to 25 years for people who legally buy firearms but give them to someone else for use in a crime or to people legally barred from acquiring weapons. The committee was expected to vote on several other bills, including one that would require background checks for nearly all gun purchases and another that would provide around $40 million a year for schools to buy security equipment but no verdict has yet been reported. The debate made it clear that new gun restrictions face a difficult road getting through a Congress where the National Rifle Association and conservative voters have such a loud presence.
Source: Alan Fram at The Associated Press, and forensicmag.com
Citation:
Fram, A. Forensic Magazine. Senate Panel Casts Votes on Gun Purchases . Retrieved March 12, 2013, from http://www.forensicmag.com/news/senate-panel-casts-votes-gun-purchases?et_cid=3130957&et_rid=515363537&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.forensicmag.com%2fnews%2fsenate-panel-casts-votes-gun-purchases
The forensicweek.com Show – Episode 014 – Textbook Author-Scientist-Expert Witness
The forensicweek.com Show is airing Episode 014 tonight LIVE , March 7, 2013 at 7:00 PM (EST). Meet Dr. Richard Saferstein, the foremost author and pioneer of forensic science textbooks used in high schools and colleges today. He has testified as an expert witness over 2000 times in nearly 150 court venues on a variety of forensic science issues including: breath and blood testing for alcohol content, the pharmacological effects of alcohol, detection and Identification of drugs in biological fluids, arson-related analyses, and the forensic examination of DNA, blood, semen, hair, paint, fiber and glass evidence. So join host, Tom Mauriello, and the rest of the forensicweek.com webcast team, and get a behind the scenes view of how forensic textbooks are written and how Dr. Saferstein prepares to be an expert witness in court. Watch the show LIVE or view it at your convenience after the show is aired. Remember all previous episodes are there also. Just GO TO www.forensicweek.com . Thank you for watching!
Crime Tech Quickening Forensics Analysis
According to Peter Massey, former detective at the Hamden Police Department and current lecturer at the University of New Haven in Connecticut, the new advances in forensic science and technology will allow immediate lab testing results to speed up criminal investigations. New technology like the Raman spectroscopy can be used to detect molecular vibrations in suspicious powdery substances to determine if they are explosive without destroying potential evidence. Additional new technologies and advancements according to Massey include Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction methods, advancements in biometric technologies, and handheld electronic narcotic sniffers and flashlight sensors detecting alcohol levels in the air, some of which are already in wide use in police departments nationwide. Massey stated the future of forensic science is bringing the laboratory to the crime scene.
Source: Forensic Magazine and Yale Daily News
[Abstract by ForensIQ intern, Andrea Williams]
Citation: Ligato, L. (2013, February 28). Crime tech quickening forensics analysis. Yale Daily News. Retrieved from http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2013/02/28/crime-tech-quickening-forensics-analysis/
US Army Purchases Latent Fingerprint Development System from Linde Canada
Based on the technology developed by Linde Canada, Ltd., the first beta of the ADROITTM FC 300 automated latent fingerprint development system uses a gaseous application process for discovering and developing latent fingerprints. The new dry, non-contact technology eliminates hazardous carrier solvents used in traditional fingerprint processing methods, as well as the possibly damaging physical application of these materials by dipping, spraying, brushing, and drying. In 2012, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL) tested a prototype for the Linde system and now they have purchased the first commercial unit for further study. According to Calvin Knaggs, Linde Canada technology marketing manager who developed the technology, “the interest and feedback provided by the USACIL was invaluable in bringing the capabilities of the technology to where it is today.
Note: An existing study of the technology, entitled “Latent Print Development Using Low Pressure Sublimation Vapor Deposition: Evaluation of a Prototype System,” has already been published in the Journal of Forensic Identification.
Click here to view a video of the Linde ADROITTM FC 300
Source: forensicmag.com and Linde
Citation:
(2013, 27). Linde US Industrial Gases, Equipment & Chemicals.U.S. Army purchases first ADROIT™ FC 300 latent fingerprint development system from Linde Canada. Retrieved March 3, 2013, from http://www.lindeus.com/en/news_and_media/press_releases/2013-02-27rnanews.html
Preserving Biological Evidence
A significant resource will become available for law enforcement personnel and evidence technicians in the first quarter of 2013. The Biological Evidence Preservation Handbook: Best Practices for Evidence Handlers is a definitive guide for the handling of biological evidence. The guide was produced by the Technical Working Group on Biological Evidence Preservation and co-sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Institute of Justice. With a broad range of various backgrounds, the group produced the guide to, “create best practices and guidance on how to properly preserve, process, store, and track biological evidence to safeguard against contamination, premature destruction, or degradation.” The handbook addresses many aspects of biological evidence such as details on tracking the biological evidence chain of custody and best practices for temporary and long-term storage of biological evidence. Additionally, the Technical Working Group on Biological Evidence Preservation plans to develop a document that will describe the different evidence tracking technologies available.
Source: Forensic Magazine and Evidence Technology Magazine
[Abstract by ForensIQ intern, Andrea Williams]
Citation: Mayo, K. (2013, March/April). Preserving biological evidence. Evidence Technology Magazine, 11(2) Retrieved from http://www.evidencemagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1179&Itemid=26
NFSTC Launches Forensic Science Simplified Website
A new online resource for understanding the basics of forensic science and courtroom admissibility has been announced by the National Forensic Science Technology Center.
The new website, ForensicScienceSimplified.org, is a beneficial resource for law enforcement, courtroom personnel and the general public. Developed by forensic science experts and under a cooperative effort with the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the website provides valuable information for understanding forensics. The site is free to use and is available for both computers and mobile devices. Some of the forensic science topics include fingerprints, bloodstains, crime scene investigation, questioned documents, firearms, DNA, forensic photography, and trace evidence. Each topic includes basic information, expectations and limitations, frequently asked questions, and common terms and misconceptions.
Source: Forensic Magazine and NFSTC
[Abstract by ForensIQ intern, Andrea Williams]
Citation: (2013). Forensic Magazine. NFSTC Launches Forensic Science Simplified Website. Retrieved March 6, 2013, from http://www.forensicmag.com/news/nfstc-launches-forensic-science-simplified-website
State-of-the-art van will help state police crime scene investigators
More and more law enforcement agencies are purchasing new and high tech tools to aid them in crime scene investigations. Similar to the Decatur, NJ police department’s “crime scene machine,” the Illinois State Police have recently been given a refurbished 19-foot van to serve as a mobile crime laboratory for major crime scenes. Equipped with the necessary tools for processing a crime scene and state-of-the-art technology to label evidence and directly upload it to the computer database, the van will be deployed to large-scale violent crime scenes that require extensive investigative and evidence collection resources. According to ISP CSSC Lieutenant Matt Davis, the vehicle will enhance the CSI unit’s overall mission to “provide factual, timely, and proven assistance to [the] criminal investigations” of suburban police agencies, task forces, and metropolitan drug and enforcement groups.
[Abstract by ForensIQ Intern – Mark Lombard]
Citation:
(2013, 1). Newsbug.info. Illinois State Police unveil high tech crime scene services command van. Retrieved March 5, 2013, from http://www.newsbug.info/iroquois_countys_times-republic/records/article_bbe64414-8244-11e2-883d-001a4bcf887a.html?goback=%2Egde_4447786_member_218891736
The forensicweek.com Show – Episode 013 – “Lizzie Borden-Nothing but the Truth”
The forensicweek.com Show is airing Episode 013 – Lizzie Borden-“Nothing but the Truth” –LIVE-Thursday, February 28, 2013 at 7:00 PM (EST). This show will bring viewers back to the Victorian era in New England as guests analyze the most infamous murder case of the 19th century. The case…, the arrest of Lizzie Borden for the double hatchet murders of her father and step-mother, Andrew and Abby Borden in Fall River, Massachusetts. The time, … August 4th, 1892. Special guests are Dr. Stefani Koorey, Editor and Publisher of the “The Hatchet: A Journal of Lizzie Borden & Victorian America; Michael Martins, Curator of the Fall River Massachusetts Historical Society and Dennis Binette, Assistant curator, both co-authors of the book, “Parallel Lives: A Social History of Lizzie A. Borden and Her Fall River.” Want to know the facts about Lizzie, the murders, the evidence against her, why she was acquitted, and why the fascination with this case after 120 years? Then join host, Tom Mauriello, and the rest of the forensicweek.com webcast team and learn the “real” truth about Lizzie Borden and the legend. Watch the show LIVE or view it at your convenience after the show is aired. Remember all previous episodes are there also. Just GO TO www.forensicweek.com .
