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 .
New DNA Technology Helps Get Convictions
Newly developed DNA computer software is being praised for its assistance with two robbery convictions in Kern County, California. True Allele is a new computer software program capable of sorting through contaminated evidence using mathematical formulas. The software can help identify whether a particular person’s DNA was present at a crime scene even if the DNA has been in the field for a while or may be contaminated or degraded. True Allele was paid for with a $100,000 grant from the National Institute of Justice. Now that the new technology has been proven in the courtroom, more use of the software is expected.
Date of Article: February 20, 2013
Source: Forensic Magazine and KGET
[Abstract by ForensIQ intern, Andrea Williams}
Citation: (2013). KGET 17. New DNA technology helps convict criminals. Retrieved February 25, 2013, from http://www.kget.com/news/local/story/New-DNA-technology-helps-convict-criminals/JX2dC0lgpki4kD_tCdHsvQ.cspx
Washington Police Agencies Step Up Testing of ‘Crime Guns’
“Is the gun from your murder case hiding in the evidence vault of a neighboring police department?” firearms expert Pete Gagliardi asked the group of detectives and personnel from 31 police agencies at a Washington Criminal Justice Training Center seminar last week. Each time a gun is fired, it ejects a shell that has marks as unique as fingerprints. This important piece of evidence gives agencies that have collected firearms off the streets a great tool against murders with firearms and other gun crimes. However, many police agencies have several firearms that have not been tested and are simply sitting in their vaults. Brad Buckles, the ATF director in 1999 when the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) was created, said that “there are thousands, probably tens of thousands of firearms around the country in police department vaults that are never test-fired and are never entered into that system. Recently however, the ATF is following the Washington State Patrol’s Seattle crime lab’s lead in gaining more advanced analyses of shell casings through the use of a new 3D terminal that connects to the NIBIN network.
See the full article and a video here.
Source: forensicmag.com
[Abstract by ForensIQ Intern – Mark Lombard]
Citation:
Ingalls, C. (2013, 20). King5.com. Washington police agencies step up testing of ‘crime guns’. Retrieved February 26, 2013, from http://www.king5.com/news/local/KING-5-Investigation-prompts-WA-police-agencies-to-take-closer-look-at-their-crime-guns-192113341.html
The forensicweek.com Show – Episode 012 – The National Law Enforcement Museum
The forensicweek.com Show is airing Episode 012 – The Making of a National Law Enforcement Museum – LIVE TONIGHT, Thursday, February 21, 2013 at 7:00 PM (EST). Special guest Rebecca Looney, the museum’s exhibit content developer, will discuss the “Launching of the National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington, DC, paving the way for the nation’s largest and most comprehensive museum honoring the duty and sacrifice of America’s law enforcement officers.” So join host, Tom Mauriello, and the rest of the forensicweek.com team and learn the “real” truth about the development of our nation’s first of its kind national law enforcement museum. 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 or directly to http://www.youtube.com/forensicweek/.
DOJ and NIST Announce Launch of National Commission on Forensic Science
The United States Department of Justice and the National Institute of Standards and Technology announced on Friday, February 15, 2013 the launch and establishment of a National Commission on Forensic Science. The commission plan is to strengthen and enhance the practice of forensic science. The National Commission on Forensic Science will be responsible for coordination between forensic science and the courtroom. With efforts from both the Department of Justice and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the commission will help standardize national guidance for forensic science practitioners. In addition, the commission will consider guidance on practices for federal, state and local forensic science laboratories developed by groups of forensic science practitioners and academic researchers administered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Source: United States Department of Justice
[Abstract by ForensIQ intern, Andrea Williams]
Citation: United States Department of Justice. (2013). Department of Justice and National Institute of Standards and Technology Announce Launch of National Commission on Forensic Science. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved from http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/February/13-dag-203.html
Estimation of Age at Death Using Cortical Bone Histomorphometry
The older a skeleton is, the harder it is to estimate the age at death. This difficulty is due to biological variability in age indicators and the different skeletal response to environmental factors that are unique to an individual. Thus, it is becoming increasingly important for anthropologists to improve age estimates through the use of multiple age indicators and various modalities of assessment (e.g., macroscopic and microscopic). Previously developed methods of age estimation using the femur have demonstrated significant methodological issues, affecting their reliability and accuracy. Christian Crowder’s research evaluates histological age estimation using the anterior femur and explores the biological limitations of bone turnover as an age indicator.
View all recently added publications and multimedia.
Source: forensicmag.com
NY Police Department Standardizing Detective Work
Crime-solving tactics have mostly existed as an oral tradition, passed down informally in the confines of precinct station houses from one generation of investigators to the next. Precinct detective squads belonged to a culture independent from the rest of the department and boasted an autonomy that their uniformed colleagues did not have. Over the last three years however, the New York Police Department has been moving to standardize detective work and codify tactics for solving crimes. The level of instruction in the numerous memos varies from general guidelines and basic investigative methods, to spelling out the very words detectives must say in certain situations. Critics of Chief Pulaski’s mandates describe them as “encumbering the detectives’ mission…treating professional investigators like kids.” However, chief spokesman Paul J. Browne said the memos bolster accountability within the department and ensure that police procedures are “applied as consistently as possible” with the changing laws and focus on forensics.
Source: forensicmag.com
[Abstract by ForensIQ Intern – Mark Lombard]
Citation:
Goldstein, J. (2013, 18). The New York Times . Police Department Standardizing Detective Work . Retrieved February 20, 2013, from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/nyregion/police-department-standardizing-detective-work.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0
Helping Solve Crimes Through Cutting Edge DNA Research
Advances in DNA technology are rapidly increasing with the help and knowledge of forensic scientists throughout the field. Forensic scientist, John Butler of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is one of the world’s leading experts on DNA analysis. He is responsible for numerous scientific advances in DNA analysis and technology including improvements on analysis of degraded DNA samples. Butler’s current focus centers on rapid DNA testing. His team has demonstrated that DNA testing that has previously taken eight hours to complete can be completed accurately in less than one hour. Butler’s work also includes isolating the male Y-chromosomes from DNA samples to make it easier to identify suspects of sexual assault.
Source: Forensic Magazine and The Washington Post
[Abstract by ForensIQ intern, Andrea Williams]
Citation: The Partnership for Public Service. (2013, February 19). Helping solve crimes through cutting edge DNA research. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal_government/helping-solve-crimes-through-cutting-edge-dna-research/2013/02/15/068420ac-7789-11e2-8f84-3e4b513b1a13_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines
Bloodstains to Bullet Holes: Mapping the Virtual Crime Scene
Advances in forensic technology have led to the development of 3D scanners that create a virtual portrayal of a crime scene, analyzing such evidence as bloodstains to bullet holes. The device, FARO’s Laser Scanner Focus 3D, is placed in the center of a crime scene atop a photographer’s tripod and can capture 85 photographs and millions of points surrounding the scene within minutes. The scanner allows law enforcement officials and jurors to “walk through” the crime scene and allows law enforcement to analyze points and other details through their computers. The device saves tremendous amounts of time as it captures a 360-degree image in significantly less time than it would take to typically document the crime scene. Various aspects of the device allow law enforcement personnel to construct the crime scene and measure between critical crime scene points.
ForensIQ has partnered with Transcon Imaging Solutions, Annapolis, MD who provides this very service. Click here to learn more about how ForensIQ and Transcon can provide this valuable tool when needed.
Date of Article: February 5, 2013
[Abstract by ForensIQ intern, Andrea Williams]
Citation: Barrie, A. (2013). Bloodstains to bullet holes: Mapping the virtual crime scene. Retrieved February 8, 2013, from http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/02/05/bloodstains-to-bullet-holes-virtual-crime-scene/
Artist Collects and Analyzes DNA Samples To Create 3D Portraits in “Stranger Visions”
The next time you comb your hair in a public restroom or aimlessly pick a stray strand off your coat, take a moment to think about the personal information you’re leaving behind. In the case of artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg and her Stranger Visions project, she’s picking up stray hairs, cigarette butts, and finger nails in public places where people might inadvertently leave traces of themselves behind, and using these samples to sequence and analyze the DNA contained within. Using facial recognition algorithms and collaboration with biologists, she and her team are developing and building a 3D modeling software that would reconstruct the images of the unknown individual. Dewey-Hagborg uses the information collected to develop images of what these people look like based off their genetic makeup and DNA sequence.
Date of Article: February 7, 2013
Source: Forensic Magazine and The Creators Project
[Abstract by ForensIQ intern, Andrea Williams]
Citation: Kaganskiy, J. (2013). Artist collects and analyzes DNA samples to create 3D portraits in “stranger visions”. Retrieved February 8, 2013, from http://www.thecreatorsproject.com/de/blog/artist-collects-and-analyzes-dna-samples-to-create-3d-portraits-in-stranger-visions
