Houston ahead of curve in forensic science
Crime Scene Machine: New Vehicle Helps Gather Evidence
The inside of the new crime scene investigation vehicle has storage for all the equipment the Decatur Police Department might need at a crime scene.
NIJ Forensic Toxicology Training
RTI International, with funding from NIJ, is offering new online forensic toxicology courses.
All three courses are free and a variety of continuing education credits are available for each:
- Fundamentals of Sample Preparation Used in Forensic Toxicology
- Fundamentals of Chromatography used in Forensic Toxicology
- Fundamentals of Mass Spectrometry Used in Forensic Toxicology
More information on RTI forensic toxicology courses.
For a list of all NIJ funded courses click here.
U.S. Cities Relying on Precog Software to Predict Murder
A precog in the film Minority Report who can see the future and predict events.
Photo courtesy of Dreamworks/20th Century Fox
New crime-prediction software currently being used in Maryland and Pennsylvania promises to reduce homicide rates by predicting which prison parolees are most likely to commit murder, therefore uncovering which should receive higher levels of supervision. University of Pennsylvania criminologist and creator of the algorithm, Richard Berk says the software replaces the ad hoc decision-making of parole officers and claims that it could identify eight out of 100 future murderers. The software analyzes two dozen variables to predict risks of future offending, but interestingly enough the most predictive variables were the type of crime and the age at which it was committed. People assume that if someone committed murder, then they will murder again, but what really matters is what that person did when they were young (Berk, Wired.com).
Date of Article: January 10th, 2013
[Abstract by Mark Lombard, ForensIQ Intern, January 14th, 2013]
Citation
Zetter, K. Wired.com . U.S. Cities Relying on Precog Software to Predict Murder. Retrieved January 14, 2013, from http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/01/precog-software-predicts-crime/
Proposed Law Collects DNA with Every Felony Arrest
A proposed bill in the Indiana statehouse would collect DNA samples from everyone who is arrested on a felony charge. Currently, the Department of Corrections (D.O.C.) takes DNA samples from people convicted of certain crimes and places them into a database of convicted criminals, but those who receive suspended sentences or probation are left out of the collection. As Allen County Superior Court judge, Fran Gull says, “A small percentage of our population commits a vast majority of the crimes. We get frequent fliers who come through, so having information available to law enforcement could help them solve additional crimes that may have been perpetrated by these” repeat offenders.
The bill will be heard in the Committee on Judiciary on January 23rd, and will go into effect July 1st, 2013 if it becomes law.
Link to full article and a video.
Date of Article: January 10th, 2013
[Abstract by Mark Lombard, ForensIQ Intern, January 15th, 2013]
Special thanks to Forensicmag.com
Citation
Wane.com. Proposed law collects DNA with every felony arrest.Retrieved January 14, 2013, from http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/crime/proposed-law-collects-dna-with-every-felony-arrest
The forensicweek.com Show – Episode 006 – Forensics in the High Schools
The forensicweek.com Show is airing Episode 006 this Thursday evening, January 10, 2013 at 7:00 PM (EST), discussing Forensic Sciences being taught in our high schools. Special guests are, high school teachers from Howard and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland: Emily Moore, Roosevelt HS; Terri Bradford, Riverhill HS; Susanne Hughes, Reservoir HS and one of her students, Whitney Ceverino; and return guest, Dr. Jay Tobin, Stevenson University. So join host, Tom Mauriello and the forensicweek.com cast and learn the “real” facts about how forensic sciences is being taught at the high school level; what the students are learning; how they need to prepare for college; and who are the talented teachers who quickly mastered the art of teaching this subject. Watch the show LIVE or view it at your convenience after the show is aired. Just GO TO www.forensicweek.com or directly to http://www.youtube.com/forensicweek/ .
Forensic scientists need skeletons to train – but they’re down to bare bones
Heavy increases in the need for forensic science courses in unison with strict laws governing human tissue use and legislation repatriating historic remains have left universities struggling to provide actual remains for study and practice. In result, forensic science students are becoming more and more dependent on technology to provide hands-on experience. A British company named Anthronomics is working with computer game developers to alleviate this need by designing new software that creates 3D digital images from scans of existing skeletal collections. These scans can then be used by universities that, as Dr Piers Mitchell, President of the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteroarcheology, says “do not have well established archaeological collections and may not be connected to a medical school.” Many students currently rely on studying remains from Anglo-Saxon times or on plastic casts, but as skeletal remains are returned and universities look for a cheaper alternative, 3D images may be the best substitute.
Date of Article: January 4th, 2013
[Abstract by Mark Lombard, ForensIQ Intern, January 8th, 2013]
Citation
Brown, J. The Independent The Independent | News . Forensic scientists need skeletons to train â but theyâre down to bare bones – Science – News – The Independent. Retrieved January 8, 2013, from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/forensic-scientists-need-skeletons-to-train–but-theyre-down-to-bare-bones-8439073.html
Virtual Autopsies Provide New Insights into Death
A new method of examining cause of death, which combines images from powerful computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) together with surface scans of corpses, is being developed and used by Swiss forensic scientists. The idea of this new method is draws on a collaborative effort between radiologists and forensic scientists, where autopsies can be planned more effectively after examining abnormalities present in the combined CT, MRI, and surface scans. According to specialist Wichmann of the Hamburg university hospital, relatives of the deceased often do not allow an autopsy to be performed because they do not want the body of their family member to be cut open. Virtual autopsies relieve these concerns and have also allowed Swiss pioneers to circumvent an otherwise excessively messy situation.
Pictured left: How a virtual autopsy is conducted. Courtesy of Universität Zürich Institut für Rechtsmedizin
Date of Article: January 6th, 2013
[Abstract by Mark Lombard, ForensIQ Intern, January 8th, 2013]
Citation
Thadeusz, F. Forensic Magazine. Virtual Autopsies Provide New Insights into Death | Forensic Magazine. Retrieved January 8, 2013, from http://www.forensicmag.com/news/virtual-autopsies-provide-new-insights-death?et_cid=3027348&et_rid=515363537&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.forensicmag.com%2fnews%2fvirtual-autopsies-provide-new-insights-death
The forensicweek.com Show – Episode 005 – Computer Forensics and Cyber Security
The forensicweek.com Show is airing Episode 005 this Thursday evening, January 3, 2013 at 7:00 PM (EST). Special guest, Paul Woodie, Computer forensics Expert, will be discussing how computers have become tools of the trade for today’s criminals in the form of identity theft; viruses; cyber intrusions into critical infrastructures; and cyberharassment, stalking and pornography. This highly technical field of science and engineering has evolved into a skill set that requires highly technical analysis to uncover the evidence needed to successfully investigate these cases . So join host, Tom Mauriello and the forensicweek.com cast and learn the “real” facts about computer forensics and cyber security. Watch the show LIVE or view it at your convenience after the show is aired. Just GO TO www.forensicweek.com or directly to http://www.youtube.com/forensicweek/ .
26th Annual FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY COURSE – JUNE 3-7, 2013
This annual course is sponsored by the National Museum Of Health and Medicine; Maryland Office of Chief Medical Examiner; the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System; and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. Forensic anthropology is concerned with the scientific recovery, analysis and identification of human remains in the medicolegal context. Forensic pathologists, death investigators, forensic dentists, attorneys and other specialists engaged in multi-disciplinary forensic investigations will find this course an excellent survey of forensic anthropology. Marilyn London, Forensic Anthropologist and special guest on The forensicweek.com Show, Episode 002, is one of the faculty presenting at the course. ForensIQ’s, Tom Mauriello attended the course last year in 2012, and found it to be valuable and well presented. Lots of hands-on lab sessions with lectures that provide the theoretical and methodological basis of human osteology and introduction of applications used by anthropologists in their work. See more information and how to register.
NIST and Dutch Agency Team to Improve Forensic Science
On November 29, 2012, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NF) forged partnership to promote the advancement of technologies, methods, practices and standards in the field of forensic science. These two organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the recent event, Forensics@NIST 2012, in which is held at NIST headquarters in Gaithersburg, Maryland. They agreed to work together through focusing on such areas as research and development in forensic science, standards, education, training, and ethical practices. This will help to improve the accuracy and reliability in forensic science in the United States and Netherlands.
Source: Forensic Magazine
Date of Article: December 13, 2012
[Abstract by David Miller, ForensIQ Intern, December 19, 2012]
The forensicweek.com Show – Episode 004 – Forensic Chemistry and Stevenson University Forensic Sciences Program
Want to learn about the role of Forensic Chemistry in a criminal investigation? Want to hear about a new forensic sciences program at Stevenson University, Baltimore County, MD? Then tune in to “forensicweek.com,” this evening, Dec. 20, 2012 at 7:00 PM. Listen to “Real” science from a “Real” Forensic Chemist and Professor of Forensic Sciences, Dr. John “Jay” Tobin. This will be Episode 004 of the webcast show, forensicweek.com. The viewers are growing and the excitement is contagious. Watch it LIVE, or visit the forensicweek.com website and view achieved shows. Click here: http://www.youtube.com/forensicweek/
DNA Technology Proved the Key in Robert Gordon Rape Conviction
DNA technology continues to be the key in bringing those responsible for serious crimes to justice. In the United Kingdom, DNA profiling brought Robert Gordon to justice 30 years after he raped a stranger in a Basingstoke Park. Thanks to the formation of “Operation Galaxy” in 2010 by Hampshire Constabulary and their team dedicated to reviewing forensic evidence of all historic undetected sexual assaults after 1980, Robert Gordon is put behind bars. 30 years ago, Gordon was able to get away because of a lack of eyewitnesses and clues. But advances in DNA technology was the key to bringing him to justice.
Check out the full article right here
[Abstract by David Miller, ForensIQ Intern, December 19, 2012]
Citation
Morton, Helen. “DNA Technology Proved the Key in Robert Gordon Rape Conviction.”Basingstoke Gazette. N.p., 17 Dec. 2012. Web. 19 Dec. 2012.
DC Judge Orders Exoneration, Cites Hair Evidence DNA Test Rejected
51 year old, Santae Tribble, spent 28 years in prison for a murder that he did not commit. In 1978, he was convicted for the murder of a Southeast Washington taxi driver after an FBI examiner claimed that he microscopically matched Santae Tibble’s hair to one in a stocking found at the crime scene. However, it took almost 30 years for Tribble to finally be exonerated. DNA testing proved that none of the hairs used as evidence actually matched Tribble’s genetic profile. Judge Laura Cordero ordered Tribble’s exoneration and he became the second D.C. man in 2012 and the third since 2009 to be exonerated after serving a long sentence based on false hair matches. As a result of these exonerations and mistakes in the FBI Laboratory, the Justice Department announced a nationwide review of all cases in which were handled by the FBI Laboratory;s hair and fibers unit before 2000. Editorial note: In 1978, they did not even have the technical capability to positively identify an individual from a hair sample.
Read the full article here and even watch a video of Sentae Tribble telling his story
[Abstract by David Miller, ForensIQ Intern, December 19, 2012]
Citation
Hsu, Spencer S. “D.C. Judge Exonerates Santae Tribble in 1978 Murder, Cites Hair Evidence DNA Test Rejected.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2012. Web. 19 Dec. 2012.
County detective develops 3D crime-scene animation
When at a crime scene, detectives record measures from all angles so they can explain scientifically how the crime took place. However, once detectives are in the courtroom they have to explain to a jury their findings and with the help of two-dimensional photographs they can explain the events a little better. However, juries often need more visual presentations to truly understand what took place. Then want more then just explanations and photographs and Berks County Detective Albert Schade discovered that he can use a free computer program to create a 3D model of a crime scene, all from the measurements and crime scene sketches. With that 3D model, Schade made some modifications to gaming software allowing him to virtually take the viewer into the scene using a computer mouse. Schade stated, “If I want to walk a jury through a crime scene I really can’t do it with animation because they’re all looking through one camera angle,” “Having an interactive way to walk through things and talk to people while doing it is very helpful.”
[Abstract by David Miller, ForensIQ Intern, December 19, 2012]
Citation
Henshaw, Steve. “County Detective Develops 3-D Crime-scene Animation.” Reading Eagle. N.p., 13 Dec. 2012. Web. 19 Dec. 2012.
