The ForensicWeek.com Webcast Show airing Episode #29 – “Cold Cases Revisited”

The ForensicWeek.com Webcast Show is airing Episode #29 – “Cold Cases Revisited,” Thursday evening, June 27, 2013 at 7:00 PM (EST). Join us as we examine what determines that an old unsolved case should be revisited and declared a “Cold Case” for additional investigation. What types of cases are considered for reinvestigation? What are the odds that a “cold case” will be solved when revisited; and who investigates these unsolved cases. So join host, Tom Mauriello and his special guest, Joe Giacalone, retired NYPD Detective Sargent and former Commanding Officer of the Bronx Cold Case Homicide Squad. Watch the show LIVE or view it at your convenience. Just GO TO www.forensicweek.com

The ForensicWeek.com Show – Airing Episode #28 – Finding the Washington Area Snipers

The ForensicWeek.com Webcast Show is airing Episode #28 – “Finding the Washington Area Snipers,” tomorrow, June 20, 2013 at 7:00 PM (EST).  Join us as we examine the trail of evidence that lead to the successful identification, apprehension, and conviction of the two snipers that terrorized the Washington, Maryland and Virginia surrounding areas.  The shootings lasted for 22 days from the day of the first shooting death on October 2, 2002, until the apprehension of the two snipers on October 24, 2002.  When it was over, 10 persons were killed and 3 wounded, as a result of the actions of convicted perpetrators, John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo.  We have as our guest Maryland State Police Lt. (Retired) David Reichenbaugh, Operations Commander, Criminal Intelligence Division, who played a pivotal role in the multi-jurisdictional investigation. So join host, Tom Mauriello, and the rest of the ForensicWeek.com team and learn the facts about this case and how it unfolded.  Watch the show LIVE or view it at your convenience.  Just GO TO www.forensicweek.com   

The ForensicWeek.com Webcast Show airing Episode #27 – “Forensic Hypnosis—Fiction and Fact”

Tonight, June 13, 2013 at 7:00 PM (EST).  Guest, Dr. Arnett Gaston, Clinical Psychologist and Forensic Hypnotist, together with Host and Forensic Hypnotist, Tom Mauriello, will dispel fact from fiction. Throughout history hypnosis has been a phenomenon’ surrounded by an aura of mystery and controversy. Often, hypnosis has been the subject of theatrical presentations and English and American novels reinforce the popular image of the hypnotist as a mysterious, mind-controlling person.  However, since the 1970’s hypnosis has become a tool often used by law enforcement in criminal investigations. Increasingly, witnesses and victims are hypnotized to enhance or “refresh” their memory of an event which may have happened too quickly or was too traumatic to recall.  So join host, Tom Mauriello, and the rest of the ForensicWeek.com team and learn how hypnosis can be a valuable investigative tool when used cautiously.  Watch the show LIVE or view it at your convenience.  Just GO TO www.forensicweek.com

The ForensicWeek.com Webcast Show – featuring “Forensic Nursing – A Medical/Legal Profession”

The ForensicWeek.com Webcast Show is airing Episode 25 – featuring “Forensic Nursing – A Medical/Legal Profession,” tomorrow – Thursday, May 30, 2013, at 7:00 P.M.  Distinguished members of the International Association of Nurses will be guests on the show broadcasting LIVE from their locations all over the world.  So join host, Tom Mauriello, and the rest of the ForensicWeek.com team as they discuss this important forensic science profession and learn about how the forensic nurse strengthens the investigative process.  Watch the show LIVE or view it at your convenience.  Just GO to www.forensicweek.com

The ForensicWeek.com Show – Episode 021 – “Forensics4Real – A Company and an IDea.”

The ForensicWeek.com Webcast Show is airing Episode 021 – Forensics4Real – A Company and an IDea – Thursday, April 25, 2013 at 7:00 PM (EST).  Guest, John Paolucci, retired NYPD and President of Forensics4Real has integrated his vast experience in law enforcement to provide “one-stop-shopping” for expert witnesses, students and law enforcement with training and instruction on true to life applications for forensic evidence and crime scene processing. So join host, Tom Mauriello, and the rest of the ForensicWeek.com team and learn about Forensics4Real.  Watch the show LIVE or view it at your convenience.  Just GO TO www.forensicweek.com

West Virginia University Forensic Science Webinars

West Virginia University is offering free upcoming webinars on several very interesting topics in the forensic science field.

The first webinar, What Prosecutors and Defense Counsel Need To Know About Eyewitnesses, will be held June 11, 2013 at 1:30pm, lead by Associate Professor of Law at Widener University School of Law, Jules Epstein. Topics to be discussed include examination of eyewitness evidence, the psychology of perception and memory, the law governing eyewitness identification cases, assessing the strength of identifications, and the best practices for identification.

To register for this webinar, click here.

The second webinar, Reliability and Validity of Fire Science Examination, will be held July 31, 2013 at 12:00pm. Lead by Paul Bieber, director and founder of the Arson Research Project, this webinar will focus on the reliability and validity of fire investigation, application of the scientific method and emergence of a standard of care, and expectations and bias in fire investigation.

To register for this webinar, click here.

The third webinar, Fingerprint Fundamentals for the Legal Professional, will be held August 8, 2013 at 12:00pm. This webinar is an overview of fingerprint evidence and is geared towards helping attorneys understand the latent fingerprint process from the crime scene into the courtroom. Some topics to be discussed include latent print preservation and collection, chain of custody, friction ridge patterns, development techniques, and AFIS. West Virginia University instructor, Martin Overly, will lead this one-hour long webinar.

To register for this webinar, click here.

To read more about these courses and find out more information, click here.

Source: West Virginia University and Forensic Magazine

Citation: (2013). Forensic Science Initiative West Virginia University. Applications of forensic science for the legal professional—webinar series. Retrieved April 23, 2013, from http://fsi.research.wvu.edu/training/onsite-training/legal-professionals/webinar-series

[Abstract by ForensIQ intern, Andrea Williams]

NFSTC Launches Forensic Update News Series on YouTube

The National Forensic Science Technology Center announced April 9^th, 2013 its bi-weekly Forensic Update, a show series that will be broadcast on the NFSTC’s YouTube channel. Each episode will cover the latest forensic science news and technology and discuss forensic science events occurring all over the world. Every episode will also have a “Technique of the Week” clip, where forensic science experts or crime scene technicians will demonstrate a common technique used in the forensic science field. Viewers also have the opportunity to have their forensic science questions answered by sending an email to NFSTC.

Source: National Forensic Science Technology Center

To read the full article, click here.

To access the NFSTC YouTube Channel, click here.

Citation: (2013). National Forensic Science Technology Center. NFSTC launches forensic update news series on YouTube. Retrieved April 11, 2013, from http://www.nfstc.org/nfstc-launches-forensic-update-news-series-on-youtube/

[Abstract by ForensIQ intern, Andrea Williams]

9th Annual CSI Challenge – Mount St. Mary’s University – April 6, 2013

University of Maryland College Park CCJS students participated for the first time in Mount Saint Mary’s University’s Ninth Annual Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Challenge, on Saturday, April 6^th, 2013, in Emmitsburg, Maryland.  Faculty Mentor, Tom Mauriello and his student team of Criminal Justice majors, Tim Fromm, Mark Lombard, and Andrea Williams placed 3^rd out of the 35 teams competing this past weekend. The CSI Challenge is a competition where students from local area universities and Canada demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and abilities in crime scene investigation and evidence collection. Students assume the roles of both a crime scene investigator and evidence technician and are presented with their crime scenario and given a limited amount of time to process a mock crime scene, collect pertinent evidence, and complete all necessary reports. Student teams were required to perform crime scene tasks to include surveying and securing the scene, interviewing witnesses, crime scene sketching, crime scene photography, and demonstrate proper evidence collection procedures. The objective of the program is for students to use team work and critical thinking skills to complete their task effectively and efficiently.  Law enforcement and forensics professionals and educators judged the students throughout the exercise and those teams with the three highest scores were recognized at the conclusion of the event.  Congratulations to the University of Maryland CCJS Team for being one of those recognized.  All three students had successfully completed CCJS 320, Introduction to Criminalistics, and demonstrated the value of the course by successfully competing with so many of their peers.

Seminar Brings Legal, Forensics Experts Together to Win Cases

Penn State Law will hold a “Forensic Science Legal Tools” seminar on Friday, April 5^th, 2013. The seminar is designed for prosecutors, criminal defense attorneys, civil litigators, students and members of the forensic science and law enforcement communities. The seminar is will begin at 10am and end at 5pm, is free to the public and is also available through a live webcast. Topics that will be presented include Forensic DNA for Litigation, The Nature and Admissibility of Fingerprint Evidence, DNA Databases and the Fourth Amendment and Confrontation Clause Challenges to Laboratory Reports and Testimony.

Source: Penn State News

For more information and to register for the seminar, click here.

Citation: (2013.) Penn State News. Seminar brings legal, forensics experts together to win cases. Retrieved from http://news.psu.edu/story/269830/2013/03/22/academics/seminar-brings-legal-forensics-experts-together-win-cases

[Abstract by ForensIQ intern, Andrea Williams]

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 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!

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!

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/.

The forensicweek.com Show – Episode 011 – Solving a Serial Murder

The forensicweek.com Show is airing Episode 011 – Solving a Serial Murder – LIVE TONIGHT, Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 7:00 PM (EST).  Special guest FBI Special Agent Robert Hilland, will discuss how the FBI brought the nearly 40 year investigation of serial killer John Smith to a successful conclusion.  Smith eluded law enforcement for 26 years before his arrest in 2000.  Special Agent Hilland has been featured on 20/20, Cold Case Files, The New Detectives, Forensic Files and On the Case with Paula Zahn presenting the details of this case.    Forensicweek.com will focus on the role forensic science played in bringing Smith to justice.  So join host, Tom Mauriello, and the rest of the forensicweek.com team and learn the “real” truth about investigating a serial murder case.  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/.