Crime & Clues

Update Completed

2009-10-30T01:42:00.001-04:00

The site update has gone as scheduled, and the site is back up. The blog.crimeandclues.com address now points back to the main page. If you subscribed to the rss feed via feedburner, it has also been updated. If not point your reader to: http://feeds.feedburner.com/crimeandclues or visit the site and grab the feed from the page of your choice.

Site Maintenance

2009-10-29T15:34:00.002-04:00

Crime & Clues will be down starting approx. 9PM Eastern Time tonight 10-29-2009 while we make the change to a dynamic content system. If all goes according to schedule the site should be back up with it's new look by morning. For those subscribed to the RSS feed we hope to transition you directly to the new feed, if that doesn't work for some reason we'll post instructions here on how to make the switch.

Thanks for supporting Crime & Clues!

Death Investigation Quiz at the Crime Lab Project

2009-07-31T13:00:00.003-04:00

It's the first in the Forensic Friday series over at the Crime Lab Project, and they've started things off with a Death Investigation Quiz.

Head to: http://tinyurl.com/CLPdeathquiz to check it out.

Computer Evidence

2009-07-31T12:43:00.002-04:00

Interesting article on how to do a computer exam on the cheap.

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9135807/How_to_Build_Your_Own_Digital_Forensics_Lab_Cheap

Forensic Article from New York Times

2009-05-12T11:56:00.002-04:00

Interesting piece from the New York Times.

I like this bit from the end:

Dr. Kobilinsky said people should not jump to the conclusion that forensic science is bad science. “There’s a lot of experience and knowledge that goes into somebody’s expertise,” he said.
“It’s not junk science. But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be improved.”

Science

Plugging Holes in the Science of Forensics

By HENRY FOUNTAIN

Published: May 12, 2009

A push in forensic science for the kind of rigorous, peer-reviewed research that is the hallmark of classic science.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/science/12fore.html

Finding Fingerprints with Heat

2009-03-19T11:12:00.003-04:00

Interesting new technique for fingerprint processing. This has some potential I think, but I wonder about it's effect on subsequent processing? It would make a good research project for one of you students. Hit the link at the bottom for the full story.

Fingerprint imaging technology puts the heat on criminals

18 Mar 2009

The CSI teams on TV have all kinds of gadgets, but you won't see anyone at the crime scene reaching for a hairdryer. That could soon be changing thanks to a novel fingerprint imaging technique developed at UTS.

http://www.newsroom.uts.edu.au/news/detail.cfm?ItemId=14578

NY Times Article on Jurors Use of Technology

2009-03-18T14:09:00.004-04:00

Interesting story from the NY Times about jurors use of technology impacting courtroom events. I'm sure many of you also saw the recent story of how one Officers Facebook posts were used against him during trial. This sort of thing is likely to continue to pose a problem in the future. More than ever, watch what you say. Hit the link below for the NY Times article.

US
As Jurors Turn to Web, Mistrials Are Popping Up
By JOHN SCHWARTZ
Published: March 18, 2009
The use of BlackBerrys, iPhones, Google and Twitter by jurors is wreaking havoc on trials around the country.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/us/18juries.html

The National Museum of Crime and Punishment

2009-02-17T14:46:00.002-05:00

Opened May 23rd, 2008 at 575 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20004.

If you are in DC, take the opportunity to visit the museum. It's definitely on my list of things I want to see when I get a chance to visit the Capitol.

For more info check out their website at: http://www.crimemuseum.org/

Personal Justice on TLC

2009-02-17T14:33:00.002-05:00

Wednesday nights at 10PM on TLC. The show highlights cold case investigations which were kept alive by family members who refused to give up.

The Fitted-In Project

2009-02-17T14:16:00.004-05:00

Update 5-6-2009: News release updated to current version.

Satish Sekar has a website devoted to his quest to prevent miscarriage of justice in the UK. You can read more about it below, and hit the link for all the latest updates.

News Release

http://www.fittedin.com/

Introduction:

Over ten years ago we published Satish Sekar's book 'Fitted In: The Cardiff 3 and the Lynette White Inquiry' in order to provoke changes in the law to help to reduce the risk of miscarriages of justice. They will occur in any jurisdiction, but measures can be taken to ensure that they are swiftly corrected. Advances in forensic science techniques offer an opportunity not only to correct miscarriages of justice, but to catch the truly guilty as well. The Lynette White case illustrates this, with the conviction of the true offender, Jeffrey Gafoor in 2003 and in 2008 the first convictions of those who had colluded in giving perjured evidence in the wrongful prosecution of the original defendants. However, there is now an urgent need to disseminate information efficiently and to make it accessible to the public, so that the original purpose of Sekar's book can be accomplished. An informed society is a protected one.

Aims and Objectives:

To inform the public what forensic science can achieve.

To inform the public how it can help to prevent miscarriages of justice.

To highlight the need for lawyers and campaigners to understand what can be achieved through forensic science.

To highlight:

The lack of investigation of flaws that caused miscarriages of justice

The need for accountability over miscarriages of justice and the current lack of such accountability.

The lack of accountability of public bodies, including the Crown Prosecution Service.

The effects of vindication and the requirement to cater for the needs of vindication, including the need to change tariff provisions to help prevent miscarriages of justice.

The need for aftercare to assist them and their families to integrate back into society.

The need for access to such information in and about other jurisdictions in order to ensure that relevant experiences are noted and learned from both in Britain and in other countries.

Issues of social justice that have been ignored by mainstream media.

The failure of people with power and influence to correct flaws in criminal justice systems in several jurisdictions.

To stimulate discussion on these issues to effect policy changes and make information on issues of social justice available to inform the public.

Beneficiaries:

Victims of miscarriage of justice, their families and campaigning groups will benefit by having access to relevant information that can assist in their campaigning to overturn wrongful convictions. Law students will also be assisted by having free and easy access to pertinent information that will help them in the course of their careers.

Methodology:

The FIP's website will publish articles written by journalists with knowledge of key issues and also by professionals who can add to debates. It will also publish articles by others with pertinent information such as victims of miscarriages of justice. We will also conduct research projects relating to issues that arise to facilitate the required changes in legislation.

Proposal:

Miscarriages of justice help nobody. Not only have innocent people been wrongfully convicted, but recent cases show that some people such as Colin Stagg (Rachel Nickell Inquiry), the original defendants in the Damilola Taylor Inquiry and the Actie cousins (Lynette White Inquiry) have faced trial for crimes they did not commit. This helps the truly guilty to evade all sanctions for their crimes and society has wasted resource on a failure of the criminal justice system. The public is not only not protected by this, but put at greater risk. Mainstream media have ignored several issues of vital importance that could have informed the public and helped them to protect themselves. For example, real perpetrators have treated more leniently than the original defendants who were innocent. Despite vindication, or exoneration some innocent people receive no assistance to rebuild their lives, even though schemes exist to aid victims of miscarriages of justice. Properly utilised forensic science can help to prevent miscarriages or justice, correct them and help to convict to convict the truly guilty, yet many remain ignorant of such techniques.

Our website will provide access to such vitally important information, which will also be made available to lawyers as well. Content will be updated weekly. This includes cutting edge forensic science and DNA data-basing. We shall inform debate and inform the public of other issues of importance in order to help deliver justice. The website will be free and be maintained by contributions from top quality journalists, specialising in relevant issues, from professionals working within the criminal justice system and from victims of it. We will also provide consultancy services where required. We will cover and learn lessons from other jurisdictions as well.

Conclusion:

We had hoped that our services would no longer be needed, but more than ten years after the publication of 'Fitted In: The Cardiff 3 and the Lynette White Inquiry,' the issues that we highlighted then have not been resolved. There is an even greater need for the resource we will provide than ever before. We have an important role to play to ensure that vitally needed information is disseminated as widely as possible. An informed public is a protected society.

EnhancedAudio.com Ships New DC LIVE/Forensics

2009-02-17T13:58:00.004-05:00

PRESS RELEASE

York, PA- Enhanced Audio Inc, creator of high quality PC products, has announced that a new version of their popular DC LIVE/Forensics tools is now shipping. DC LIVE/Forensics 7.5 Audio Laboratory allows Law Enforcement professionals to take advantage of the most complete noise reduction analysis and audio enhancement toolkits anywhere and includes additional tools that can’t even be found on the most expensive hardware solutions.

“This is by far, the most exciting new version of the product we’ve ever released”, said Curtis Crowe, President. “We’ve focused on building a cache of tools critical to today’s Law Enforcement professionals and armed those individuals with the power they need to clarify audio recordings of any type.”

EZ Forensics is a new tool to LIVE that takes into account that not all users of the product are Forensics experts. This easy to follow Wizard asks questions like, “Are there single or multiple talkers?”, “Is there background noise?”, “Muffled Speech?”, etc. After filling in the blanks, the computer will provide 4 different “answers” to that particular forensic problem and the user simply chooses the clearest approach.

LIVE/Forensics will also boast a completely renovated Adaptive filter. This new version will be dramatically more effective in separating speech from background noises- even in some cases, from music. The filter is not only much more capable, but it’s also now easier to use with a new Logarithmic Filter Length slider. This makes it much easier to find the “sweet spot” when previewing. Also included is a new display item that shows a time offset in milliseconds when using a second channel as a reference channel.

A new scrolling display feature has also been added to Live/Forensics. This much requested feature offers the ability to scroll the waveform horizontally during play. Your zoomed display will redraw with a new screen of waveform data whenever the play cursor reaches the right side of the window. A “scrubbing” feature has also been added so that your mouse controls playback speed and direction.

Changeable headers are now included with the popular onboard audio database so that standard terms can be customized to better fit the Forensics environment. You can now easily include “Case Number”, “Clip Name”, etc. Also, the disk making capability has been upgraded to include DVD burning, data disk burning, track at once and disk at once support.

The visual analysis tools have also been greatly enhanced and a much-improved Spectrum Analyzer with incredible range and flexibility has been added. The Spectrogram display has gone Hi Def and helps the user more easily spot edits, dual power signatures and other spectral anomalies in an audio file. In the Hi Def spirit of things, even the Make Waves generator now has the ability to create fractional frequency waveforms.

The Spectral Filter has also seen numerous improvements which include Inverse Mode, which measures the amount of energy throughout the frequency spectrum in a recording and automatically creates a filter which tends to equalize the energy in all frequencies to a reference contoured shape. This will be the new “Go To” filter for muffled voice or clarification jobs. Also Spectral Copy and Spectral Difference modes have been added when 2 recordings are present and give you the ability to copy and compare or copy and subtract recordings.

DC LIVE/Forensics begins shipment in February. The list price is $1499 with an upgrade price of $699 for any previous LIVE/Forensics customers.
The LIVE/Forensics manual contains over 400 pages of tips and practical demonstrations on Audio Restoration and Enhancement. Many of these tips and charts can also be found at www.enhancedaudio.com.

EnhancedAudio will also release a tutorial DVD which covers all of the tools new to DC LIVE/Forensics called Advanced Forensics Concepts Using DC LIVE/Forensics for an additional $89.

LIVE/Forensics is available exclusively from
www.enhancedaudio.com,
PO Box 189
Windsor, PA 17366
Phone 717 764 9240
Toll Free Sales Line 866 260 6376
Email Info@enhancedaudio.com
Web Site: www.enhancedaudio.com

Forensic Science for the 21st Century: The National Academy of Sciences Report and Beyond

2009-02-17T13:56:00.001-05:00

The Center for the Study of Law, Science, & Technology at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University will host an international conference on April 3-4, 2009, in Tempe, Ariz., on the future of forensic science, with special attention to the highly anticipated report of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, "Identifying the Needs of the Forensic Sciences Community."

In addition to experts from universities such as the University of California, Berkeley, Harvard Law School, the University of Michigan Law School, the University of California, Irvine, the University of Virginia and ASU, among others, participants will include state and federal judges, the NAS committee chairmen, the president of the American Association of Forensic Sciences, directors of the FBI laboratory and the Innocence Project, and prosecutors, defense attorneys, forensic scientists, and criminalists. Papers will be published in the ABA-ASU journal, Jurimetrics: The Journal of Law, Science, and Technology, and in the Oxford University Press journal, Law, Probability & Risk.

As part of the conference, The Honorable Harry T. Edwards, Senior Circuit Judge and Chief Judge Emeritus of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and co-chair of the NAS Forensic Science Committee, will deliver the annual Willard H. Pedrick Lecture. The title of Judge Edwards’ talk is, “Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward.”

For more information about the conference, co-sponsored by the National Judicial College and the Criminal Justice and Science and Technology Law sections of the American Bar Association, and to register, go to http://LST.law.asu.edu or e-mail any of the conference organizers, David Kaye at david.kaye@asu.edu, Jay Koehler at jay.koehler@asu.edu or Michael Saks at michael.saks@asu.edu or Center Director Sandy Askland at andrew.askland@asu.edu.

Manhunters on A&E Tonight

2008-12-09T15:36:00.003-05:00

Manhunters: Fugitive Task Force premiers tonight- Tuesday, December 9th at 10PM ET/PT on A&E.

Sneak Peak video below.

Interview and Interrogation Group

2008-11-21T11:32:00.004-05:00

Interview & Interrogation Group An International Association of Investigative Interviewers.

This group has all kinds of information related to interview, interrogation and statement analysis techniques. Run by Wes Clark who also has a blog on the same site.

New Vendors

2008-11-21T10:20:00.002-05:00

SKS Science products offers a variety of lab supplies, and has a page dedicated to forensic supplies. It's a bit sparse, but you can find it at: http://www.sks-science.com/Forensic-Laboratory-Supplies-c-113.html

Raysics offers a variety of supplies, including packaging materials, latent lift cards and even custom imprinting. You can view their catalog online, but you'll have to call for pricing or to place an order as they don't have an online store. http://www.raysics.com/

Shoeprint Database

2008-11-21T10:15:00.003-05:00

Sargur Srihari of The University at Buffalo is working on an automated comparison tool for footwear evidence. Get the full story here.

JFK Assassination

2008-11-21T09:46:00.003-05:00

The Discovery Channel has a new program out on the JFK assassination. You can see more about it at their site: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/11/13/jfk-forensics-tech.html.

Discovery also has a blog about the program located at: http://blogs.discovery.com/jfk/ Among the experts involved in the show are Tom Bevel, and Steve Schliebe.

A short video clip on the program can be found at:
http://dsc.discovery.com/video/player.html?bctid=2130750001

For those that want even more info check out "Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy" by Vincent Bugliosi. This immense volume attempts to dispel each and every one of the theories presented about the case over the years. I haven't managed to make my way through the entire thing yet, but if you are interested in the case it's a must read.

CSI Down in Michigan

2008-11-11T11:54:00.004-05:00

PO Bill Darnell of the DeWitt Township PD was shot and injured on Thursday Nov. 6 at approx 0300hrs in the City of DeWitt while assisting that agency on a domestic-related call. Bill is in ICU at a local hospital, recovering from a gunshot wound to the face. Bill is a Crime Scene Investigator with DTPD. He attended basic CSI training in Battle Creek in addition to advanced classes all over. The suspect was killed when Officers returned fire.

-Ofc. Darnell is in stable condition at this time and scheduled for surgery later this week. Our thoughts go out to him and his family.

Stay safe out there everyone, we've seen too much of this lately as attacks on law enforcement seem to be on the rise.

See the Lansing State Journal for more info.

Timeline Software

2008-09-04T13:41:00.003-04:00

http://www.timelinemaker.com I had a chance to try this a few months back. It's refreshing. Software that does what it's supposed to, easily and affordably. If you are making an investigative timeline, telephone call log or similar you should check this out. The Pro version adds the ability to link in external files (like audio copies of those calls in your phone log). My only complaint is that some of the default colors are a little too similar for my taste- i.e. it can be hard to tell entries apart by color coding. But, you can customize the colors to some you find more appealing so it's not really that big a deal.

New Forensic Website

2008-08-31T13:11:00.003-04:00

'ExploreForensics contains over 80 articles written by our experts who continually update and add new content." Explore Forensics

A decent looking site with basic information on many areas of forensic science.

Digital Microscope

2008-08-29T12:12:00.003-04:00

http://www.zarbeco.com/test2/index.shtml

I had a chance to play with a "MiScope" at the IAI conference last week. All I can say is that this thing is wickedly cool. I don't know what I'd use one for, but I want one anyway.

You can check out some images from the scope here: http://www.zarbeco.com/test2/image-gallery-products.shtml

A Katherine Ramsland Two for One

2008-08-07T10:49:00.003-04:00

In this review we are going to look at two Katherine Ramsland titles: "The CSI Effect" and "The Human Predator". These are two very different works, one is well worth your money, the other not so much.

"The CSI Effect" is labeled as a follow up to "The Forensic Science of CSI", which I have to admit I've never looked at. Perhaps she covered all of the interesting material in the first book, as this one is lacking. From the title one might expect some case examples of the so called "CSI Effect", but the book consists of twelve chapters each dedicated to a different type of evidence- or procedure, as one chapter deals police procedure and admissibility issues. The topics are: Computers, Forensic Art, Poison, Procedure/Admissibility, Psychology, Deviant Psychology, Sub-cultures, Accident Investigation, "Psychological Autopsy", Exhumations, Forensic Techniques that Don't Exist, and "Unique Applications" in which she covers counterfeiting, mass disaster response and crime scene clean up. The CSI Effect is described only in the Introduction. My real problem with the book is its layout. Each chapter is repeatedly broken up by large inset passages with case examples or extra information. While sometimes interesting, they break the flow of the text, and make it difficult to read. Strangely, some cases are presented simply as part of the main text, rather than being broken out into an insert.

"The Human Predator" on the other hand is an excellent read. It's not the most in-depth or scholarly text around, but that's ok. The information is presented in an easily readable format, and the book simply flows very well. This is a presentation of the history of serial crime from the beginnings of recorded history to the present day, with social and scientific hallmarks of each period presented to provide context. It's an interesting way to look at a subject about which much has been written. While case examples from each period are presented, this is not a "serial killer encyclopedia". The book does not confine itself to the United States, and presents cases from around the globe. I really enjoyed this book, and found it to be very informative. If you are interested in profiling and/or serial crime I highly recommend it.

Digital Forensics Training

2008-06-14T19:51:00.001-04:00

If you are interested in training related to digital forensics (computer, cell phone and similar examinations) there is a list of courses and seminars at:

http://www.forensicswiki.org/wiki/Upcoming_events

Barry Fisher Awarded Gradwohl Laureate

2008-02-26T12:17:00.006-05:00

American Academy of Forensic Sciences Recognizes Barry Fisher as Gradwohl Laureate

(In the Image- Barry Fisher receives the Medallion from Dr. Bruce Goldberger, AAFS president. Photo courtesy of Mike Carpenter for AAFS).

Los Angeles County Crime Laboratory Director recognized for exceptional contribution to the field of Forensic Sciences

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) today honored Los Angeles County Crime Laboratory Director Barry Fisher with its highest honor, the Gradwohl Medallion. Gradwohl Laureates are recognized for attaining exceptional distinction in advancing the forensic sciences and offering outstanding service to the profession and the professional society. Fisher was given the award at the 60th annual meeting of AAFS in Washington, D.C.

Barry Fisher has worked in the field of criminalistics with the Los Angeles County Sherriff’s crime lab since 1969, serving as the Crime Laboratory Director since 1987. He is an accomplished author, frequent speaker and past-president of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the International Association of Forensic Sciences.

“I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this honor than Barry Fisher, whose dedication and countless contributions have furthered the cause of forensic sciences,” said Dr. Bruce Goldberger, president, American Academy of Forensic Sciences. “Barry represents exactly what this organization was developed to promote — furthering the application of and appreciation for the forensic sciences.”

The Gradwohl Medallion is named for one of the founding members of AAFS, R.B.H. Gradwohl, who gave the welcoming address at the first annual meeting of the society in 1948. Sixty years later, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences continues to serve Dr. Gradwohl’s vision of generating confidence and the respect of forensic sciences in the U.S. and abroad. Gradwohl Laureates are not named regularly, but rather, only when recognizing an individual of exceptional caliber. Since the award was established in 1974, only 10 other professionals have been given the honor.

-Barry Fisher is the author of "Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation", which should be on every CSI's bookshelf.

First Fully Accredited Independent Crime Lab in US

2008-02-21T11:13:00.004-05:00

(Euless, Tex., Jan. 28, 2008) – Integrated Forensic Laboratories (IFL), a full-service criminal forensic testing laboratory, announced today that it has been accredited by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors-Lab Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB) – the first full-service, independent crime lab in the U.S. to gain this accreditation.

IFL offers complete crime scene processing services and performs firearms and toolmarks, serology, drug chemistry and arson analyses; DNA processing is done via partnerships with other forensic DNA laboratories. IFL also performs peer review and laboratory document review, and provides training for peace officers, lawyers and crime scene personnel.

IFL’s ASCLD/LAB accreditation, along with its accreditation by the Texas Department of Public Safety, means that IFL professionals are fully qualified to render expert testimony in court.

IFL currently services 15 law enforcement agencies in Tarrant, Johnson and Dallas Counties, including the police departments of Cleburne, Euless, Bedford, Hurst, and Southlake. To date, IFL has handled over 500 cases, delivering results in 90% of cases in three days or less – compared to wait times of six to nine months for testing done by other labs across the state.

“Our department is very pleased with the timeliness, quality and service IFL delivers,” said Terry Powell, Cleburne chief of police. “We were very concerned about the case backlogs we were seeing, and IFL has completely solved the problem for us. IFL is now our number-one lab resource.”

To keep costs low, IFL created the innovative “1STOP” program, which gives police departments access to all IFL services for a set monthly fee. IFL also offers its services to defense attorneys and private companies, who until now had extremely limited access to this type of forensic testing and analysis.

In 2005, the Texas Legislature passed a law requiring that all forensic laboratories be accredited by ASCLD/LAB, ABFT (American Board of Forensic Toxicologists), FQS (Forensic Quality Services), CAP (College of American Pathologists), or the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS/SAMHA). Numerous smaller cities simply did not have the resources to build their labs up to these standards, and some private labs closed who did not have the resources to bring their facilities up to the accreditation standards. As a result, a serious backlog of cases developed at publicly owned laboratories across the state.

Six- to nine-month wait times now are causing financial hardships for these cities, which must feed and house suspects, spend time having officers track down suspects once the lab results come back, or some combination of both. Using the services of IFL, there is virtually no wait time.

“Independent accredited labs like IFL are the new frontier in forensics,” said Ron Fazio, IFL’s president and CEO. “Small and medium-sized cities around the country simply can’t maintain lab facilities at the level it takes to meet current standards. Big-city and state-run labs don’t have the capacity to pick up the slack. We created IFL to offer these cities a genuine cost-effective alternative, and we’re already seeing rapid acceptance.”

About Integrated Forensic Laboratories

Integrated Forensic Laboratories (IFL) is the first independent full-service forensic testing laboratory to be certified both by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Lab Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB) and the Texas Department of Public Safety. IFL serves law enforcement agencies throughout Texas. IFL offers complete crime scene processing services and firearms and toolmark, serology, drug chemistry, and arson analyses. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.iflabs.com.