08/01/2009

This article will discuss how equipment can influence the design and infrastructural needs of two laboratory space types where the identification of evidence takes place.


07/08/2009

In a 2007 shooting, primer residue was found on the prime suspect. In his defense he claimed that the residue came not from firing a gun, but from using a Hilti nail gun, a powder-actuated tool, at his construction job. This study addresses the fallacy of the “Hilti Defense.”


06/01/2009

According to the much anticipated crime laboratory study report released by the National Academy of Science (NAS) on February 18, 2009, a “badly fragmented” forensic science system needs an overhaul.


06/01/2009

Is DNA a silver bullet? While the obvious answer is “no,” the follow-up is always, DNA will never replace a thoughtful, creative detective with the proper resources.


06/01/2009

A highly active alpha particle emitter, Polonium-210 is a fatal toxin, even at very small doses.


06/01/2009

Biometrics technology has matured, offering some exciting new forensic products—and promising revolutionary innovations in the near future.


06/01/2009

New technology can reduce calculation times when determining the degree of uncertainty in blood alcohol concentration estimations.


06/01/2009

A few months ago an entirely preventable tragedy occurred when a UCLA research assistant was burned over 43% of her body and died eighteen days later in a hospital burn unit. A quick glance at the compound’s MSDS might have prevented this terrible loss.


06/01/2009

One of the most basic—and most important—tasks a crime scene officer has is locating, collecting, packaging, and marking evidence found at a crime scene. In this article, I’ll address the marking of evidence collected.


06/01/2009

Pertaining to the seizure of digital devices, there is some misunderstanding concerning what “executing the warrant within ten days” actually means.


06/01/2009

The proper design of a toxicology lab is more than process and people. There are significant strategies to consider in the design.


04/01/2009

An open letter from ASCLD to Senator Patrick Leahy regarding the National Academy of Sciences report “Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward.”


04/01/2009

Several articles back, I said that it was about time that an independent research report confirmed that forensic DNA technology is particularly well suited for the investigation and prosecution of property crimes. The recently released study by the National Academy of Sciences is cause for a similar reaction.


04/01/2009

Forensic mitochondrial DNA analysis of hair shafts and naturally shed hairs is a tool to enhance the investigation of cold cases; this form of evidence historically has had severely limited utility.


04/01/2009

The purpose of a screening system is to quickly and cost-effectively determine which biological samples provide the most probative information in a large population of DNA samples.


04/01/2009

Over the past year or so, many private sector digital forensic examiners have expressed concern regarding whether or not his or her state requires them to obtain a PI license.


04/01/2009

Hazards of UV do not distinguish between work and home, and the exposure guidelines for the general public for sun exposure are certainly applicable to the workplace as well.


04/01/2009

In order to make the most of evidence, you need to know where to look for it, how to collect it, and how to package it. If you put in the effort to do the job right, you will be rewarded with an even stronger case.


04/01/2009

If we use the idea of a stool as a model of what is needed to support DNA analysis then there are three legs that should be equal—staff, equipment, and space.


02/01/2009

This is the first in a series of articles about the more than 30 Scientific Working Groups (SWGs) and TechnologyWorking Groups (TWGs) active within the criminal justice system.


02/01/2009

For the last several years, the European Court of Human Rights has been considering the cases of 'S' and Marper v. the United Kingdom. On December 4, 2008, the Court issued its “Grand Chamber Judgment” considering the issue of the “retention of fingerprints, cellular samples, and DNA profiles after criminal proceedings were terminated by an acquittal."


02/01/2009

There has been an increase over the last few decades in foraging for wild mushrooms as ingredients for gourmet meals. This practice has however not surprisingly come with a high price, an increase in mushroom poisoning (mycetism) cases.


02/01/2009

The availability of small automated instruments has made automation more affordable, easier to use, simpler to implement, and has also uncovered a host of additional benefits.


02/01/2009

Surely, as we get older, we will all get the "lines on our face" we call wrinkles, but to a forensic artist who is working on an age progression or a facial reconstruction, the signs of ageing go much deeper than a crack or crease or fold in the skin.


02/01/2009

A look at how the separation and identification of pseudoephedrine from illegal drug mixtures can help to identify the sources and the manufacturing pathway of methamphetamine seized in the illicit market.