09/17/2010

In an interesting turn of its docket this year, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case with an almost identical issue as the controversial decision from last term’s Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts. However, the Court’s one-sentence opinion sent it back down to the Virginia Supreme Court, instructing its members to make their ruling consistent with last year’s. Melendez-Diaz provides clarity on the use of live testimony over the introduction of testimonial documents.


08/15/2010

Understanding what happens after CSOs leave the scene can help you do your job better and also help those who need it most: the victims and the people left behind. Professionals in crime scene clean up can contribute to the work of law enforcement and crime scene officers.


08/15/2010

Triage tools vary greatly in their technical and operational performance capabilities.


08/15/2010

In this column the Safety Guys take a look at building green and some of the potential health and safety issues involved.


08/15/2010

Careful attention to sample collection and improved extraction methods coupled with implementation of enhanced amplification systems will greatly benefit laboratories seeking to harness the power of DNA evidence for property crime samples.


08/15/2010

Ontario’s new, state-of-the-art forensic facility will allow for continuing education, future programmatic growth, and for the recruitment and retention of highly specialized staff, contributing to the advancement and evolution of forensic science and medicine.


08/15/2010

Integrated RFID solutions can provide all the software and hardware needed to develop and keep an electronic chain-of-custody from the crime scene through the courtroom.


08/15/2010

A new generation of server-based solutions allows investigators to bring massive, data center computing capability into the field.


08/15/2010

An effective conversion from film to digital images requires more than a camera. A comprehensive digital imaging system is invaluable when storing, managing, and retrieving digital images.


08/15/2010

Apparently, the “National” DNA database isn’t very national. The state, or more appropriately officials in the state, that maintains the offender information can choose not to release that information.


08/15/2010

If you haven’t been to the ForensicMag.com website recently, take a few moments to see the new look.


07/23/2010

Policymakers ask why DNA backlogs persist even after the federal government has provided hundreds of millions of dollars to eliminate the backlog. This is a fair question; to answer it requires understanding both what a backlog is and how backlogs can be reduced. This report addresses that question and the answers to it.


07/16/2010

Is electronic document control as important as some say it is? For one ISO 17025 Accredited Laboratory it has become a necessity to deal with the continual increase of document volume.


07/09/2010

First responders, especially law enforcement, need to recognize the need for enhanced training regarding first response to hazardous materials. ERHM is a five-day class providing responders with a combination of lectures and advanced hands-on practical exercises.


06/10/2010

In this article, I’ll give you an overview of the basic crime scene equipment that every scene officer should have available for every investigation, and then I’ll point out some items you may want to consider for special situations.


06/10/2010

Forensic facilities often contain vehicle exam areas. A car may be dusted for fingerprints, paint from a hit and run may be sampled, or biological evidence may be collected. Vehicle exam spaces require planning and design to be most effective in supporting this collection of evidence.


06/10/2010

Triaging a computer allows investigators to gather volatile data that would be lost by pulling the plug on a live system.


06/10/2010

Building green is gaining more and more momentum. So, what does this mean for the forensic facility manager? This column will give you a brief overview of LEED, planting the seed for your next renovation or construction project so you can go green.


06/10/2010

Using High Definition Laser Scanning, an entire crime scene can be thoroughly documented making it possible to revisit the scene as the evidence is analyzed.


06/10/2010

The Electronic Control Unit, or Event Data Recorder, in modern vehicles saves crash data that can later be accessed in forensic investigations.


06/10/2010

The newest advance in clandestine grave detection may come from a handheld device, not from the next generation of human remains detection dogs.


06/10/2010

Gender based sexual violence, genocide, sexual slavery, human trafficking, and the trafficking of human body parts are only a few areas in which DNA technology could begin to save untold lives in Africa.


06/10/2010

The National Missing and Unidentified Person System (www.namus.gov) has aided in solving an average of a case per month since its launch in January 2009.


06/10/2010

Soldiers from the 203rd MP Bn., along with law enforcement professionals Donnie Weller and David Diaz, held a two-week evidence collection course in April at the Provincial Joint Coordination Center in Basra, Iraq, designed to implement standardized evidence collection procedures for the IP.


04/01/2010

It’s time to retire usage of the vernacular term “Body Farm.” The term “Body Farm” is misleading and unhelpful.