February/March 2011 Issue Crime Scene 101: Locating and Documenting Evidence
At the heart of every crime scene are two basic questions for the Crime Scene Officer: how do you find the evidence and how do you properly document it once you find it?
Understanding The World of Cellular Telephones: Part 3
Cell phones can and do store data or information that the user may not be aware of. It should come as no surprise that this can provide a tremendous amount of potential probative information (evidence) to investigators.
The Equipment Survey: Assuring A Strong Foundation For Integrated Laboratory Design
An equipment survey of existing instrumentation in the laboratory is a valuable tool that will be referenced countless times by the project team during the planning and design of a renovation project or new forensic facility.
Keeping The Flow: Getting The Most From Your Chemical Fume Hood
One of the most important fixtures in any laboratory, including a well-outfitted forensic lab, is the chemical fume hood. Regardless of the specific type selected, there are a few design parameters and basic operational principles that should be used across the board.
Rescue Tools For Escaping The Backlog Black Hole
By Timothy D. Kupferschmid, Melinda Richard
Using Lean Six Sigma workflow analyses can increase laboratory efficiencies, helping to eliminate DNA backlogs.
Effectively Detect Drugs In Urine
By Petra Gerhards, Pierre Schanen, Gerhard Horner
Advanced TOF-MS technology enables fast, sensitive, and reliable detection of drugs of abuse in urine.
Cracking Watergate's Infamous 18 1/2 Minute Gap
A modern look at the buzzes and clicks on the Watergate tape reveals new information on the perpetrators of the tape erasure and their motives.
Mycology: Missing Weapon In Forensic Arsenals?
By Douglas Page
If anyone bothered to look, crime-solving clues can often be found in fungi.
The Forensic Science Service - R.I.P.
By Chris Asplen
On December 14, 2010, the British government announced that by March 2012, the FSS would be closed down. It is a monumental event in the forensic science community.
From The Editor: Ethics In Forensics
In the past year, we have had an increased interest from our readers in the question of ethics in forensics. The question I would raise in answer to this growing concern for the quality of forensic work is: has there been a fundamental change in the way that forensic laboratories are functioning?
