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How Active Shooter Incidents Off Campus Lead to Guns on Campus
February 05, 2020
A new study finds that active shooter incidents off campus and politics are key factors that led state legislators to pass laws allowing concealed weapons on college and university campuses between 2004 and 2016. read more
Newborn Blood Card Played a Role in 2007 Cold Case, Additional 4 Infant Homicides
February 04, 2020
While the coroner’s records are sealed and few details are public, Lieutenant Matthew Davis of the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Forensic that “newborn bloodspots did play a role in the case.” read more
Rural Kids Carrying Handguns is ‘Not Uncommon,’ Starts as Early as Sixth Grade
February 04, 2020
Roughly one-third of young males and 1 in 10 females in rural communities have carried a handgun, reports a new study. read more
Homicide is a Leading Cause of Pregnancy-associated Death in Louisiana
February 04, 2020
Homicide is a leading cause of death among pregnant and postpartum women in Louisiana, according to an analysis of birth and death records from 2016 and 2017. read more
Experiencing Police Brutality Increases Mistrust in Medical Institutions
February 03, 2020
Through an analysis of data gleaned from a survey of 4,000 people living in urban areas about their experiences with police brutality, researchers discovered a relationship between police brutality and mistrust in medical institutions. read more
Q&A: NIST Computer Scientist Details Phone Data Extraction Methods
February 03, 2020
Forensic recently spoke to NIST computer scientist Rick Ayers about data extraction methods and the growing field of mobile forensics. read more
Innocence Project Client Rafael Ruiz Exonerated of Charges in 1985 East Harlem Sexual Assault Case
February 03, 2020
The exoneration was the result of newly discovered evidence found as part of a dual investigation by the Innocence Project and the New York County District Attorney’s Office’s Conviction Integrity Program that proves Ruiz’s innocence. read more
Researcher: AI Could Revolutionize DNA Evidence, But We Can’t Trust the Machines Yet
February 03, 2020
How can we trust technology to provide vital evidence if we can’t interrogate how it produced that evidence in the first place? read more
Pennsylvania Judge Puts Hold on State 'Ghost Guns' Policy
February 03, 2020
A Pennsylvania judge Friday put a freeze on a new state police policy regarding sales of partially manufactured gun frames that can be made into working pistols and rifles. read more
Federal, State Attorneys Want Extension of Fentanyl Order
January 31, 2020
A U.S. attorney in Tennessee is joining other federal and state attorneys who are urging Congress to extend an order that criminalizes possession of the dangerous opioid fentanyl and related substances. read more
Georgia's Anti-gang Push Includes Expanded Prosecutor Powers
January 31, 2020
As part of his anti-gang push, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp wants prosecutors to be able to charge crimes across multiple counties and to be able to seek the death penalty for murders committed during gang activity. read more
Florida Training Program Seeks to ID Potential Mass Shooters
January 30, 2020
After several mass shootings in the state in the past few years, Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday the implementation of a training program to spot potential mass shooters. read more
NIST Tests Forensic Methods for Getting Data From Damaged Mobile Phones
January 30, 2020
Criminals sometimes damage their mobile phones in an attempt to destroy evidence. Now, researchers at NIST have tested how well these forensic methods work. read more
Victims of Mass Atrocities Often Portrayed as Disempowered in Int'l Law
January 30, 2020
According to a doctoral thesis completed by Nadia Valentina Tapia Navarro, victims of mass atrocities are often portrayed as disempowered, passive, defenceless and docile in discourses pertaining to international law. read more
Analysis Confirms Mt. Vesuvius Blast Turned Ancient Victim's Brain to Glass
January 29, 2020
The eruption of Mount Vesuvius turned an incinerated victim's brain material into glass, the first time scientists have verified the phenomenon from a volcanic blast, officials at the Herculaneum archaeology site said. read more
DOJ Awards $145 Million To Advance Forensic Science
January 29, 2020
The Justice Department has awarded grants totaling more than $145 million to fund crime laboratories, decrease DNA backlogs, support basic and applied forensic research and help law enforcement identify missing persons. read more
Report: FBI Investigating D.C. Forensic Firearms Lab
January 29, 2020
The Washington Post is reporting that the FBI is investigating a firearms analyst at the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. read more
Chicago Police End Effort to Predict Gun Offenders, Victims
January 28, 2020
Chicago police have ended a program that sought to predict people most likely to be victims or perpetrators of gun crime, according to a watchdog report that warned the department of serious flaws in the approach. read more
Police Presence at Train Stations Reduces Crime by 21 Percent
January 28, 2020
An experiment in London’s Underground has found crime declines in areas where police patrolling was recently seen, meaning potential offenders become apprehensive about police presence and adjust their crime behavior pattern accordingly. read more
Fingerprint Residues Can Reveal Their Age
January 27, 2020
A new proof-of-concept study that uses a highly sensitive mass spectrometry method to date fingerprints has its authors thinking they can test the promising methods in real criminal cases within the next few years. read more