• Coalition to Build Nation’s First Nonprofit Forensic Lab

    December 10, 2019
    Come April 2020, there will be another choice of forensic laboratory—one that is unique in its goals, mission and business model. The Utah Cold Case Coalition announced last month it is building the first nonprofit forensic lab in the nation. read more

  • Studies Suggest Strategies to Lower Risk for Violent Crime, Gun Violence

    December 10, 2019
    With violent crimes and gun violence rising annually and the number of gun deaths in the U.S. surpassing all other nations, researchers at the annual meeting of The Society for Risk Analysis present a series of studies that contribute several new frameworks that can be used toward improving laws, civilian strategies, legislation and police response, as well as the overall study of risk in society. read more

  • Virtual Reality Illuminates the Power of Opioid-associated Memories

    December 09, 2019
    The number of drug overdose deaths in the US has never been higher. Most of those deaths--68 percent in 2017--have involved opioids. An estimated 10 million Americans aged 12 and older misused opioids in 2018. Insights from virtual reality experiments could help break the cycle of addiction read more

  • Maryland Announces Nationwide FBI Tipline for Info on MS-13 Gang

    December 09, 2019
    Maryland is the first District to announce the new nationwide FBI tipline, 1-866-STP-MS13 (1-866-787-6713), to gather information about the criminal activities of the MS-13 gang. read more

  • Texas Launches First Mass Fatality Response Team

    December 09, 2019
    After 22 people were killed at a WalMart in El Paso, Texas, forensic experts hactched an idea: create a Texas Mass Fatality Operations Response Team that could be an around-the-clock response asset for death investigations and forensic support. read more

  • Study: How K9 First Responders Can Join the Team in Active Shooter Scenarios

    December 06, 2019
    The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is studying how canines might be used in new, non-traditional ways, like in active shooter scenarios, to detect potential explosive threats – clearing the way for responders to quickly engage hostile adversaries or administer aid to those who need it. read more

  • National Lab Hosts Teams for 2019 CyberForce Competition

    December 06, 2019
    The 2019 CyberForce Competition is the latest in a series that DOE began in 2016 to help train the next generation of cybersecurity specialists in the energy sector. read more

  • New NYPD Commissioner: Keep Crime Low, Perceptions High

    December 06, 2019
    New York City’s newly sworn-in police commissioner has told the force he wants to change a media-driven misperception that officers and the communities they patrol have a bad relationship. read more

  • Kentucky is the Worst State for Forensic Lab Technicians

    December 05, 2019
    Last year, the mean annual salary for a forensic science technician was $62,490, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the state of Kentucky, however, it is much, much lower. The starting salary for lab technicians in the Kentucky State Police (KSP) Forensic Laboratory is $32,000, leaving the department with a 35 percent turnover rate over a 5-year period. read more

  • Kennedy Assassination Bullets Preserved in Digital Form

    December 05, 2019
    A team of NIST ballistics specialists used 3D surface scanning microscopy to produce digital replicas of the bullet fragments that ended the life of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963. read more

  • 7 Tips to Keep Hackers, Crooks and Scammers Out of Your Smartphone

    December 05, 2019
    Hackers can exploit network vulnerabilities to steal passwords without being detected or use malicious media files disguised in photos or videos to access messages on unpatched phones. Often, thieves find their way in to access data through one of a phone’s apps or a website. read more

  • Maryland Gets More than $6M to Help Police Test Rape Kits

    December 05, 2019
    More than $6 million in federal and state funds are expected to help police departments in Maryland test rape kits. read more

  • Marijuana Vaping Busts on Rise; Over 500K Seized in 2 Years

    December 04, 2019
    As health officials scrutinize marijuana vaping, it’s increasingly on law enforcement’s radar, too. From New York City to Nebraska farm country to California, authorities have seized at least 510,000 marijuana vape cartridges and arrested more than 120 people in the past two years. read more

  • Innovative Forensic DNA Launches as an Investigative Genetic Genealogy Provider

    December 04, 2019
    Innovative Forensic DNA LLC has announced its launch as an investigative genetics genealogy firm directly serving the law enforcement community. Innovative Forensic DNA offers law enforcement agencies one-on-one, collaborative genetic genealogy services tailored to the unique needs of criminal investigators. read more

  • How the Nation’s Hydrogen Bomb Secrets Disappeared

    December 04, 2019
    In 1953, physicist John Archibald Wheeler found himself in the middle of an FBI investigation after losing six pages of a top-secret document on a train to Washington. read more

  • Mobile App Will Help Identify Victims of Sex Trafficking

    December 03, 2019
    Misuse, dependency, death—just a few consequences of the opioid epidemic the United States has been facing the past few years. Now, a researcher at West Virginia University is calling attention to one of the lesser known elements of the epidemic—child sex trafficking. read more

  • Digital Forensics Professor Coauthors Book on Improving Cloud Security Auditing

    December 03, 2019
    Companies and consumers alike are increasingly turning to cloud infrastructures to store and protect their data. The cybersecurity risks associated with the technology are growing – and demand a more robust response from industry to confront them. read more

  • Military Hospital's Staff Brings Forensic Exams to the Deployed

    December 02, 2019
    Military Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examiners are physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and registered nurses who undergo specialized education and training in the provision of trauma-related healthcare as well as the performance of forensic medical examination read more

  • Forensic Scientist Uses Own Experiences as Inspiration for Novel

    December 02, 2019
    Mary Bush pursued a career in forensic dentistry, during which she analyzed evidence from criminal cases across the country and became an expert on the admissibility of bite mark evidence in the U.S. court system. Now, the UB faculty member has traded fact for fiction, publishing her first novel, “A Simple Lie,” the beginning of her new crime series. read more

  • Firearm Death Rates Increase Across States and Groups

    December 02, 2019
    From 2015 to 2017, the United States saw a rise in the rate of firearm deaths, according to a study led by University of Michigan researchers. In all, the U.S. saw a 14 percent rise in the rate of firearm deaths from 2015 through 2017, compared with the rate seen in the years 1999 through 2014. read more
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