• Black Silicon Can Help Detect Explosives

    November 29, 2019
    Scientists have developed an ultrasensitive detector based on black silicon. The device is able to detect trace amounts of nitroaromatic compounds and can be applied to identify the majority of explosives or highly toxic pollutants for medical and forensic evaluations. read more

  • DoD Adds Fentanyl to Drug Testing Panel

    November 29, 2019
    The Department of Defense implemented new policy in March 2019 to direct all service Drug Demand Reduction Program labs to test for fentanyl and norfentanyl. When trends start to be seen in society, the DoD looks at the potency and lethality of the drug, before being considered for additional testing on the panel. read more

  • University's Forensic Facility to Feature VR Autopsy Table, Simulated Mass Grave Site

    November 27, 2019
    Cranfield University is investing £3.5 million in the latest forensic science technology at its Cranfield campus. Building on Cranfield’s distinctive strength in defense and security, this forensic science teaching and research facility will be unparalleled in the UK. Students and staff will have access to new facilities such as a virtual reality autopsy table, crime scene investigation rooms and a simulated mass grave excavation site, from summer 2020. read more

  • Former Sheriff’s Captain Indicted for Gun Trafficking, Aiding Marijuana Distribution

    November 27, 2019
    Former San Diego County Sheriff’s Captain Marco Garmo was arrested last week based on a federal grand jury indictment that charges him with operating an illegal firearms trafficking business – sometimes from his office at the Rancho San Diego Station with the help of others, including a fellow Sheriff’s deputy. read more

  • Houston Forensic Science Center to Use STRmix

    November 27, 2019
    The Houston Forensic Science Center (HFSC) and Northeastern Illinois Regional Crime Laboratory (NIRCL) are the latest U.S. forensic labs to announce plans to use STRmix to resolve DNA profiles in criminal investigations. read more

  • Black Offenders Arrested More Than White Co-Offenders

    November 26, 2019
    Racial disparities at every level of the criminal justice system in America are well documented. Now, a new study by reveals it also exists at the initial level of arrest, even when the crime is committed by a diverse pair of co-offenders. The study, examines crimes committed together by a black person and a white person and finds that the black offender is slightly more likely than their white partner to be arrested for the same violent offense. read more

  • Narcotics Traffic Devastating Central American Rainforests, Fueling Climate Change

    November 26, 2019
    Studies find the U.S.-funded war on drugs has pushed traffickers into remote forest areas, where the shadowy underground economy they have built is devasting the environment, directly causing more than $214.6 million in natural and cultural resource loss in the region's protected forests each year. read more

  • National Strategy Aligns Indian Country and FBI on Missing, Murder Cases

    November 26, 2019
    Last week, Attorney General William Barr announced the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Initiative, a national strategy to help address the disproportionally high levels of violence that American Indian and Alaska Native people suffer. The Department of Justice is investing an initial $1.5 million to hire 11 MMIP coordinators to serve with U.S. Attorney’s offices in 11 states, as well as others that request assistance. read more

  • DNA Labs International Employs Team Approach to Solving Crime With Genealogy

    November 25, 2019
    DNA Labs International is serious about helping law enforcement solve their most violent crimes through the use of forensic genealogy in combination with DNA analysis. read more

  • Ancient DNA Study Sheds Light on Diverse Origins

    November 25, 2019
    A new genetic study carried out at the University of Helsinki and the University of Turku demonstrates that, at the end of the Iron Age, Finland was inhabited by separate and differing populations, all of them influencing the gene pool of modern Finns. read more

  • Bill Would Abolish NYC DNA Database

    November 25, 2019
    A handful of Democratic New York State Senators have introduced a bill to end New York City’s DNA database, calling it “rogue” and “unlawful”. Sponsored by Brad Hoylman (D, WF), the bill seeks to end the city’s DNA database, as well as prohibit any other municipality from maintaining such a database. The major sticking point between the state senators and the NYPD is the collection of DNA from arrestees and suspects not yet convinced or never convicted of a crime. read more

  • Neighborhood Matters for Fentanyl-involved Overdose Deaths

    November 22, 2019
    Fentanyl overdoses cluster geographically more than non-fentanyl overdoses, according to a study just released by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The findings suggest that fentanyl-involved overdoses are concentrated in resource deprived neighborhoods over and above what data show for opioid and polydrug overdoses. read more

  • Barnacles are a Clock for the Dead

    November 22, 2019
    Barnacles are encrusting arthropods that attach to all kinds of surfaces, including rocks, boats, and even human remains. In 2002, police discovered a highly decomposed human body in the water on the southwest coast of Italy. The forensic pathologist on the case didn’t have a lot to go on to determine how long the body had been in the water. The only clue found was barnacles on the victim’s pants and shoes. read more

  • Cannabis and the Science of ‘Breathalomics’

    November 22, 2019
    It’s pretty easy to single out a driver that is driving under the influence of alcohol. Swerving between lanes, running red lights and inconsistent speed are signs easily identifiable to passersby and police alike. Additionally, police can conduct a test using a breathalyzer to estimate the amount of blood alcohol content in said driver—providing unequivocal confirmation of the presence of alcohol. But how do you spot a driver that is driving “high,” or under the influence of marijuana? read more

  • Gunshot Survivors Report Long-term Physical, Mental Consequences

    November 21, 2019
    First responders, doctors, and hospital staff do everything they can to save the lives of gunshot wound (GSW) victims. At times, they succeed, resulting in about 70,000 survivors of firearm injuries annually in the United States. But once survivors walk out the hospital doors and away from attentive eyes, it’s a different story. A new study from researchers at Penn Medicine reveals survivors of GSWs have negative physical, mental and emotional outcomes for years after injury. read more

  • Moqi Launches ‘FingerID’ AFIS System

    November 21, 2019
    Moqi has officially releasing its new Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) at the Milipol Conference in Paris. According to the company, this new AFIS system, called FingerID, leverages the newest advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technology. read more

  • Lead Isotopes Provide New Tool for Tracking Coal Ash in Dust, Soil and Sediments

    November 20, 2019
    Inhaling dust that contains fly ash particles from coal combustion has been linked to lung and heart disease, cancer, nervous system disorders and other ill effects. But tracking the presence of coal ash in dust has been a challenge for scientists. Until now. read more

  • Research to Study Impact of Therapy Dog-assisted Interviews for Children

    November 19, 2019
    The University of Toledo recently received a research grant from the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) and Pet Partners for a new study, “Implementation of Canine-Assisted Forensic interviews with Children.” The study will measure whether a therapy dog can influence the quantity and quality of children's event reports. read more

  • Glitter as the ‘Best’ Trace Evidence

    November 19, 2019
    Small, clingy and nearly impossible to clean up. The attributes of glitter that drive moms, dads and teachers mad are the same characteristics investigators and forensic scientists hail. As far as trace evidence goes, glitter is one of the hardest for perpetrators to eliminate at a crime scene. read more

  • NIST Researchers Solve Hair Sample Limitation

    November 19, 2019
    The analysis of hair has been a “hairy” situation for forensic science over the years. Traditionally, scientists examined hair under a microscope and then testified that it either matched or did not match hair found at a crime scene. However, this type of analysis is no longer considered scientifically valid and has been put to rest as part of a forensic science overhaul that began in 2009 with the now-famous National Academy of Sciences report. read more
Page