• How Vulnerable is Your Car to Cyberattacks?

    December 23, 2019
    The emergence of smart cars has opened the door to limitless possibilities for technology and innovation – but also to threats beyond the car itself. New research from Michigan State University is the first to apply criminal justice theory to smart vehicles, revealing cracks in the current system leading to potential cyber risks. read more
  • Verogen CEO: ‘GEDmatch Will Be Improved, Not Changed’

    December 20, 2019
    When Verogen announced its acquisition of GEDmatch last week, some were apprehensive. But Verogen CEO Brett Williams told Forensic there will be no massive changes to the database and the privacy concerns of its users will be upheld. read more
  • Study Evaluates Effect of Demographics on Facial Recognition Software

    December 20, 2019
    How accurately do face recognition software tools identify people of varied sex, age and racial background? According to a new study by NIST, the answer depends on the algorithm at the heart of the system. read more
  • OSAC Adds 25th Standard to the Registry

    December 20, 2019
    The Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science has added the 25th standard to its registry of approved standards. read more
  • Evidence Testing Awaited in Mississippi Police Killing Case

    December 20, 2019
    Prosecutors are asking the Mississippi Crime Lab to speed up testing on evidence in the death penalty case of a man charged in the 2018 shooting deaths of two police officers. read more
  • DOJ Awards Over $62 Million to Support Health, Safety of Law Enforcement

    December 19, 2019
    The Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs announced it has awarded funding totaling over $62 million to provide services designed to protect officers and improve overall public safety. The grants go to law enforcement departments, local jurisdictions, and training, technical assistance and research organizations throughout the United States. read more
  • Year-long Initiative Hopes to Make a Dent in Cold Cases

    December 19, 2019
    Innovative Forensic DNA is partnering with the Southeastern Homicide Investigators Association (SEHIA) and Project: Cold Case to launch "Upload for Justice," a year-long collaborative initiative to encourage law enforcement officers, families of victims, survivors, advocates, and the public to upload their DNA to Family Tree DNA and GEDmatch for use in cold case investigations. read more
  • Justice Dept. Plans Crackdown on Violent Crime in 7 Cities

    December 19, 2019
    The Justice Department announced a crackdown Wednesday aimed at driving down violent crime in seven of the nation’s most violent cities. read more
  • Search Finds Possible Graves of Tulsa Race Massacre Victims

    December 18, 2019
    Scientists surveying a cemetery and a homeless camp in Tulsa, Oklahoma, found pits holding possible remains of black residents killed nearly 100 years ago in a race massacre, investigators have revealed. read more
  • New Digital Forensics Hub Opens in Cayman

    December 18, 2019
    The state-of-the-art hub will be used to help safeguard children from child sexual abuse and exploitation, and to combat various other forms of cybercrime, which are not restricted by borders. read more
  • Rape Kit Backlog Act Passes Senate 3 Months after Lapsing

    December 18, 2019
    The Senate has passed the Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act of 2019 by unanimous consent, authorizing the Justice Department to spend up to $151 million in grants to states and localities to address the rape kit backlog. read more
  • Justice Department Awards More than $333 Million to Fight Opioid Crisis

    December 17, 2019
    The Department of Justice announced awards of more than $333 million to help communities affected by the opioid crisis. The funds support families, children and crime victims dealing with the impact of substance abuse, along with first responders whose actions can often mean the difference between life and death for those who have overdosed. read more
  • Fake Social Accounts Bring Down Police Chief, Successor

    December 17, 2019
    Hours after the police chief in Vermont's largest city resigned over using a fake social media account to heckle a critic, the mayor announced that the officer acting as chief revealed she too has used a fake account. read more
  • Cyan Forensics Secures Further Funding for Next Stage

    December 17, 2019
    Cyan Forensics has secured a further £1.3m from a consortium of investors. The funding, which has come from Triple Point Investment Management, Mercia, SIS Ventures, the Scottish Investment Bank and private investors, will support Cyan Forensics’ expansion and targeting of new markets in Northern Europe. read more
  • How Well Do Police Officers Recognize Digital Evidence?

    December 16, 2019
    In today’s criminal justice system, a Play Station and iPhone are just as important pieces of evidence as eyewitness accounts. Yet, there isn’t a strong understanding as to how police officers identify digital evidence – everything from a laptop to a smart television – in the field. read more
  • Study Is First to Definitively Map Early Development of PTSD

    December 16, 2019
    A new study both offers new clues on identifying potential PTSD candidates among the population of trauma sufferers and suggests potential interventions that could prevent its development. read more
  • 50 Bodies Among Remains Found at Farm in Mexico

    December 16, 2019
    Human remains discovered last month at a farm outside the city of Guadalajara have been confirmed as belonging to at least 50 people, authorities in Mexico's west-central state of Jalisco reported. read more
  • Real-time Crime Centers Can Reduce Crime by 40 Percent

    December 16, 2019
    Almost two years after launch, and one year after an expansion, a recent study by RAND Corporation quantifies Strategic Decision Support Centers’ positive impact: a 5 to 15 percent average reduction in crime, with some districts reaching up to a 40 percent reduction in certain illicit actions. read more
  • Imaging of Veterans’ Brains Suggests Sub-types of Gulf War Illness

    December 12, 2019
    Researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging to show that, based on physiological changes in the brain, GWI patients can actually be characterized into two distinct groups. read more
  • Study: Information Technology Can Save Police Lives

    December 12, 2019
    New research has found that the use of information technology by law enforcement agencies can significantly cut the number of police killed or injured in the line of duty, reducing violence as much as 50 percent. read more