9 February 2010
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International Forensic Science
Symposium Reviews - Abstracts 1998- 2001 All reviews are in Acrobat files
Marks and impression evidence: a three year review of bibliographic and unpublished research demonstrates an intense interest in the subject with 245 documents reviewed, the main emphasis being on finger marks and impression. Dr. Pierre Margot
The Review Paper covers advances in scientific methods applied to firearms issues (ballistics, chemistry and wound ballistics) reported since the 12th Interpol Forensic Science Symposium in 1998. It contains the following subjects: Chapter 1: Firearms - Ballistics
Chapter 2: Firearms - Chemistry
Chapter #3: Firearms - Wound ballistics
This report presents advances in the forensic examination of Fibers since the 12th Interpol Symposium (October 1998). Over the last three years, research subjects have been developed and important information published in scientific proceedings and professional journals. The majority of this information has been at the European Fibers Groups (EFG, affiliated with the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes, or ENFSI) and the Fibers Subgroup of the Scientific Working Group for Materials (U.S.A.) meetings. Both of these active groups have on-going collaborative research projects and continue to exchange information between forensic fiber specialists. Mme. Isabelle Bergerat
This report covers significant advances in scientific concerning of paint and glass analysis published since the 12th Interpol Forensic Science Symposium in October 1998. It is based on articles published in the principal forensic journals and on abstract publications plus an extensive search of the internet for articles related to paint and glass investigation. The intent of this review is to highlight the most important contributions. Abstracts from a number of useful and informative books and reviews which are expected to be of greatest interest to the paint and glass examiner have also been integrated. As several forensic science laboratories have to assist in the identification of art forgeries reports concerning the examination of materials of historical interest are also included. Dr. Wilfried A. Stoecklein
This report is summarizing technical reports about forensic soil evidence examination, which have appeared for three years since 1998, and some important reports written before 1998 are included. Private information which forensic scientist interested in soil evidence provided is included. As soil evidence has very close relation with dust and other materials, this report also describes dust, diatoms, pollen and botanical materials for forensic science investigation. It provides useful information about (1) handbook and sampling, (2) unusual matter in soil, (3) screening method, (4) density gradient distribution, (5) primary minerals, (6) clay minerals, (7) organic matter, (8) microbiology, (9) inorganic analysis, (10) Pollen and other botanical materials, (11) diatoms, (12) dust, and (13) case studies.
STRs are undoubtedly the most important genetic markers to be used in forensic science because they form basis of national intelligence databases throughout the world. Hence standardisation between laboratories is of fundamental importance, not only within countries, but between countries that need to investigate across border crime. This has led to the development of commercial STR multiplexed systems that comprise agreed core loci. For example in the US, there are 13 STR loci used by the CODIS system, whereas in Europe there are 7 STRs plus Amelogenin. The 7 European STRs loci are all included in the CODIS system. Nomenclature has been standardised assisted by the availability of sequenced allelic ladder controls. One of the more difficult aspects of STR interpretation is the analysis of
mixtures. Peter Gill
In the years since the last report there has been a considerable amount of activity in the handwriting sector. This has principally been driven by the continuing reaction to criticism of handwriting as an expertise in particular in the USA. This activity includes the work of Evett on Bayes Theory as applied to Interpretive Evidence including Handwriting, Found’s Complexity Theory and work on standards, Hecker’s treatise on the Scientific Foundation of Handwriting Examination and the wider adoption of standards in the forensic world. There has also been the work on accreditation, standards and harmonisation by SWGDOC in the United States and ENFHEX in Europe. Proposals for registers of experts have led to developments in a number of countries. The Council for the Register of Forensic Practitioners (CRFP) in the UK is the most recent such register to be set up. Computer recognition of handwriting is still an area with many problems but has improved greatly in recent years. Various handwriting systems have been developed for use with small hand-held computers. However there has not been any major advance in computer aided handwriting comparison. Even where email and mobile telephony have become well established and the use of cheque transactions is much reduced there is still a requirement for handwriting experts. Despite the change in the mix of work, handwriting continues to have a place in the forensic identification world. However the increase in activity which has accompanied the Daubert debate and other developments needs to be continued to ensure the future of this area of forensic examination. Alan Filby
A survey is provided of ongoing work in the area, based on reactions to a questionnaire.
The past three years have witnessed many advances in forensic drug analysis. Since the 12th INTERPOL Forensic Science Symposium in October 1998, there has been a change in the types of drugs which are being seized and analyzed internationally. The available analytical instrumentation has also become faster, more discriminatory, more sensitive, and less costly. The dissemination of standard data to more remote laboratories has provided these laboratories with the ability to identify otherwise unknown compounds. Methamphetamine use continues to increase with the introduction of «Thai tabs» from Southeast Asia. Heroin, cocaine, anabolic steroids and LSD use continue, but the rate of growth has slowed. The use of so-called «designer drugs,» most notably 3,4-methlenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in tablet form has increased dramatically, especially in the United States and in Western Europe. The use of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), gamma butyrolactone (GBL) and 1,4-butanediol have also increased dramatically in the past three years. The INTERNET has made information available that enables people more access to a myriad of methods used to synthesize illicit controlled substances. The increasing number of illicit methamphetamine laboratories in the United States is consistent with this theory. There has also been an increase in the number of publications in print describing the synthesis and use of controlled substances. The past three years have also witnessed an increase in the number of comparative analyses being conducted internationally. Comparative analyses involve the systematic evaluation of impurities to determine common origins for different types of drugs, and an evaluation of toolmarks on tablets to identify a common tabletting source. This toolmark evaluation has become increasingly important with the increase in the different types of MDMA tablets which are being encountered around the world.
Forensic Toxicology has remained a dynamic science since the early milestones in drug and poison detection more than 500 years ago. Paracelsus, in the sixteenth century, spoke of the "Toxicon", the toxic agent, as a chemical entity and was quoted as saying that "dosage alone determines poisoning" (1). This principle has been repeatedly affirmed over the intervening years as the relationships between the chemical structures of medicinals and their therapeutic activity and toxicity unfolded. Consequently, the modern Toxicologist has evolved into a true expert in the field, not only capable of analysing body fluids and tissues and quantifying any drugs and poisons found, but as the expert in the interpretation of the effects of such chemicals on the human body, often establishing the cause of death or impairment. Change in all areas of science occurs at an ever-accelerating pace, and Toxicology is no exception. The discipline of Forensic Toxicology grows in complexity with the appearance of new drugs, both on the pharmaceutical market as well as in the area of recreational use or abuse. Concurrent technical advances in methodology in terms of sensitivity, reproducibility and specificity have enabled the Toxicologist to keep pace. This review will focus on the advances of the last three years. Brian T. Hodgson MSc., Leo Walter MSc. and Brian J. Perrigo BT.
Note: All correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Brian W. Richardson, Director, Forensic Lab. Services at the Ottawa address above.
This review paper covers advances in scientific methods applied to fire cause and fire debris analysis reported since the 12th INTERPOL Forensic Science Symposium in October 1998. The report considers scene examination, general fire investigation, the laboratory analysis of fire debris samples, and miscellaneous fire-related studies. Research reported over the last 3 years in the area of general fire investigation has included aspects of combustion, electrical and non-electrical fire causes, and sample packaging. In addition, improvements in computer technology have lead to the increased use of the Internet as an information resource and the development of ‘virtual reality’ CD-ROM-based training packages for fire investigators. Advances in the laboratory analysis of fire debris have included more refined sample preparation techniques and the increased use of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for sample analysis. Improvements have been made in data handling and data interpretation, with automatic data processing becoming more widespread. A number of transfer and persistence studies have been undertaken to ascertain the evidential value of ignitable liquid residues on substrates such as clothing, shoes, vehicle carpet, and the hands of arson suspects. In addition, the occurrence of petroleum-derived liquids in otherwise uncontaminated substrates has been documented, emphasising the need to analyse comparison samples whenever possible to determine if detectable volatiles may be from the substrate itself rather than attributed to the presence of an accelerant.
This report provides a summary of the publications and presentations related to the forensic analysis of explosives, covering the period mid-1998 through mid-2001. A total of 91 references are provided, which include papers given at three symposia devoted to explosive analysis and detection, as well as relevant papers published in the primary forensic and scientific literature. The review is divided into five major sections, in addition to the Bibliography
In addition to reviewing the publications of the last three years, some discussion is given regarding the types of explosive devices and analytical techniques that are currently being used, and the direction that explosive detection and characterization may be taking in the future.
This review paper examines environmental crime investigations that involve the release of toxic materials into the environment (pollution crimes). It includes details on and source reference information for environmental crime scene examination, laboratory analysis of environmental samples, evidence presentation, and other selected topics of interest. Information sources on field operations, field techniques, sampling, safety, handling and preserving electronic evidence, laboratory method selection, method validation and quality assurance/quality control issues, instrumentation used in environmental analysis, and presentation of conclusions in a courtroom have been included. These topics follow the thought process and flow of an environmental crime investigation. Sources include those in printed material, such as journals or trade magazines, and those accessible through the Internet. Additionally, the growth of laboratory fraud in environmental crime cases, as observed in the United States, is discussed. Chemical fingerprinting, a useful forensic technique for tracing contaminants back to a source, is noted along with literature references detailing the use of the technique for petroleum and lead contamination. Concerns and challenges faced by environmental forensic laboratories pursuing accreditation are also considered.
Forensic image analysis involves a range of combined skills such as imaging, image processing, interpretation and IT. Through the appropriate application of these skills it is possible to scientifically analyse image-based information for forensic science applications. The paper reviews a range of topics including image capture, image types, image processing, image management, and ongoing research. A key result of this latest review is recognition that the analysis and processing of visual information is now a common activity in many areas of forensic science. It is reported that today digital imaging technology has penetrated almost all areas of forensic science activity. However, in the main this is largely for specific functions within individual laboratories, and there is little evidence for fully integrated imaging and image analysis information technology between different forensic functions at present. Advances in mathematical algorithms and the increasing processing power of computers has resulted in new hi-tech activities that generate or present a wealth of information from or about an image once it has been digitised. The pace of technology change, has in the main, left many people having to rapidly consider the implications for their rules of evidence and this is reflected in the lack of agreed international standards for forensic image management.
The technical examination of Questioned Documents other than handwriting continues to be a multidisciplinary domain. Although a number of traditional approaches have weakened in their potential of evidential value, new analytical approaches are proposed and discussed. Most of the referenced results are individual research and development approaches or case studies, not advances resulting from internationally coordinated projects. On the other hand, there are serious efforts within the international QD community, to set up new quality standards for proficiency testing. The review of contributions on improvements in state-of-the art screening methods shows ongoing discussions on the phenomena of electrostatic detection of indented writing; there are new theories and new explanations. Forensic Ink Analysis does focus on a range of new and complex analytical techniques in order to increase the discriminating power of modern ballpoint pen ink examination; Raman-spectroscopy appears to be a powerful new tool. There is also new research, which looks at indicators of age, with conflicting results. Modern business machine technology gives raise to many studies: fax-, ink-jet- and laser- printers demand for new classification and identification methodologies; it appears, that in spite of the proliferating business machine market, forensic document examination will be able to find ways to deal with evidence from modern office technology, even if more information gathering and systematic data collections are needed. Security document forgery is an area that goes far behind the forensic issue, resulting in discussions outside of the forensic community on new manufacturing technologies to prevent forgery. Complex value ‘documents’ such as modern payment cards demand improved know-how also from the forensic view, looking at internationally accessible reference data of specimens as well as the tools used for large-scale forgery in organized crime. Finally there have been substantial efforts on standards and procedures in the technical document area. «Best practice» is not easily defined and further concerted efforts on quality assurance are necessary. Peter W. Pfefferli
This paper and oral presentation will outline the current state of the forensic examination of digital evidence. Significant activities have been undertaken by bodies and organizations of significance to the forensic examination of digital evidence demonstrates the maturing level of digital evidence forensics. Data and discussion will be presented concerning a survey conducted preparatory to this symposia concerning the organizational state, workload, documentation and quality assurance practices by laboratories and units conducting four defined sub-types of digital evidence: computer evidence, electronic devices, audio/video media, and digital photography. This data provides a baseline for measuring future activities and supports a conclusion that there is an expanding practice of digital forensics. Finally, an overview of standardization efforts during the preceding three years is included. Special Agent Mark Pollitt
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