DOCSLIB.ORG

Accuracy and Reliability of Forensic Latent Fingerprint Decisions

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Accuracy and Reliability of Forensic Latent Fingerprint Decisions Accuracy and reliability of forensic latent fingerprint decisions Bradford T. Ulerya, R. Austin Hicklina, JoAnn Buscagliab,1, and Maria Antonia Robertsc aNoblis, 3150 Fairview Park Drive, Falls Church, VA 22042; bCounterterrorism and Forensic Science Research Unit, Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory Division, 2501 Investigation Parkway, Quantico, VA 22135; and cLatent Print Support Unit, Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory Division, 2501 Investigation Parkway, Quantico, VA 22135 Edited by Stephen E. Fienberg, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, and approved March 31, 2011 (received for review December 16, 2010) The interpretation of forensic fingerprint evidence relies on the tion content is sufficient to make a decision. Latent print exam- expertise of latent print examiners. The National Research Council ination can be complex because latents are often small, unclear, of the National Academies and the legal and forensic sciences com- distorted, smudged, or contain few features; can overlap with munities have called for research to measure the accuracy and other prints or appear on complex backgrounds; and can contain reliability of latent print examiners’ decisions, a challenging and artifacts from the collection process. Because of this complexity, complex problem in need of systematic analysis. Our research is experts must be trained in working with the various difficult focused on the development of empirical approaches to studying attributes of latents. this problem. Here, we report on the first large-scale study of the During examination, a latent is compared against one or more accuracy and reliability of latent print examiners’ decisions, in exemplars. These are generally collected from persons of interest which 169 latent print examiners each compared approximately in a particular case, persons with legitimate access to a crime 100 pairs of latent and exemplar fingerprints from a pool of 744 scene, or obtained by searching the latent against an Automated pairs. The fingerprints were selected to include a range of attri- Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), which is designed to butes and quality encountered in forensic casework, and to be select from a large database those exemplars that are most similar BIOLOGICAL comparable to searches of an automated fingerprint identification to the latent being searched. For latent searches, an AFIS only system containing more than 58 million subjects. This study eval- provides a list of candidate exemplars; comparison decisions must SCIENCES uated examiners on key decision points in the fingerprint exami- be made by a latent print examiner. Exemplars selected by an APPLIED nation process; procedures used operationally include additional AFIS are far more likely to be similar to the latent than exemplars safeguards designed to minimize errors. Five examiners made false selected by other means, potentially increasing the risk of exam- positive errors for an overall false positive rate of 0.1%. Eighty-five iner error (18). percent of examiners made at least one false negative error for an The prevailing method for latent print examination is known overall false negative rate of 7.5%. Independent examination of as analysis, comparison, evaluation, and verification (ACE-V) the same comparisons by different participants (analogous to blind (19, 20). The ACE portion of the process results in one of four verification) was found to detect all false positive errors and the decisions: the analysis decision of no value (unsuitable for com- majority of false negative errors in this study. Examiners frequently parison); or the comparison/evaluation decisions of individualiza- differed on whether fingerprints were suitable for reaching a tion (from the same source), exclusion (from different sources), conclusion. or inconclusive. The Scientific Working Group on Friction Ridge Analysis, Study and Technology guidelines for operational proce- he interpretation of forensic fingerprint evidence relies on the dures (21) require verification for individualization decisions, but verification is optional for exclusion or inconclusive decisions. Texpertise of latent print examiners. The accuracy of decisions ’ made by latent print examiners has not been ascertained in a Verification may be blind to the initial examiner s decision, in large-scale study, despite over one hundred years of the forensic which case all types of decisions would need to be verified. use of fingerprints. Previous studies (1–4) are surveyed in ref. 5. ACE-V has come under criticism by some as being a general Recently, there has been increased scrutiny of the discipline approach that is underspecified (e.g., refs. 14 and 15). resulting from publicized errors (6) and a series of court admis- Latent-exemplar image pairs collected under controlled con- ditions for research are known to be mated (from the same sibility challenges to the scientific basis of fingerprint evidence source) or nonmated (from different sources). An individualiza- (e.g., 7–9). In response to the misidentification of a latent print tion decision based on mated prints is a true positive, but if based in the 2004 Madrid bombing (10), a Federal Bureau of Investiga- on nonmated prints, it is a false positive (error); an exclusion tion (FBI) Laboratory review committee evaluated the scientific decision based on mated prints is a false negative (error), but basis of friction ridge examination. That committee recom- is a true negative if based on nonmated prints. The term “error” mended research, including the study described in this report: is used in this paper only in reference to false positive and false a test of the performance of latent print examiners (11). The need negative conclusions when they contradict known ground truth. for evaluations of the accuracy of fingerprint examination deci- No such absolute criteria exist for judging whether the evidence is sions has also been underscored in critiques of the forensic sufficient to reach a conclusion as opposed to making an incon- sciences by the National Research Council (NRC, ref. 12) and clusive or no-value decision. The best information we have to others (e.g., refs. 13–16). Background Author contributions: B.T.U., R.A.H., J.B., and M.A.R. designed research; B.T.U., R.A.H., J.B., Latent prints (“latents”) are friction ridge impressions (finger- and M.A.R. performed research; B.T.U. and R.A.H. contributed new analytic tools; B.T.U., prints, palmprints, or footprints) left unintentionally on items R.A.H., J.B., and M.A.R. analyzed data; and B.T.U., R.A.H., J.B., and M.A.R. wrote the paper. such as those found at crime scenes (SI Appendix, Glossary). The authors declare no conflict of interest. Exemplar prints (“exemplars”), generally of higher quality, are This article is a PNAS Direct Submission. collected under controlled conditions from a known subject using Freely available online through the PNAS open access option. ink on paper or digitally with a livescan device (17). Latent print 1To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: [email protected]. examiners compare latents to exemplars, using their expertise This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/ rather than a quantitative standard to determine if the informa- doi:10.1073/pnas.1018707108/-/DCSupplemental. www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1018707108 PNAS Early Edition ∣ 1of6 evaluate the appropriateness of reaching a conclusion is the col- required multiple examiners for each image pair, while incorpor- lective judgments of the experts. Various approaches have been ating a broad range of fingerprints for measuring image-specific proposed to define sufficiency in terms of objective minimum effects required a large number of images. criteria (e.g., ref. 22), and research is ongoing in this area (e.g., We sought diversity in fingerprint data, within a range typical ref. 23). Our study is based on a black box approach, evaluating of casework. Subject matter experts selected the latents and the examiners’ accuracy and consensus in making decisions rather mated exemplars from a much larger pool of images to include than attempting to determine or dictate how those decisions are a broad range of attributes and quality. Latents of low quality made (11, 24). were included in the study to evaluate the consensus among examiners in making value decisions about difficult latents. The Study Description exemplar data included a larger proportion of poor-quality exem- This study is part of a larger research effort to understand the plars than would be representative of exemplars from the FBI’s accuracy of examiner conclusions, the level of consensus among Integrated AFIS (IAFIS) (SI Appendix, Table S4). Image pairs examiners on decisions, and how the quantity and quality of image features relate to these outcomes. Key objectives of this were selected to be challenging: Mated pairs were randomly study were to determine the frequency of false positive and false selected from the multiple latents and exemplars available for negative errors, the extent of consensus among examiners, and each finger position; nonmated pairs were based on difficult factors contributing to variability in results. We designed the comparisons resulting from searches of IAFIS, which includes study to enable additional exploratory analyses and gain insight exemplars from over 58 million persons with criminal records, or SI Appendix in support of the larger research effort. 580 million distinct fingers ( , section 1.3). Participants There is substantial variability in the attributes of latent prints, were surveyed, and a large majority of the respondents agreed in the capabilities of latent print examiners, in the types of that the data were representative of casework (SI Appendix, casework received by agencies, and the procedures used among Table S3). agencies. Average measures of performance across this heteroge- Noblis developed custom software for this study in consulta- neous population are of limited value (25)—but do provide in- tion with latent print examiners, who also assessed the software sight necessary to understand the problem and scope future work.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Forensic Document Examination in the Courts
    CHAPTER 9 Forensic Document Examination in the Courts Chapter Outline ELSEVIER Before 1900 .................................................................................................119 The 20th-Century Courts ...........................................................................120 The Critics ....................................................................................................122 The American Board of Forensic Document Examiners ..........................123 Forensic Document Examiners Meet Each Daubert Factor .....................123 1. Theory Tested .........................................................................................................124 2. Standards.................................................................................................................126 3. Peer Review and Publications ..........................................................................126 4. General Acceptance.............................................................................................128 5. Error Rate .................................................................................................................130 Forensic Document Examination. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-416693-6.00009-6 Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 117 Forensic Document Examination Early Court Challenges ...............................................................................131 21st-Century Courts ...................................................................................132
    [Show full text]
  • Mitochondrial DNA and Methods for Forensic Identification
    Mini Review J Forensic Sci & Criminal Inves Volume - 9 Issue 1 - May 2018 Copyright © All rights are reserved by Gazi Nurun Nahar Sultana DOI: 10.19080/JFSCI.2018.09.555755 Mitochondrial DNA and Methods for Forensic Identification Gazi Nurun Nahar Sultana*and Mohammad Zakir Sultan Centre for Advanced Research in Sciences (CARS), University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh Submission: May 24, 2018; Published: May 29, 2018 *Corresponding author: Gazi Nurun Nahar Sultana, Centre for Advanced Research in Sciences (CARS), University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tel: ; Email: Abstract A growing area of forensic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been appreciated by forensic scientists and law enforcement agencies in many countries. Crime scene investigators, law enforcement agencies, and prosecuting attorneys have recommended that this form of testing may successfully advance the investigation and prosecution of cases with limited biological evidences, such as bones, hairs and degraded skeletal remains. Defense attorneys are also increasingly requesting testing of samples with advancement of methods that may aid in exonerating their clients. MtDNA an extra nuclear genome, has certain features that make it desirable for forensics; namely, high copy number, lack of recombination, matrilineal inheritance, heteroplasmy, expression variability, and mitotic segregation. MtDNA typing has become routine in forensic biology since mid of 1980 and is a last resort for testing highly degraded biological debris. Further, the high mutation rate of the human mitochondrial
    [Show full text]
  • Forensic Identification
    Forensic Identification Watch it online http://www.kqed.org/quest/television/view/68 Story length 3:30 minutes QUEST CallPROGRAM them Bone NOTES Detectives. SUBJECTS Call them detectives of a different sort. Investigate the world of forensic anthropology with Life Biology University of California, Santa Cruz doctoral candidate and “bone detective” Chelsey Science Health Juarez. She has developed a novel technique to help identify the remains of migrants Environment who die crossing the border between the United States and Mexico. Earth Geology Science Weather In this segment you’ll find out… Astronomy why Chelsey Juarez developed the new technique to identify the ۞ Physical Physics remains of migrant workers. Science Chemistry Engineering ۞ how teeth are prepared and examined to provide information about where we come from. CA SCIENCE STANDARDS ۞ the important role forensic anthropologists play in forensic science. Grade 7 Genetics 2. A typical cell of any TOPIC BACKGROUND organism contains genetic instructions that specify its Forensic science is the application of scientific methods and processes to the law. A forensic traits. Those traits may be scientist usually works in a lab analyzing different types of evidence and writing reports, and also modified by environmental testifies in court as an expert witness. Sometimes forensic scientists go to crime scenes to help influences. (e) reconstruct the crime and collect or preserve evidence. Forensic scientists work in a variety of settings, such as local, state and federal governments; forensic labs; police departments; Earth and Life History universities or as independent consultants. (Earth Science) 4. Evidence from rocks The field of forensic science has many branches, including forensic entomology, forensic allows us to understand toxicology, forensic pathology and forensic anthropology.
    [Show full text]
  • Skin Microbiome Analysis for Forensic Human Identification: What Do We Know So Far?
    microorganisms Review Skin Microbiome Analysis for Forensic Human Identification: What Do We Know So Far? Pamela Tozzo 1,*, Gabriella D’Angiolella 2 , Paola Brun 3, Ignazio Castagliuolo 3, Sarah Gino 4 and Luciana Caenazzo 1 1 Department of Molecular Medicine, Laboratory of Forensic Genetics, University of Padova, 35121 Padova, Italy; [email protected] 2 Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padova, 35121 Padova, Italy; [email protected] 3 Department of Molecular Medicine, Section of Microbiology, University of Padova, 35121 Padova, Italy; [email protected] (P.B.); [email protected] (I.C.) 4 Department of Health Sciences, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +39-0498272234 Received: 11 May 2020; Accepted: 8 June 2020; Published: 9 June 2020 Abstract: Microbiome research is a highly transdisciplinary field with a wide range of applications and methods for studying it, involving different computational approaches and models. The fact that different people host radically different microbiota highlights forensic perspectives in understanding what leads to this variation and what regulates it, in order to effectively use microbes as forensic evidence. This narrative review provides an overview of some of the main scientific works so far produced, focusing on the potentiality of using skin microbiome profiling for human identification in forensics. This review was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The examined literature clearly ascertains that skin microbial communities, although personalized, vary systematically across body sites and time, with intrapersonal differences over time smaller than interpersonal ones, showing such a high degree of spatial and temporal variability that the degree and nature of this variability can constitute in itself an important parameter useful in distinguishing individuals from one another.
    [Show full text]
  • Advanced Statistical Population Genetics Methods for Forensic DNA Identification Author(S): Noah A
    The author(s) shown below used Federal funding provided by the U.S. Department of Justice to prepare the following resource: Document Title: Advanced Statistical Population Genetics Methods for Forensic DNA Identification Author(s): Noah A. Rosenberg, Ph.D. Document Number: 253932 Date Received: October 2019 Award Number: 2014-DN-BX-K015 This resource has not been published by the U.S. Department of Justice. This resource is being made publically available through the Office of Justice Programs’ National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Basic Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs National Institute of Justice NIJ SL # SL001082 NIJ‐2014‐3744 Award # 2014‐DN‐BX‐K015 ADVANCED STATISTICAL POPULATION GENETICS METHODS FOR FORENSIC DNA IDENTIFICATION Prepared by: Noah A. Rosenberg, PhD Principal Investigator Department of Biology Stanford University 371 Gilbert Building, Room 109 Stanford, CA 94305‐5020 Tel: 650 721 2599 Email: [email protected] Prepared on: January 10, 2019 Recipient Organization: Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University Stanford University 3160 Porter Drive, Suite 100 Palo Alto, CA 94304‐8445 Final Progress Report Project Period: 01/01/2015 – 12/31/2018 Signature of Submitting Official: Robert Loredo, Contract and Grant Officer 01/24/2019 This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Human Remains and Identification
    Human remains and identification HUMAN REMAINS AND VIOLENCE Human remains and identification Human remains Human remains and identification presents a pioneering investigation into the practices and methodologies used in the search for and and identification exhumation of dead bodies resulting from mass violence. Previously absent from forensic debate, social scientists and historians here Mass violence, genocide, confront historical and contemporary exhumations with the application of social context to create an innovative and interdisciplinary dialogue. and the ‘forensic turn’ Never before has a single volume examined the context of motivations and interests behind these pursuits, each chapter enlightening the Edited by ÉLISABETH ANSTETT political, social, and legal aspects of mass crime and its aftermaths. and JEAN-MARC DREYFUS The book argues that the emergence of new technologies to facilitate the identification of dead bodies has led to a ‘forensic turn’, normalizing exhumations as a method of dealing with human remains en masse. However, are these exhumations always made for legitimate reasons? And what can we learn about societies from the way in which they deal with this consequence of mass violence? Multidisciplinary in scope, this book presents a ground-breaking selection of international case studies, including the identification of corpses by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the resurfacing ANSTETTand of human remains from the Gulag and the sites of Jewish massacres from the Holocaust. Human remains
    [Show full text]
  • Meeting the Challenges of the Daubert Trilogy: Refining and Redefining the Reliability of Orf Ensic Evidence
    Tulsa Law Review Volume 43 Issue 2 Daubert, Innocence, and the Future of Forensic Science Winter 2007 Meeting the Challenges of the Daubert Trilogy: Refining and Redefining the Reliability of orF ensic Evidence Mara L. Merlino Victoria Springer Jan Seaman Kelly Derek Hammond Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.utulsa.edu/tlr Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Mara L. Merlino, Victoria Springer, Jan S. Kelly, & Derek Hammond, Meeting the Challenges of the Daubert Trilogy: Refining and Redefining the Reliability ofor F ensic Evidence, 43 Tulsa L. Rev. 417 (2013). Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.utulsa.edu/tlr/vol43/iss2/9 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by TU Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Tulsa Law Review by an authorized editor of TU Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Merlino et al.: Meeting the Challenges of the Daubert Trilogy: Refining and Redef MEETING THE CHALLENGES OF THE DAUBERT TRILOGY: REFINING AND REDEFINING THE RELIABILITY OF FORENSIC EVIDENCE Mara L. Merlino,* Victoria Sprnger *Jan Seaman Kell Derek Hammond, Eric Sahota, & Lori Haines I. INTRODUCTION Daubert1 and its progeny, General Electric Co. v. Joiner2 and Kumho Tire Co. v. Carmichael,3 established new guidelines and procedures for determining the evidentiary reliability of expert testimony. Following the Daubert trilogy, the admissibility of expert testimony is presumably based not only on an analysis of the evidence's legal merits and Frye's general acceptance standard,4 but also on the judicial analysis of the qualifications of the expert, the methods by which the expert arrives at his or her 5 conclusions, and even the conclusions themselves.
    [Show full text]
  • Forensic Methods of Identifying Corpses with Unknown Identity
    Forensic Methods of Identifying Corpses with Unknown Identity Ovidiu Andrei Hamburda Faculty of “Economic Sciences and Public Administration," Law Specialization, University “Ștefan cel Mare,” Romania Master in Criminal Sciences at "Dimitrie Cantemir" Christian University of Bucharest, [email protected] ABSTRACT: Finding the truth is the most difficult process, especially in a society that reveals itself as a high- speed field, whose passengers combine good and evil, honor and dishonesty, respect for the law and crime. Identification of dead bodies is one of the most common but complicated activities that the magistrate, criminal investigation dead bodies, criminalist or forensic doctor encounters, because compared to the living people who appreciate both the static signs, the dynamic signs and the functional features noted by different gestures, attitudes, etc. only the static forms and the personal objects on them or the clothing are appreciated in the case of dead bodies. Most procedures claim certain data and information to be compared, such as DNA, fingerprints, dentition, etc., but if they do not exist, comparison with the rest of the population is impossible. To identify a person, the forensic research bodies also found other methods, such as the over-projection method, the reconstruction of the skull physiognomy, the skeletal identification, dental or dental identification. KEYWORDS: clothes, dead bodies, dentition, DNA, research, skeleton, unknown Introduction In the society where we living, personal and national security is very easy to attack, hence the need for more stringent and trustworthy measures to identify and secure our identity. Although in the book of Alexander Dumas - Martin Guerre, identity was established by cunning and confession, in today's world, a simple comparison of DNA would solve the problem, beyond any reasonable uncertainty (Thompson and Black 2007).
    [Show full text]
  • 'Wild' from Hatchery-Raised Red Drum, Sciaenops O
    Forensic Science International 156 (2006) 9–15 www.elsevier.com/locate/forsciint Application of hypervariable genetic markers to forensic identification of ‘wild’ from hatchery-raised red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus M.A. Renshaw a, E. Saillant a, R.E. Broughton b, J.R. Gold a,* a Center for Biosystematics and Biodiversity, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, TX 77843-2258, USA b Oklahoma Biological Survey and Department of Zoology, University of Oklahoma, 111 E. Chesapeake Street, Norman, Oklahoma, OK 73019, USA Received 31 December 2004; received in revised form 2 May 2005; accepted 3 May 2005 Abstract Forensic identification of ‘wild’ versus hatchery-produced (cultured) red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), an economically important marine fish in the southern United States, was assessed using hypervariable nuclear-encoded microsatellites and sequences of mitochondrial DNA. Both genotype exclusion and likelihood-ratio tests successfully identified ‘wild’ and ‘cultured’ individuals within requisite error bounds and within the context of complete parental sampling. Of the two, genotype exclusion was more effective, producing satisfactory results with fewer microsatellites and larger allowable error rates. Assignment tests proved ineffective, most likely because of the low level of genetic divergence between the sampled populations. An optimal, minimum set of ten markers that will reduce potential genotyping costs is identified. Results of the study should allay concerns regarding identification of ‘wild’-caught fish sold illegally. # 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Microsatellites; Forensic genetics; ‘Wild’ versus hatchery-raised fish The existence of a legal market for wildlife meat and/or in population abundance led to rather extreme fishing restric- parts raises the issue of eventual sale of a legal species tions in most U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • 4154 Forensic Identification of Human Remains
    FORENSIC IDENTIFICATION OF HUMAN REMAINS IN BRIEF Ed Ou/ICRCEd INTRODUCTION The identification of human remains is important When a missing person is believed to be dead, for both legal and humanitarian reasons. This two complementary lines of investigation must document provides a brief overview for non- be pursued: experts of the scientific process by which • tracing the whereabouts of that person once human remains are identified. It does not set out he or she has been reported missing by his or guidelines or standard operating procedures her family or other reliable sources for carrying out forensic investigations, and • forensic identification of human remains. must not be understood as doing so. The ICRC recommends the use of standardized policies The forensic identification of human remains and procedures in all contexts, which should be is a legal determination (sealed by the developed by the pertinent authorities (courts, jurisdictional authority’s signature on a death investigators, medico-legal institutes, etc.). certificate) based on the scientific matching of information on missing persons with unidentified human remains. Identification Forensic identification of human requires a holistic approach that takes into remains generally involves three main consideration all available scientific and stages of investigation: contextual evidence. Each line of evidence • background research must be weighed and treated on its merits. The • recovery of remains scale of the identification project must also • laboratory analysis and reconciliation. be considered and the identification strategy adjusted accordingly. 2 Ed Ou/ICRCEd BACKGROUND RESEARCH Preliminary investigation is needed to Background research can draw from locate, assess, collate and organize all various sources, such as interviews or available information on missing persons written records.
    [Show full text]
  • Forensic Face Recognition: a Survey
    Forensic Face Recognition: A Survey Tauseef Ali, Raymond Veldhuis, Luuk Spreeuwers Signals and Systems Group, FEMCS, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands Abstract Beside a few papers which focus on the forensic aspects of automatic face recognition, there is not much published about it in contrast to the literature on developing new techniques and methodologies for biometric face recognition. In this report, we review forensic facial identification which is the forensic experts‟ way of manual facial comparison. Then we review famous works in the domain of forensic face recognition. Some of these papers describe general trends in forensics [1], guidelines for manual forensic facial comparison and training of face examiners who will be required to verify the outcome of automatic forensic face recognition system [2]. Some proposes theoretical framework for application of face recognition technology in forensics [3] and automatic forensic facial comparison [4, 5]. Bayesian framework is discussed in detail and it is elaborated how it can be adapted to forensic face recognition. Several issues related with court admissibility and reliability of system are also discussed. Until now, there is no operational system available which automatically compare image of a suspect with mugshot database and provide result usable in court. The fact that biometric face recognition can in most cases be used for forensic purpose is true but the issues related to integration of technology with legal system of court still remain to be solved. There is a great need for research which is multi- disciplinary in nature and which will integrate the face recognition technology with existing legal systems.
    [Show full text]
  • Body Fluid Analysis by Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for Forensic Applications Author(S): Lawrence D
    The author(s) shown below used Federal funding provided by the U.S. Department of Justice to prepare the following resource: Document Title: Body Fluid Analysis by Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for Forensic Applications Author(s): Lawrence D. Ziegler Document Number: 251916 Date Received: July 2018 Award Number: 2014-DN-BX-K021 This resource has not been published by the U.S. Department of Justice. This resource is being made publically available through the Office of Justice Programs’ National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Final Summary Overview Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice Grant Number: 2014-DN-BX-K021 Title: Body fluid analysis by surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy for forensic applications PI: Lawrence D. Ziegler, Professor of Chemistry, Boston University [email protected] Executive summary: Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy, combined with statistical analyses, provides rapid (~minutes) detection and identification of trace amounts of blood, semen, vaginal fluid and saliva and their mixtures. Donor variability is less than the difference between body fluid signatures. The signatures are robust over time (> months) and the molecular components of the body fluid spectra are identified. Trace blood stains can be identified following luminol based location protocols and distinguished from household agents. Animal blood species can also be identified and blood detection sensitivities exceed existing standard methodologies. This nondestructive, portable platform uses minimal sample material amounts allowing for subsequent additional tests of suspected body fluid stains.
    [Show full text]