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Forensic Science Documentation

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Forensic Science Documentation

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    1. You will understand: That an expert analyst can individualize handwriting to a particular person. What types of evidence are submitted to the document analyst. Three types of forgery. How to characterize different types of paper. The types and impact of computer crime.

    2. You will be able to: Analyze handwriting using 12 points of analysis. Detect deliberately disguised handwriting. Detect erasures and develop impression writing. Design an experiment using paper chromatography to determine which pen altered a note. List safeguards against the counterfeiting of U.S. currency. Recognize some of the methods of internet fraud.

    3. Questioned Documents Involves the examination of handwriting, ink, paper, etc., to ascertain source or authenticity Examples include letters, checks, licenses, contracts, wills, passports Investigations include verification; authentication; characterizing papers, pigments, and inks

    4. Related Fields Historical dating—the verification of age and value of a document or object Fraud investigation—focuses on the money trail and criminal intent Paper and ink specialists—date, type, source, and/or catalog various types of paper, watermarks, ink, printing/copy/fax machines, computer cartridges Forgery specialists—analyze altered, obliterated, changed, or doctored documents and photos Typewriting analysts—determine origin, make, and model Computer crime investigators—investigate cybercrime

    5. Document Examination Forensic document examination involves the analysis and comparison of questioned documents with known material in order to identify, whenever possible, the author or origin of the questioned document.

    6. Handwriting Handwriting analysis involves two phases: The hardware—ink, paper, pens, pencils, typewriter, printers Visual examination of the writing

    7. Handwriting Characteristics Line quality Word and letter spacing Letter comparison Pen lifts Connecting strokes Beginning and ending strokes Unusual letter formation Shading or pen pressure Slant Baseline habits Flourishes or embellishments Diacritic placement

    8. Handwriting Identification Analysis of the known writing with a determination of the characteristics found in the known Analysis of the questioned or unknown writing and determination of its characteristics Comparison of the questioned writing with the known writing Evaluation of the evidence, including the similarities and dissimilarities between the questioned and known writing The document examiner must have enough exemplars to make a determination of whether or not the two samples match.

    9. Handwriting Samples The subject should not be shown the questioned document. The subject is not told how to spell words or use punctuation. The subject should use materials similar to those of the document. The dictated text should match some parts of the document. The subject should be asked to sign the text. Always have a witness.

    10. Introduction Handwriting Typewriting Photocopying Computer printers Forgery Paper and inks

    11. Handwriting Analysis One of the most common types of document analysis is handwriting analysis Document experts continually testify that no two individuals write exactly alike. This is not to say that there cannot be marked resemblances between two individuals’ handwritings. As children, we all learn to write by attempting to copy a template. The early stages that accompany the learning and practicing of handwriting are characterized by a conscious effort on the part of the student to copy standard letter forms.

    12. Style takes over As initial writing skills improve, nerve and motor responses associated with the act of writing become a subconscious effort. The individual’s writing now takes on innumerable habitual shapes and patterns that distinguish it from all others. These are the traits that a handwriting expert looks for. We are going to look at 12 of these habits in an attempt to individualize a person’s writing. Similar to fingerprinting, there is no set number of matches for individualization. The 12 characteristics we are going to look at are outlined on the following slides

    13. The following characteristics were taken from Crime Scene Investigations (Cat Book) Walker and Wood Center for Applied Research

    14. #1-Line Quality Do the letters flow or are they written with very intent strokes?

    15. #2-Spacing of Words, Letters, and Margins What is the average space between words and letters? How are Margins aligned?

    16. More on Margin Alignment… Are margins straight, jagged, or angled?

    17. #3-Ratio of height, width, and size of letters Are the letters consistent in height, width, and size? Ratio between small and large letters? What are the line dynamics?

    18. Line Dynamics Increasing or diminishing strokes?

    19. #4-Lifting Pen Does the author lift his or her pen to stop writing a word and start a new one?

    20. #5-Connecting Strokes How are capital letters connected to lower case letters?Beginning stroke characteristics? Ending stroke characteristics?

    21. #6-Page Formatting Where do the strokes begin and end on the page?

    22. #7-Unusual Letter Formation Are any letters written with unusual slants or angles? Are some letters printed rather than cursive? Any unique loops or cross-throughs?

    23. #8-Pen Pressure How much pen pressure is applied on upward and downward strokes?

    24. #9-Slant Do the letters slant left or right? If slant is pronounced, a protractor may be used to determine the degree

    25. #10-Baseline Habits Does the author write on the line or does the writing go above or below the line?

    26. #11-Fancy writing habits Are there any unusual curls or loops or unique styles?

    27. #12-Placement of Diacritics How does the author dot the I’s or cross the T’s?

    29. Methods of Forgery Simulated forgery—one made by copying a genuine signature Traced forgery—one made by tracing a genuine signature Blind forgery—one made without a model of the signature

    30. Types of Forgery Check fraud Forgery Counterfeit Alterations Paper money Counterfeit Identity Social Security Driver’s license Credit cards Theft of card or number Art—imitation with intent to deceive Microscopic examination Electromagnetic radiation Chemical analysis Contracts—alterations of contracts, medical records

    31. Document Alterations Obliterations—removal of writing by physical or chemical means can be detected by: Microscopic examination UV or infrared (IR) light Digital image processing Indentations can be detected by: Oblique lighting Electrostatic detection apparatus (ESDA)

    32. Famous Forgers and Forgeries Major George Byron (Lord Byron forgeries) Thomas Chatterton (literary forgeries) John Payne Collier (printed forgeries) Dorman David (Texas Declaration of Independence) Mark Hofmann (Mormon, Freemason forgeries) William Henry Ireland (Shakespeare forgeries) Clifford Irving (Howard Hughes forgery) Konrad Kujau (Hitler diaries) James Macpherson (Ossian manuscript) George Psalmanasar (literary forgery) Alexander Howland Smith (historical documents)

    33. Forensic Linguist Expert who looks at the linguistic content (the way something is written) of a questioned document Language that is used can help to establish the writer’s age, gender, ethnicity, level of education, professional training, and ideology.

    34. Ink Chromatography is a method of physically separating the components of inks. Types HPLC—high-performance liquid chromatography TLC—thin-layer chromatography Paper chromatography

    35. Paper Chromatography of Ink Two samples of black ink from two different manufacturers have been characterized using paper chromatography.

    36. Retention Factor (Rf) A number that represents how far a compound travels in a particular solvent It is determined by measuring the distance the compound traveled and dividing it by the distance the solvent traveled.

    37. Paper Differences Raw material Weight Density Thickness Color Watermarks Age Fluorescence

    38. Pencils Lead Hardness scale—a traditional measure of the hardness of the “leads” (actually made of graphite) in pencils. The hardness scale, from softer to harder, takes the form ..., 3B, 2B, B, HB, F, H, 2H, 3H, 4H, ..., with the standard “number 2” pencil being of hardness 2H.

    39. Evidence Class characteristics may include general types of pens, pencils, or paper. Individual characteristics may include unique, individual handwriting characteristics; trash marks from copiers; or printer serial numbers.

    40. Counterfeiting In 1996 the government starting adding new security features to our paper money due to the advanced copying technologies that have raised the incidence of counterfeiting. The $20 bill entered circulation on October of 2003, followed by the $50 in September of 2004, and then the $10 in September of 2005. Subtle background colors have been added along with other features to discourage counterfeiting.

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