january issue 2011 - Iowa Division International Association for

IOWA DIVISION OF THE
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR IDENTIFICATION
JANUARY ISSUE 2011
International IAI Conference
96th International Educational Conference
Milwaukee 2011
The IAI’s annual International Educational Conference will be held
August 7-13, 2011 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
ALL EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS WILL BE HELD AT THE
FRONTIER AIRLINES CENTER, DOWNTOWN MILWAUKEE.
The President’s Welcome Reception and some Committee Meetings are on Sunday,
August 7, 2011. Lectures and workshops begin on Monday, August 8 and continue
until 1:00 p.m. on Friday, August 12, followed by the Business Meeting and then the
Installation & Closing Banquet. (suggested checkout Saturday, August 13)
Registration will be $295 (U.S.) for International Association for Identification members and $395 for nonmembers. There would be an estimated additional $250 for
workshop fees (based on the sessions that you select). Individual workshops will
range from $20 to $100 ― dependent on the course content.
The complete Conference program, which will include all of the workshop information
and the registration, will appear on the IAI website in the Spring of 2011.
If you are interested in joining the IAI – please contact the headquarters office at
1-651-681-8566.
For more information go to:
http://www.theiai.org/conference/2011/index.php
2
Letter from the President
5
Officers, Board of Directors, Committees
6-7
Article: Spend More Time at the Scene Less
time on the Stand
8-9
Article: The Tracks Do Tell - BUT - Sometimes We Don’t Listen
10-11
Upcoming Annual Conference
12-13
Article: Cracking the Digital Video Code
14-15
2010 IAI Crime Scene Schools
16-17
Table of Contents
Features
Article: New Report Underscores Credibility 18-20
of Force Science’s Shell-Ejection Studies
Upcoming Training
21
3
Iowa IAI Code of Conduct
4
As a member of the Iowa Division of the IAI,
and being actively engaged in the profession
of Scientific Identification and Investigation,
I dedicate myself to the efficient and
scientific administration thereof in the
interest of Justice and the betterment of
Law Enforcement. To cooperate with others
of the profession, promote improvement
through research, and disseminate such
advancement in my effort to make more
effective the analysis of the expert. To employ
my technical knowledge factually, with zeal
and determination, to protect the ethical
standards of the profession of Scientific
Identification and Investigation. I humbly
accept my responsibility to Public Trust and
seek continued guidance that I may keep
inviolate the Profession of Law Enforcement.
Letter from the 2010-2011 President:
Our last Crime Scene School was, once again, a success! Police Departments across Iowa trust our Association in providing quality education.
I would like to seize the opportunity to thank all of the instructors that
work hard to make it happen. Your hard work directly reflects the quality of our members
and Association.
The Board of Directors is actively working on our next spring conference in Ankeny. The
conference will now run from Wednesday afternoon to Friday at noon. We will keep you
updated on the topics and dates. Several positions within our Association will be open and
will need to be filled. Do not hesitate to approach us if you are interested.
From the President
The Iowa Division of the International Association for Identification is
proud to announce the return of our newsletter “4N6”, thanks to the
hard work of our editor David Billings. It is our hope that this newsletter
will function as an interesting and informative mode of communication.
This coming conference should be very interesting and we hope to see you there!
Respectfully yours,
Herve Denain
Iowa Division President
Welcome to the new 4N6 Newsletter
Welcome to the new 4N6 Newsletter! The IAI board recently made the
decision to update the newsletter in an effort to keep you, our members,
better informed. We are committed to providing our members with information about our organization and resources that may benefit you in the
field. These resources will include the most recent research, the newest
technologies, gadgets, training opportunities and information about supporting vendors in the industry.
The new digital format of the 4N6 offers you links to select within the newsletter to
quickly reach vendor websites, email authors, or email other contacts listed throughout.
By hovering over and selecting these links with your cursor you will be redirected to a new
website or activate email.
If you are interested in submitting an article or story, have any suggestions on the features
you would like to see in the 4N6, or how we can improve in the future please feel free to
contact me. Just select my name at the bottom and you will be directed to email.
We are also actively updating the Iowa IAI website with new training opportunities. If you
are aware of training opportunities please forward them to me for review.
I look forward to hearing your comments about the new Newsletter and Website.
David Billings
IAI 4N6 Editor/Webmaster
5
2010-2011 Officers
2010-2011 Officers
Local Officers
Herve DenainPresident
Davenport Police Department
Tim DotyVice President
Bettendorf Police Department
Anna Young
Secretary /Treasurer
Iowa DCI Crime Laboratory
David Billings
4N6 Editor/Webmaster
Ankeny Police Department
Chris Garthright-Chwirka Sergeant-at-Arms
Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office
International Officers
Philip Sanfilippo
Kevin Lawson
Debbie Leben
Lesley Hammer
Steve Johnson
Jospeh Polski
Alan McRoberts
Jefferson Itami
Gregory Parkinson
Phyllis Karasov
Dr. Jean Curtit
Norman R. Smith
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President
1st Vice President
2nd Vice President
3rd Vice President
4th Vice President
Chief Operating Officer
Editor, JFI
International Representative
Seargeant-at-Arms
Legal Counsel
Division Representative
Historian
Local Board
Dennis KernChair
Iowa DCI Crime Laboratory
Tammy Orr
Mason City Police Department
Carl Bessman
Iowa DCI Crime Laboratory
Ron Tordoff
Grundy County Sheriff’s Office
Matthew Schwarz
Schwarz Forensic Enterprises; Ron Smith and Assoc.
2010-2011 Regional Representative
Dennis Kern, Iowa DCI Crime Laboratory
2010-2011 Latent Print Certification Committee
Carl Bessman, Iowa DCI Crime Laboratory
2010-2011 Crime Scene Certification Committee
Scott Lanagan, Sioux City PD
International Board Members
Vici Inlow, Washington, DC, USA; Philip Sanfilippo, Doral, FL, USA; Kenneth
Blue, Nashville, TN, USA; Koren Colbert, Panama City, FL, USA; Laura
Hutchins, Washington, DC, USA; Ray Jorz, Painesville, OH, USA; Bridget
Lewis, Des Moines, IA, USA; Steve Meagher, Fredericksburg, VA, USA; Joseph
Means, Columbia, SC, USA ; Cedric Neumann, University Park, PA, USA;
Charles Parker, Austin, TX, USA; Harold Ruslander, West Palm Beach, FL,
USA; Frank Ryttersgaard, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Norman Smith, Arlington,
VA USA; Ken Zercie, Meriden, CT, USA.
2010-2011 Board of Directors and Committees
2010-2011 Iowa Board of Directors
7
Spend More Time at the Scene: Spend Less Time on the Stand
Spend More Time at the Scene:
By Rodney Westbrook, Steven Ryan
Every crime scene investigator has heard, or at some point will hear, the words, “How much
longer do you think you will be?” These words often come from supervisors, but are also uttered by fellow police officers who are not familiar with the intricacies of the process. Although
these words do not openly call for a speedy conclusion to the crime scene work, they inevitably make crime scene investigators more conscious of the time that has been taken or how
much time will be taken. This can result in mistakes being made if crime scene investigators
hurry through their work.
Crime scene investigators should resist the urge to rush the process because someone is asking them how long they will be. Crime scene processing requires a methodical approach each
and every time and deviating from this can have negative consequences. If the process and
results are to be credible in court, established procedures and a standardized methodology
need to be followed.
In a perfect world, crime scene investigators would not have to justify the time spent at a
scene to impatient co-workers or administrators. Fellow officers and supervisors should understand it is an absolute necessity that sufficient time be allotted, no matter how long it takes.
We all know that this is not the case. No judgment should be passed on others who make
these comments however. We, as crime scene investigators, have specific concerns relative
to the jobs we perform, as do supervisors. Supervisors are concerned with coverage issues
for crime scene security, patrol coverage, or overtime expenditures. Crime scene investigators need to recognize this and continue their methodical approach; viewing the question as a
request for information, not a request to expedite the process.
In addition, crime scene investigators should be mindful of rushing or putting unrealistic time
restrictions on themselves. The old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”
holds true in everyday life and is equally important in crime scene investigations. The “ounce
of prevention” is following the methodology, meticulously processing the scene, and taking
adequate time to complete the process. The “pound of cure” is spending less time on the
witness stand, especially during cross-examination by a defense attorney. It can be uncomfortable, which is expected when someone attacks your work, but it is especially regrettable when
Internet Resources
http://www.iowaiai.org/documents/LeahyBill12-22-10.pdf
New Forensic Science Legislation
8
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/228091.pdf
The full text of the NAS report, Strengthening Forensic Science in the United
States: A Path Forward, can be found online at the website for The National
Academies Press. You can buy the PDF download of the full report; you can
purchase a hard copy of the report; or you can download the free executive
summary.
If a crime scene investigator considers dusting one more item, or checking one more area for
physical evidence, then the extra time should be taken. If a crime scene investigator thinks
about double checking paperwork before leaving, or comparing the evidence record to the
evidence one last time, then it should be done. By taking the necessary time and methodically processing the scene each and every time, a crime scene investigator will avoid problems later on. When it is all said and done, it is the crime scene investigator that is ultimately
responsible for processing the crime scene. It won’t be the supervisor or fellow police officer
sitting next to you on the witness stand. It will be you and you alone. Remember, when you
feel rushed or hurried by a supervisor or co-worker, or when you put undue time restrictions
on yourself—stop—take a minute, and say to yourself, “Where would I rather be?” Here at
the scene for a few more minutes at the risk of making others unhappy, or a year from now,
spending unwarranted, uncomfortable time on the witness stand getting cross-examined? I
think the answer is obvious. Spend more time at the scene and less time on the stand!
Spend Less Time on the Stand
it could have been avoided. If investigators make an error because they rushed, they have no
one to blame but themselves.
Inv. Rodney Westbrook and Inv. Steven Ryan are members of the New York State Police Forensic Identification Unit- Troop “C” Sidney, NY. The authors have over 20 years combined of
crime scene processing experience. They can be reached at [email protected]
and [email protected].
Reprinted with permission of Forensic Magazine
9
The Tracks Do Tell-But-Sometimes We Don't Listen
The Tracks Do Tell - BUT - Sometimes We Don’t Listen!!
10
Do you ever get the feeling that you’re stuck
in limbo, kinds’ like Bill Murray in the movie,
“Ground Hog Day”? Well, I did a couple of
months ago, so why don’t you pour yourself a
cup of coffee, and sit down and let me tell you
about it.
It was back in early February, the week of
Ground Hog’s Day to be exact. It started out
like any other day at the office, get a cup of
coffee, sit down to do a little paperwork-Hey!
What’s this? Another homicide case...... a homicide with footwear and tire impression evidence, okay........ ah, hah! There’s the kicker-a homicide sans corpus delicti.
It seems that back in January some of the local
miscreants decided to heat things up by offing
one of their own. Now being the spontaneous,
fun-loving kind of guys that they were, they really hadn’t thought about what they were going to do with the body, but it just wouldn’t be
right to leave him laying around stinking up the
place now, would it? So they hauled his carcass out of the house and dumped him along
the railroad tracks on the edge of town. Honor being what it is among thieves, one of the
participants found himself in a jam with the
long arm of the law and made a deal to show
the authorities where the body was dumped
in exchange for a little leniency at sentencing
time. Imagine everyone’s surprise when our
reformed sinner leads the parade to the stiff’s
final resting place only to find the corpus delicti
has been removed.
It seems the shooter and his associates, not
being the trusting kind, had decided they needed to do a better job of disposing of the body.
To that end, the body was, allegedly, hauled to
someone’s garage and cut up with a chain saw.
The pieces were placed in plastic bags and
wrapped in old blankets, then placed in the
bed of an old pick-up truck and hauled to the
banks of the river where they were launched
on their maiden, and to the best of my knowledge, final voyage. The tracks at the scene of
the bon voyage party were pretty plain in the
snow. And this is how my nightmare begins.
In all fairness to the jurisdictions involved it was
a long, complex investigation crossing state
and city boundaries. A missing person was reported on one side of the river and a suspected dumping reported on the other without very
much hard, physical evidence to tie the two
together, just some tracks in the snow, a small
chain and a few bits of suspected tissue and
fabric. The detectives interviewed all of the
usual people; friends, family, coworkers and
acquaintances, and a story began to emerge.
Search warrants are obtained for specific residences and subsequently things begin arriving
at the state crime lab.
Among the many items received at the lab
were several sets of crime scene photographs;
some from the river, some of various vehicles,
and some from various residences, taken by
different agencies. The scene by the river
showed footwear impressions, tire impressions, drag marks and at least four spots
where a vehicle had stopped and backed up or
pulled forward while turning around. Scenes
from the residences and the associated vehicles showed stains in place, swabs collecting
those stains, pieces of carpet bearing stains
being cut from the floor, and tires on the various vehicles showing position and tread design. So far, so good, we’ve got some physical
evidence to work with.
Without a victim’s body to provide known samples for DNA testing my esteemed colleague,
Marie Sides, tested samples obtained from the
victim’s parents. The results of the DNA testing indicated that blood on a swab collected
from the sidewalk at one of the houses, bloodstains on a blanket from a pickup truck, and
pieces of tissue collected at the river were consistent with the DNA expected of the victim.
Comparing the photographs of tire tracks in
the snow at the river to the photographs of the
tires on two cars and two pick-ups indicated
that one of the pick-ups may have been involved. The tires from this pick-up were then
submitted to the lab. This truck had four different brands of tires mounted on its rims, an
interesting and useful bit of information. No
single tire could be identified to the tire impres-
The photographs of the tire impressions with a
scale taken for comparison were of very good
quality and the general overall crime scene
photographs were excellent. However, there
wasn’t a single photograph taken that showed
where the tire impressions for comparison were
located in the scene. This became an issue later at trial. ‘The crime scene photographs at the
river clearly show where the vehicle pulled up,
stopped, backed up, turned and pulled forward
at least twice, before leaving the scene. Again,
no photographs were taken of the stopping or
turning points, and the only measurement taken, labeled “wheelbase”, was taken between
the inner edges of one set of tires. Which set,
front or rear, isn’t clear, “Wheelbase’ measurements provided for the vehicles examined on
the search warrants varied with a single measurement of one set of tires reported as innerto-inner or inner-to-outer.
If the crime scene personnel at the river had
taken an overall shot showing where the tire
impressions for comparison were located in
the general scheme of tracks, then it can be
shown which tire, front right or left rear for instance, matches which impression, in turn giving more weight to a finding of “consistent with”
or “similar to”. Additionally, if that overall shot
approaches being perpendicular to the impressions and there is a scale in the photograph,
you may be able to approximate the vehicle
measurements.
At trial the defense team was successful in
keeping the statistics generated by Mr. T. Allen
Miller’s study, “Tire Tread Design Combinations
as Mounted on a Vehicle”, from the jury as the
trial judge ruled: “a 1994 study of vehicles in
Florida has no bearing on a case involving the
tires on a pick-up in Iowa.” The methodology of
the crime scene examination was only mildly
rebuked and the excellent comparison photography apparently convinced the jury as the defendant was convicted of first degree homicide
in less than two hours.
Please understand that the purpose of this story is not to criticize our colleagues in this case
but to remind us that we have to be aware of
ALL of the aspects of a crime scene. It really is
pretty easy to overlook the forest if you are concentrating on a single tree (or tire track). Unfortunately, after the O.J. fiasco, the latest defense
strategy is to attack the crime scene investigation, either technically-you used an old, outdated method-or personally-you’re a blinking
idiot and you screwed up! Realizing that the
people doing the crime scenes out there are
constantly playing catch-up and that personnel
are always turning over, please copy and use
the vehicle worksheets in this newsletter. If
you encounter something in the field that you
haven’t dealt with before, pick up the phone
and call someone for advice. And if something
new works for you in the field, please share it
with the rest of your colleagues, especially here
in the 4N6.
Carl W. Bessman
DCI Crime Lab
(515) 559-7074
The trial judge’s ruling on Mr. Miller’s study in
Florida motivated Carl to conduct a similar project here in Iowa. The full technical article was
published in the Journal of Forensic Identification.
The Tracks Do Tell-But-Sometimes We Don't Listen
sions at the river but six (6) of the impressions
were found to be consistent with the tires on
the right front, left front and left rear wheels.
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Upcoming Meeting
12
2011 Iowa Division of the
International Association for Identification
Annual Conference and Business Meeting
May 4-6, 2011
Ankeny Police Department
411 SW Ordnance, Ankeny, IA 50023
Registration Fee $60
Click here to Register Online
Hampton Inn & Suites
Rate: $83/night + tax
Complimentary wired and wireless high-speed internet access
Indoor Pool and hot tub
Complimentary fitness center
Comlimentary hot breakfast served from 6-10 am daily
or on-the-run breakfast bags
Call 515-261-4400 for reservation
Mention International Association for Identification for governement rate
Click here for a link to Hampton Inn
2011 Conference Information
Hotel Information
Potential Presenters/Topics
ATF
Video Evidence
Ed Thomas Murder Investigation
Forensic Language for Search Warrants
Locating Cell Phones with Triggerfish Technology
Davenport Bomb Squad
CISD / Flight 232 Air Disaster
If you have any suggestions for future conference topics or would like to
present, please contact an IAI Board Member.
Your recommendation and suggestions are always welcome.
13
Cracking the Digital Code
CRACKING THE DIGITAL VIDEO CODE
By Dorothy Stout
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Have you ever received a disc that was supposed to
contain a video file and been unable to play
anything back? Digital video files offer new
challenges for video analysis including a wide
variety of file formats and an even wider variety of methods to compress the video data. It
is these factors that impede our ability to play
back digital video files. Your success rate with
playing back digital video files will be greatly
improved though with some basic knowledge
andresources regarding file formats and
compression.
Player, QuickTime Player,and VirtualDub. For
a general listing of common open video file
formats, select Open from the File menu of
Windows Media Player and then click on the
down arrow for “files of type” located at the
bottom of the window.
Other video file formats are not published
and are considered trade secrets by the developer of the file format. These file formats
are referred to as proprietary file formats. Proprietary file formats are typically controlled
by the developer. As such, only a player specifically designed by the developer can play
back the proprietary file. Examples of proprietary file formats include GE Security’s .60d
file format accessible only through a program
called WaveReader and Image Vault’s .vls file
format accessible only through a program
called IVView Player.
File formats are a particular way that data is
encoded for storage in a computer file. A particularfile format is often indicated as part of
a file’s name by the file name extension. That
extension isseparated by a period from the
name and contains three or four letters that
identify the format. For example, a file named
“My Video File.avi” uses the file name extension AVI and the data most likely is encoded Once the file format is identified, the next
for storage utilizing the AVI file format.
step in examining digital video files is to view
thevideo. The completion of this step deThe file format is the first component to iden- pends on the identified file format. If the digitify when examining digital video files. Digital tal video file is a proprietary file format, then
video file formats can be classified as either the proprietary video player will need to be
open or proprietary.
located. If the digital video file is an open file
format, then the proper decoder will need to
Many video file formats have published spec- be located.
ifications that describe exactly how the data
is to beencoded. These file formats are re- Proprietary video players are often controlled
ferred to as open file formats. The benefit of by the developers of the proprietary video file
an open file format is that there are a wide format. They may only be available through
variety of multimedia players that can poten- the developer’s website or from the digital
tially play back thesefiles. This includes play- video surveillance system in which the file
ers like Windows Media Player, VLC Media originated. One resource for locating propri-
GEOX. With the FourCC, the codec needed to
decompress the video data in the file can be
located, downloaded, and installed. Once the
codec is installed, the multimedia player is
able to utilize the new codec to decompress
the video data. With the codec installed, the
video file should play back.
Codec information applications are used to
identify FourCCs in a video file. MediaInfo
(http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net/en) is an
example of a codec information application.
This program supplies technical information
about video and/or audio files including the
FourCC. Locating codecs by their FourCC can
be done through a simple Google search or
using the Media Geek community. The Media
Geek online resource also contains an alphabetical list of FourCCs. Currently there are 135
FourCCs listed on this site with information on
accessing and installing these programs.
While open video file formats can be played in
a wide variety of multimedia players, it does
not ensure that the video data will actually
play back. Open file formats establish how the
data is to be encoded for storage but not how
the video is to be compressed when stored. In
order to view the video in an open file format,
the multimedia player needs to decompress
the video data for viewing. To decompress the
video data, the multimedia player needs ac- Playing back a digital video file is often the
cess to something called a codec.
greatest challenge in analysis. From open to
proprietary file formats, challenges with coCodecs are small computer programs that are decs, and the sheer volume of variety with
capable of decompressing video data. DVD- each, it is no wonder every video file doesn’t
systems, satellite and digital broadcast sys- play back seamlessly. Now armed with a basic
tems, and, of course, video files from digital understanding of video file formats and comvideo surveillance systems all use codecs. The pression you should now be able to pinpoint
purpose of a codec is to compress the video the obstacle blocking your view!
data so that it takes up less storage space. A
good codec provides high visual quality with Dorothy Stout is a recognized subject matter
small file sizes. Many developers have tried to expert in the field of Digital Video and brings
achieve this goal and therefore there are hun- over a decade of experience in working video
dreds of codecs available. The video file re- cases and developing and delivering forensic
ceived for examination could have been com- training. Dorothy is President and CEO of Resopressed with any one of those codecs.
lution Video, Inc. For more information including a list of upcoming training visit http://www.
If an open file format will not play backing a resvid.com.
multimedia player, then the next step is to
identify the codec used to compress the video
data. The codec used in an open file format is
identified in the header of the file. This identification of the codec in the header is termed the
FourCC which stands for Four Character Code.
Examples of FourCCs include CVID, CRAM, and
Cracking the Digital Code
etary players other than the aforementioned is
a forensic multimedia community called Media-Geek. This member’s only resource located at http://www.media-geek.com includes a
detailed listing of proprietary file extensions
and information on accessing the related proprietary players. Membership is open to all
Government and some private sector analysts
whose current duties include forensic analysis
of multimedia evidence. Once the proprietary
video player is located, it can be used to play
back the proprietary video file.
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Basic Crime Scene School
16
Look for the 2011 Basic and
Advanced Crime Scene School
coming in August
Advanced Crime Scene School
If you are interested in applying for the Crime Scene
Certification through the International Association for
Identification, contact the Iowa Crime Scene Certification
Committee Chair, Scott Lanagan.
17
Shell Ejection Studies
New report underscores credibility of Force
Science’s shell-ejection studies
Contrary to persistent myth, where a cartridge case lands when it’s ejected from a semiautomatic pistol is not a
reliable indicator of where the shooter was standing when the gun was fired.
That fact has been scientifically confirmed by the Force Science Institute in a series of research experiments
starting back in 2004. “Yet some investigators and firearms experts continue to use the location of spent casings
as critical reference points in reconstructing shooting scenes,” says FSI’s executive director, Dr. Bill Lewinski.
“In the most tragic instances, this spurious ‘evidence’ has been cited in court to challenge officers’ statements
about where they were positioned in controversial officer-involved shootings. And when such testimony is accepted as dependable, officers can suffer grave injustices.”
[One example of a trial in which cartridge-case placement became a pivotal issue involved Arizona officer Dan
Lovelace, whose courtroom ordeal, firing, and painful aftermath were covered in Force Science News transmissions #1 and #129 (Click here to go to the FS News Archive) This case is also thoroughly critiqued in the Institute’s course for certification in Force Science Analysis.]
Now it will be easier for conscientious investigators, expert witnesses, and police attorneys to refute outmoded
concepts about the importance of shell placement. Force Science findings on this subject have recently been
given enhanced credibility with the publication of a peer-reviewed report on the Institute’s unique work in an
academic journal, validating that the research methods employed were sound.
In a detailed article titled “Fired Cartridge Case Ejection Patterns from Semi-automatic Firearms,” authored by
a research team led by Lewinski, the current issue of Investigative Sciences Journal showcases the emphatic
results from one of FSI’s studies, involving more than 7,600 rounds cycled through the 8 pistol models most
commonly carried by LEOs. [Click here for the full article.]
These tests, the report states, “highlighted significant inconsistencies of spent cartridge-case ejection, compared
to what is commonly expected and accepted.
The Journal is edited by Dr. James Adcock of the University of South Carolina and Dr. Henry Lee of the University of New Haven, with an editorial board of scholars from other institutions of higher learning in the U.S. and the
United Kingdom. FSI’s research, Adcock states in an editor’s preface, “will be extremely helpful to those tasked
with reconstructing shooting incidents.”
LASD STUDY. The featured study was conducted in California at a range operated in “a small sheltered valley”
by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept. Forty-five deputy volunteers participated. They ranged in age from 22
to 50 and had from 2 months’ to 28 years’ LE experience.
Collectively, they fired 7,670 Winchester or Federal rounds from 9mm, .40-cal., and .45-cal handgun models:
S&W 5906, Glock 17, Glock 21, Glock 23, Sig Sauer 226, Sig Sauer 229, H&K USP, and Beretta 92FS. These
pistols are all designed to eject empty cases to the right rear.
18
Each deputy fired multiple rounds with gun held in 11 different positions. These covered a broad range of postures and manipulations: 1- and 2-handed grips at eye and waist levels while standing still and while turning;
an awkward, improper 2-handed hold that an officer might unintentionally achieve in rushing to get on target;
inward, angled cants that sometimes occur when rotating and shooting; muzzle angled downward at a 22-degree
angle and upward at 45 degrees; and so on.
All positions and movements studied have been “performed by police officers in dynamic, rapidly unfolding life-and-death
shooting situations,” as discerned from investigations of OISs across 30 years, Lewinski says.
When shooting, each deputy stood by a stake in the center of a 30-ft. x 30-ft. test site, which was covered to a depth of 3
inches with carefully leveled, fine-grain river sand. “This reduced the bounce factor of the ejected cases to nearly zero,” Lewinski explains.
The 900-sq.-ft. area was gridded with colored string into 1-ft. square sections. To further pinpoint where ejected cases landed,
researchers used transparent plastic templates with 1-in. grid marks that could be inserted into any square where cartridges
fell.
The weather was “hot and still each testing day, so wind was not a significant factor in the test results,” Lewinski says. An
earthen bluff served as a backstop for the shooting.
FINDINGS. “The results of this study demonstrated how unpredictable spent cartridge casing ejection patterns are,” the
Journal report declares. The researchers documented “significant variability and uncertainty” about where a spent case “would
come to rest” when ejected, the report says, emphasizing “the imprecision of identifying shooter location based solely on the
location of a spent cartridge casing.”
For tabulation purposes, the gridded test area was divided into 4 quadrants that pin-wheeled around the shooter’s stake: right
front and rear, and left front and rear. Lumping all test positions and firearms together, 73.6 percent of the spent cases fell into
the quadrant right and rear of the shooter’s position.
“This confirms what experts cite as the location that spent cartridge casings should land in when ejected from the firearms
used in this study,” the researchers note.
However, they point out, this means that over 2,000 casings--a significant 26.4 percent of those fired during the study--landed
outside the anticipated “correct” area. Indeed, consistent with previous Force Science studies, cases fell within the entire 360
degrees--all 4 quadrants--surrounding the shooting position. The final resting places of some cases were more than 20 feet
apart. And even those that settled within the right-rear quadrant were scattered widely within that area’s 225-sq.-ft. dimensions.
“This illustrates how using the placement of a single spent cartridge casing to determine shooter location is not as precise as it
may seem,” the researchers write. At best, casing location can “lead to only a tentative estimate of the shooter’s location.”
The posture that most often produced the traditionally expected right-rear result was the idealized training position: the “proper” 2-handed grip with arms extended and weapon uncanted and horizontal to the ground at eye level. When shots were fired
from that position with the shooter stationary, ejected cases ended up in the right-rear quadrant 97 percent of the time. Even
then, however, at least some rounds still landed in each of the other quadrants around the shooter.
Other positions produced more marked variances from the “norm.” For example, when a pistol was held down at a 22-degree
angle and cantilevered in, as might easily occur during dynamic movement in a gunfight, less than 30 percent of expended
casings landed to the right and rear of the shooter. The heaviest concentration (nearly 44 percent) ended up in the left-rear
quadrant in that posture. Some 18 percent landed in the right-front.
“Changing the firearm position drastically changed the spent cartridge-casing pattern,” Lewinski says.
CONCLUSIONS. Data from the study were exhaustively analyzed, determining ejection results according to ammunition and
(Conitnued on Page 20)
Shell Ejection Studies (continued)
make and model of weapon, as well as by stance and movement. Full details were too exhaustive to be included in the Journal report, but Lewinski states that “the only consistency is the inconsistency of where spent
shells landed, whatever variable was under scrutiny.
“Unlike the relatively calm and precise gun-handling of range shooting, which results often in patterns as they
are expected to occur, a real-life gunfight is almost certain to be complex, rapidly unfolding, time-pressured,
and life-threatening, with very different grips, stances, movements, and angles of weapon deployment brought
into play,” Lewinski says.
“Each person holds and fires a gun in his or her own idiosyncratic fashion under those conditions. The variables of human dynamics are usually unknown after the fact. Yet they impact profoundly on cartridge-case
placement.
“In shooting investigations, it is imperative to obtain the most accurate shooter location that can be determined
from the evidence. A shooter’s location can be vital in understanding how an encounter evolved. But investigators and others attempting to reconstruct a shooting event must understand that relying solely on where a spent
shell is found to determine a shooter’s firing position can be a severely flawed method.
“Hopefully the publication of this study in a peer-reviewed journal will help in burying that dangerous mythology
for good.”
Besides Lewinski, the research team authoring the new report includes Force Science Advisor Dr. William Hudson; David Karwoski, formerly on the law enforcement faculty at Minnesota State University-Mankato now serving as a leadership advisor to the Iraq government; and Force Science Research Assistant Christa Redmann.
To read other articles of interest, including fascinating case histories, you can access past issues of Investigative Sciences Journal free of charge at: [http://www.investigativesciencesjournal.org/issue/archive].
Reprinted with permission from Force Science News, a twice monthly e-newsletter provided as a free service
by the Force Science Institute. To sign up for a complimentary subscription, please e-mail: [email protected]
4N6 is the official publication of the Iowa Division of the
20
International Association for Identification and is published biannually.
Editorials, case studies, announcements and technological applications
may be submitted to David Billings; Editor/Webmaster - 411 SW
Ordnance, Ankeny, IA 50023. (515) 289-5252. Fax (515) 289-9124.
Email: [email protected]. The Iowa I.A.I. reserves the right to
edit submitted materials when necessary. Digital images are preferred.
Procedures, applications, and/or techniques described in articles
contained in this publication should be undertaken only after careful
review and sound precaution. Portions of this newsletter may be
reproduced with reference to 4N6 and the author.
2011 Marijuana Identification Training Course
Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Laboratory
Dates: March 28-31, 2011 (tentative)
Location: Iowa Laboratory Facilities
More Information: www.iowaiai.org
Upcoming Training
American Academy of Forensic Sciences 2011 Annual
Meeting
American Academy of Forensic Sciences
Dates: February 21 – 26, 2011
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21
Chris Kauffman
Thank
You !
Chris recently retired from his position
on the Iowa IAI Board of Directors.
He has served the Iowa IAI in many
different ways for many years. Chris’
knowledge and experience will continue to be a great resource for this organization in the future.
Thank you Chris for your many years
of service, hard work and dedication
to the Iowa IAI and the Board of Director.
Iowa IAI Board of Directors
22
Iowa Division of the
International Association for Identification
www.iowaiai.org