Volume 8 Issue 1 January 2002

The Scene The Association For Crime Scene Reconstruction 7800 Lotus Drive Anchorage Alaska, 99502 WWW.ACSR.ORG

There was lots to see and do at the Las Vegas conference. Here new president, Rod Inglert is getting a demonstration. If you were not able to attend you missed a good time. For more information about the conference see the President’s letter and the minutes on the following pages. Start making plans to attend next years conference in Colorado. It is sure to be interesting and

educational.

Officers and Board 2002 Rod Englert, President Forensic Consuilants, Inc. P.O. Box 605 West Linn, OR. 97068 (503) 656-0953 englert@europa.com Kim Duddy, President-Elect Washington State Police Crime Lab 610 3rd Ave., 2nd Flr PSB Seattle, WA 98104-1824 (206) 464-7074 Roy Heim, Past President Tulsa Police Department 600 Civic Center Tulsa, OK 74103 (918) 596-9156 Rheim@ci.tulsa.ok.us Mike Meislish, Treasurer Membership Chair Phoenix Police Department 620 W. Washington St. Phoenix, AZ 85003 (602) 438-0134 Mike.Meislish@phoenix.go Iris Dalley, Secretary Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation 701 W. Carl Albert Parkway McAlester, OK 74501 (918) 423-6672 IrisD@osbi.state.ok.us Russell “Buzz” Busby, Board Member Kay/Noble County D.A.’s Office Kay County Courthouse

210 S. Main Newkirk, OK 74647 (580) 762-1480 busbyinv@poncacity.net Joe Foster, Board Member Albuquerque Police Department 400 Roma N.W. Albuquerque, NM 87102 (505) 768-2259 Jfoster@cabq.gov Tom J. “Grif” Griffin, Board Member Criminal Investigator Colorado Bureau of Investigation 690 Kipling, Suite 4000 Denver, CO 80215-3000 (303) 239-4276 Tom.Griffin@cdps.state.co.us Cal Jennings, Board Member Colorado State University 20102 Backhorn road Bellvue, CO 80512 (970) 491-7360 Calvin.Jennings@colostate.edu Tom Bevel, Historian TBI Consulting and Training, Inc. 1827 Crestmont Street Norman, OK 73069 (405) 447-4469 tbevel@mmcable.com Alex Jason, Board Member Shooting Incident Reconstruction P.O. Box 375 Pinole, Ca 510-724-1003 Fax 510-724-0733 ajason@projectile.com

ON THE INSIDE Letter from the President Minutes from Las Vegas training conference Reconstruction of “Officer Involved Shooting” Alternate light source you can afford

Tips and Tricks This is a new area to The Scene, which will feature an evidence collection process or technique. The submittal should be no more than two pages including photographs, if any and address one small portion of a technique. Example: Use of fill flash in crime scene photography. See inside this article for more details.

ASSOCIATION OF CRIME SCENE RECONSTRUCTIONISTS

PRESIDENT’S LETTER It is an honor to accept the position as President of the Association for Crime Scene Reconstruction. At our recent training conference in Las Vegas, an attendee stated she has been to a lot of conferences, but never one with a friendlier group of people. That is quite a compliment to all of you who were present. We are a friendly group, and very serious about our service to justice and law related matters. Our conference in Las Vegas was a success in spite of our country’s recent horrific events. The speakers were interesting and some challenging to our future in reconstruction efforts. The unfortunate part of the conference, though, was the absence of our outgoing President, Roy Heim. For those of you unaware, Roy was activated to New York City where he and Mrs. Heim worked under the auspices of the Department of Health and Human Services, National Disaster Medical System. Both spent two weeks assisting in recovery and identification efforts, working over 12-hour shifts every day. Our hats are off to Mr. and Mrs. Heim and many other ACSR members who were activated. They include members of the FBI, NCIS and military at the Pentagon. You are the silent heroes. We missed all of you and welcome you back to our next conference. Our next conference will be held in the Denver, Colorado area in 2002, some time between August and December. That date will be selected as soon as possible by our Program Chair, Tom “Grif” Griffin and his Co-Program Assistants Cal Jennings and Tom Adair. During the Las Vegas conference, Tom was able to report on potential speakers that will be contacted. You will enjoy what Tom Griffin and his associates put together. We strive to bring to the forefront up-to-date and current information. For those wanting to present a case in an informal atmosphere, remember the “Last Piece Society,” which will be held during the evening. Many interesting, unusual and humorous cases were presented in Las Vegas, and it was well attended. The Last Piece Society may be just the presentation you would like to share with the group. It is a fun time. I want to announce the appointment of Capt. Bill Gifford from Anchorage as our Editor of The Scene. Shirley Warner, who is the Chief of Police in Soldotna, Alaska, has agreed to assist in this most valuable task. In addition to Capt. Gifford, I’ve appointed five captains to motivate and cheerlead others to become active in the association through articles in The Scene publication, paper presentations, and committee work. The captains are Malcolm Fletcher in the U.K., Joe Slemko in Canada, Pamela Barnes on the West Coast, Paul Schuh in mid-America, and Don Steinhice on the East Coast. Our captains are very qualified in dealing with others, and they bring the best out in each of us. When they contact you, work with them and contribute your knowledge and talents. We need articles for the newsletter. Please take the time to submit an article. Case reviews, scene techniques, thoughts and opinions are welcome. Don’t feel like you can’t do it. You write reports all the time. So please send in those articles. Mail them to The Scene, send a disk or e-mail to bgifford@ak.net

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2001 ACSR Business Meeting 10 October 2001

The 2001 ACSR Business Meeting was held at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The meeting was called to Order by Past-President ROSS GARDNER. Old Business Secretary IRIS DALLEY reported that the previous Minutes had been published in The Scene. Those Minutes covered the 2000 Business Meeting and Board of Director’s meetings except recent conference calls. The conference calls were in reference to planning the 2001 Conference. GUY PIERCE made a motion that the Minutes be accepted. LARRY RENNER seconded the motion. GARDNER called for a vote on the motion. The motion passed. Treasurer MIKE MEISLISH reported that ACSR currently has $19,198.81. The current financial situation is good. ACSR had 469 members listed, but 110 members may be dropped for non-payment of dues for 2 or more years. There were 65 conference attendees out of the 71 registrations received. CAL JENNINGS made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report. RAY KUSUMI seconded the motion. GARDNER called for a vote on the motion. The motion passed. KIM DUDDY reported no issues and no actions taken by the Ethics Committee since the 2000 Conference. DALLEY reported that no amendments are recommended by the By-Laws Committee at this time. Consideration is still being given to changing the voting procedures to include members not present at the Conference. There was no report on the newsletter. This item was passed to New Business. GARDNER asked for old business from floor. There being none, he called for new business. New Business GARDNER had announced the nominations from the Nominating Committee at the Luncheon, and had asked the attendees to bring any other nominations to the Committee or Board of Directors. DALLEY had agreed to continue as secretary. GARDNER called for other nominations. ALEX JASON made motion to close nominations. BOYD MIZE seconded the motion. GARDNER called for the vote. DALLEY was elected. MEISLISH had agreed to continue as treasurer. ALEX JASON opened discussion by commending MEISLISH for the wonderful job he has done and the great energy he has shown in organizing all the files and materials he received in this position. GARDNER stated that finances have been in a state of flux for the past two years with LARRY OSLON and DOUG PERKINS working together. ACSR finances were not good after the Kansas City Conference, and ACSR had to take loans at that time. All debts have been paid and ACSR is currently “in the black.” Motion was made and seconded to close nominations, and MEISLISH was elected. Three Board Member positions were open. KIM DUDDY’s and RUSSELL BUSBY’s 2-year-terms expired. DANIEL HOLSTEIN had resigned his position at mid-term, leaving a 1-year unexpired term. There were 7 nominations for Board Member. GARDNER asked each nominee to introduce themselves and why each wants to serve on the Board. RAYMOND KUSUMI has been with the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab since 1984. His expertise includes drug lab, trajectory analysis, shooting reconstruction, firearms and toolmarks, crime scenes, and locksmith. He is a member of the American Academy and Northwest Association of Forensic Scientists. He has served on committees for other organizations, but is not currently involved and would like to invest energy and time in ACSR. JAMES BELL of Pasadena, Texas, has been in the business for 10 years and is a detective. He is a member of several organizations but enjoys ACSR the most and wants to be more involved . CAL JENNINGS has worked in anthropology for 10 years doing recovery and research. He has served on the Board of Directors of IAI and other organizations. He brings a useful and broader perspective, and “academic for confusion.” JOE FOSTER is a detective for Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he is also a member of the crime scene team. He has been an officer for 18 years, and has worked crime scenes since 1992. He did a presentation at the Kansas City Conference. He enjoys the opportunity to serve and believes in this organization. He thanked all the nominees for a ‘clean campaign,’ and stated that all have the quality to carry this association to a higher level.

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ALEX JASON is an independent consultant. He has been a member of ACSR for about 10 years, and has served on the Board of Directors, is a Past President, Distinguished Member, and Fellow of ACSR. His goals are to help ACSR run well and to be a genuine benefit to its members. DENNIS OLSON has been in ACSR for 4 years. He is also a member of IABPA and Homicide Association. He has been a detective for 16 years, and has been court-qualified as an expert in bloodstain pattern analysis and crime scene reconstruction. He has worked several high-profile cases, wishes to share his experience to assist in extending advanced training, and will work hard to meet the goals of the association. He is interested in a 1-year term. DON STEINHICE works for the Baltimore State Attorney’s Office. He has been a detective for 37 years, and working homicides for 18 years. He is a member of IAI and other organizations. He is curious, has a thirst for knowledge, and wants to help everyone in ACSR. He is interested in a 1-year term. HERTIZ made a motion the nominations cease. TOM GRIFFIN seconded the motion. Motion passed. GARDNER called for a vote on the two 2-year positions. All nominees for the 2-year positions left the room. Members present voted for each nominee in turn. CAL JENNINGS was elected to a 2-year term as Board Member. Members present voted for each remaining nominee in turn. JOE FOSTER was elected to a 2-year term as Board Member. All nominees for 2-year terms returned to the room and the election results were announce. All nominees for a 1-year position (all nominees not elected to 2-year term, OLSON, and STEINHICE) left the room. Members present voted for each nominee in turn. ALEX JASON was elected to a 1-year term as Board Member. Nominations were open for President-Elect. The Nomination Committee nominated KIM DUDDY. GARDNER called for nominations from the floor. There were no nominations from the floor. LARRY RENNER made motion that nominations cease and DUDDY be elected by acclamation. CAL JENNINGS seconded the motion. The motion passed. GARDNER announced that at this time the mantle of responsibility is transferred to President ROD ENGLERT. ENGLERT was elected President-Elect at the 2000 Conference. ENGLERT commended GARDNER for doing a great job. There have been difficulties throughout this year, and ENGLERT gave credit to the Board of Directors and all who had assisted. He thanked the attendees for their patience. He will work for cost-effective and best interests of the membership. His phone number will be published and he promised to punctually return all calls. ENGLERT announced committee appointments. He asked DUDDY and GUY PIERCE to remain on the Ethics Committee, and DALLEY and JASON to remain as the By-Laws Committee. He asked JASON BELL, RAYMOND KUSUMI , DON STEINHICE, and DENNIS OLSON to serve as Nominating Committee, with STEINHICE as committee chairman. ELGLERT established a Conference Guidelines Committee to develop a policy manual for planning conferences. He appointed ROSS GARDNER and TOM GRIFFIN to this committee. ENGLERT asked GRIFFIN to discuss plans for the 2002 Conference. GRIFFIN reported that a site and dates have yet to be decided, but the 2002 Conference will be in the Denver area. Two years ago, JENNINGS and TOM ADAIR offered to host the conference. Plans for the 2002 Conference include a one-day theme of Necro Search. Two forensic botany presentations are planned, to focus on stomach contents and fecal material (last meal), and gravesites. Search overviews and approaches as well as case presentations are planned. Dr. Doberson will present “Black Widow of Colorado”. This case was featured on the televisions series “New Detectives.” The second day may have a trajectory theme, with JASON and others doing workshops and presentations. JENNINGS called for volunteers to present case studies, which have been the lively parts of our meetings. Members are encouraged to contact JENNINGS and GRIFFIN by email with ideas. It is better to have too many ideas than too few. Accommodations are being researched. Dates will be either in August or October. This information will be forwarded as soon as possible. ELGERT called for suggestions from the floor. Discussion was held on the possibility of repeating popular workshops during a conference. Discussion was held on getting participation from local agencies at the conference sites. This was noted at ACSR Conferences as well as conferences for other organizations. Ideas for notifying and inviting local agencies were discussed. DICK ROGERS, Evi-Paq, offered suggestions for attracting more vendors to the conferences.

ENGLERT opened discussion for the 2003 Conference. BUSBY offered Oklahoma City as a location for 2003. PAMELA BARNES offered Portland as a future site with a joint conference with Northwest Association of Forensic Scientists.

BRUCE MORAN suggested a future joint conference with California Association of Criminalists. Seattle, San Diego, Portland, and Albuquerque were also discussed. DUDDY asked to have Seattle withdrawn for consideration for 2003. GUY PIERCE stated that Albuquerque is hot in August, has the State Fair in September, and the hot air balloon contest in October, but could be considered at a later date. JASON made a motion that the 2003 Conference be held in Oklahoma City. JENNINGS seconded the motion. ENGLERT called for a vote on the motion. The motion passed. ENGLERT announced the appointment of WILLIAM GIFFORD as editor of The Scene. To assist in getting articles for The Scene, ENGLERT appointed “captains” to serve as a call committee to encourage people in their area to submit papers, cases, and information for publication. “Captains” are PAM BARNES from Oregon for the west, PAUL SCHUH from Illinois for the mid-west, DON STEINHICE from Maryland for the east, and MALCOLM FLETCHER from the United Kingdom for international. ENGLERT announced that ROY HEIM had delayed publication of The Scene due to ACSR being in a state of financial flux. HEIM has several articles ready to publish, and these will be forwarded to GIFFORD. GARDNER announced that ACSR had met 86% of the contracted room registrations. The contract called for a minimum of 80% registrations to avoid being assessed a penalty. ENGLERT asked if there are new member applications, which need to be brought to a vote. He noted that Membership Chair ELAINE TAYLOR was not at the Conference. DALLEY reported that all applicants published have been voted by the Board of Directors. New applicants will be published in The Scene, to allow for review by the membership, prior to being voted. BUSBY reported that, per HEIM’s request, he has been working on a new design for the ACSR brochure, which he will present to the Board. ENGLERT called for other new business. There being none, MEISLISH made a motion to adjourn. ROBERT FROESE seconded the motion. ENGLERT called for a vote on the motion. The motion passed. The meeting was adjourned.

Entertainment ACSR style. Here Ross Gardner, Bruce Moran and Rod Englert do their imitation of speak no evil, hear no evil and see no evil. Well!!!! What do you expect for a no cover charge lunch show anyhow?

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The following is a paper based on a presentation given at the Atlanta 2000 ACSR meeting. There were

some errors in the April edition of The SCENE. Therefore the presentation is printed here in its entirety. The Editor

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY RESOLUTION OF AN OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING

By Lawrence Lee Renner, CST Santa Fe City Police

Background In May 1998, the Santa Fe City Police Department received a BOLO from the Waco City Police Department, Waco, Texas, regarding a Waco resident with military background, who was accused of sexual assault on his wife. The wife was reportedly in hiding and the Santa Fe Police Department was alerted to be on the lookout for the husband who might be en route to the Santa Fe area where his son was attending a private college. The son was apprehended by the suspect and driven around for numerous hours during which time attempts were made to learn the location of the missing wife. The son escaped during a stop for gasoline and returned to campus. The campus security and the Santa Fe Police Department were alerted. Event/Action A possible sighting of the suspect was reported on the campus, centering on the chapel building. Santa Fe Police Department officers and dogs were dispatched to clear the building. The first floor was cleared and a police dog, his handler, and a second officer were sent to clear the second floor. The second floor consisted of a large area at the top of the stairs and a long hall with rooms exiting on both sides. The first two rooms on the right were restrooms. Both restrooms were long and narrow, extending from the entrance door to a length approximately three times the width. The first, men’s room, was cleared and the second, women’s room, was entered. From the hall a small anti-room with a book rack on the right wall and a metal wall with a swinging door was entered. The second area consisted of a sink on the right wall and a second metal, dividing wall with a swinging door. The third and last area consisted of a toilet on the right wall and a tampon dispenser on the inside of the metal wall. The three remaining walls were tiled. Upon entering the room, which was lit only by light entering from the hall door, the dog alerted. As the first inner, swinging metal door to the sink area was opened the dog went under the second inner swinging door and the officer/dog handler reported hearing one shot and seeing feet appear under the inner/second swinging door. The officer then reported firing his weapon into the inner metal wall while exiting the area. The second officer had remained in the hall, never entering the women’s restroom prior to shots being fired. A male individual, identified as the suspect/father, was located, alive but unresponsive, on the floor of the toilet area with a gunshot entrance wound to the right temple and exit on the left side of his head. He was transported to a local hospital/ICU where he expired seven days later. Processing Standard Operating Procedure requires any officer involved shooting incident be investigated by an outside agency. The New Mexico State Police, Crime Scene Response Team was called in to process and investigate the scene. I worked with this unit and served as a representative of the Internal Affairs Unit of the Santa Fe Police Department. Scene processing revealed two different weapons and ammunition. The suspect had a Colt .38 cal revolver using 158 grain round nose lead bullets, one of which had been fired. The officer was using a Smith & Wesson model 639 semi-auto 9mm with jacketed hollow point 147 grain + P Gold Dot ammunition. Standard crime scene processing included photographs and diagrams and the collection of spent casings and lead missiles. In addition, a bloodstain pattern examination of the wall behind the toilet (right hand wall from swinging entry door) revealed a high velocity impact spatter pattern from a relatively close distance with a central white

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metal wipe. The angle of impact was off from 90 degrees with the point of origin having been slightly toward the rear wall. The trajectory path of the bloodstain pattern was from across the width of the room. Five defects, with out-to-in orientation, were identified in the first swinging door. Six similarly orientated defects were identified on the inner wall. Laser trajectory studies resulted in identification of missile tracts through both the first swinging door and into the inner dividing wall. All of these tracks traveled with the length of the room. The victim remained under medical attention, Intensive Care Unit, for seven days before expiring. Upon the Office of the Medical Investigator examination, the entrance wound was stellate with black smudge discoloration on the external surface of the underlying skull. Both of these findings are consistent with contact/close contact gunshot wounding. By incorporating information gained from the three disciplines of bullet trajectory, bloodstain patterns, and pathology this case was brought to its most probable conclusion. Reconstruction Investigative Question Was the deceased the victim of a homicide by Police Officer? Opinion A: deceased was shot by Police Officer Opinion B: deceased was not shot Police Officer Event Segments / Event Issues

1. Contact Gun Shot Wound to head (autopsy report) 2. Head wound entered right temple and exited left rear (autopsy report) 3. Point of Origin on bloodstains was from across the room and slightly from the rear (scene). 4. Lead wipe near center of High Velocity Impact Spatter Pattern on wall behind toilet (scene) 5. Single shot was heard by officers prior to return fire (officer interviews) 6. One spent casing was located in deceased’s revolver (scene). 7. Officer fired six shots from his semi-auto (scene). 8. Six holes in inner wall, trajectory from entrance door direction(scene). 9. Absence of dog bites on deceased (autopsy report) 10. Only one wound (head) on deceased (autopsy report). 11. No blowback stains on either officer (officer interview). 12. Officer is right handed (officer interview). 13. Bloodstains (undetermined pattern) on dog (officer interview). 14. Deceased was alone in toilet area (officer interview).

Option A Contact Gun Shot Wound to head could have resulted from weapon being held by another person (1,2,3,4).

Option B Single shot was heard as dog entered toilet area (5,10,13). Contact GSW with entry from rear wall orientation is not consistent with right- handed assailant entering toilet area and firing (1,2,3,4,12). Contact GSW is not consistent with missile having passed through two metal walls prior to head impact (1,7,8). Deceased was alone in toilet area at time of incident (14). One of wall penetrating missiles would have had to make a 90 plus angle turn, in order to impact the decease’s head resulting in wall bloodstain pattern (3,7,8). Single shot was heard and one spent casing was located in deceased’s gun (5,6). Officer fired six rounds, six casings were located in the room, trajectory from direction of entrance door toward rear wall (7,8). Absence of bites on deceased is consistent with no attack by dog (9). Bloodstains on dog are consistent with Officer’s statement (13). No physical evidence (blow-back) is detected on the Officer to place him near a high velocity impact spatter event (11).

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Opinion as to the Most Probable Conclusion: The deceased suffered a self-inflicted Gun Shot Wound to head. Footnote:An Internal Affairs investigation cleared the officer but the wife has since sued the insurance Company, (but not the city/police department) claiming that the Officer killed her husband. Neither the civil trial has taken place, nor a settlement have been reached as of this writing.

Finding a Little Light Between a Rock and a Hard Place

By R.M. Gardner “A light! A light! My kingdom for a light!” No, despite what you might think that is not the cry of the Marlboro man in the middle of a nicotine fit. It is however, the typical sentiment of many a crime scene investigator. Clean white light is and always has been the single most important tool we bring to any scene. If we cannot see it, we cannot collect it. Unfortunately, most of us have experienced that “hard place,” the homicide scene with a single 40-watt bulb burning in a corner; or the nook or cranny in a scene where no light will fit and none shines; yet evidence abounds. Anyone with any level of scene experience understands what I’m talking about. Clean white light is truly an important tool, but with the advent of new technologies we now find alternate light sources just as important at the scene. Whether searching for hard to find evidence or using it to document such evidence, an alternate light source allows the crime scene investigator to achieve more than we ever thought possible. Ah, but now comes the rock – namely money! The cost of a true Alternate Light Source (ALS) is staggering to the typical small department or individual consultant. The low end ALS runs as much as $3000.00 and that only buys you a 150-watt quartz halogen device. From there the cost of an ALS climbs quickly, ranging as high as $16,000.00. Blue lights, although a functional and effective piece of equipment sell much cheaper, but fall short in several areas. First and foremost they provide only “blue light,” with a broad excitation filter (390-530nm). No clean white light for simple scene examination. No ability to tighten the excitation filter and narrow the bandwidth for specific purposes. This latter issue severely limits the blue lights usefulness to a general fluorescence search tool, which is exactly what they were designed for. Secondly, nearly every blue light on the market is powered by a quartz halogen light; in terms of illumination they are simply insufficient in instances that involve large areas.

Caught between cost and need, a literal rock and a hard place, what is one to do? Well if you’re as obstinate as I am, you decide to see if you can make an ALS of your own. Trust me, this is no task for the meek at heart.

I started by talking to the ALS manufacturers. They gave me a million and one reasons why they can’t bring down the cost and why it is technically impossible to create your own ALS. That presumed of course that they would even talk to you. In my search I found some of them so rude, that one can scarcely imagine these people actually sell things for a living. Nevertheless, I took what information I could glean and set out to see what could be done.

Alternate light sources are fiber optic instruments. The illuminator is more than just a fancy flashlight, it is an instrument that generates significant heat and has demanding circuitry. The typical off-the-shelf ALS has a Xenon or Metal Halide lamp, operating at around the 300 - 400 watt rating. Fiber optics abound in a number of other industries, but as I quickly found, wattage was the true stumbling block in terms of costs. Any attempt to find a fiber optic illuminator, operating at the 300-400 watt range, resulted in costs exceeding $2500.00 for the illuminator alone. Realizing the problem, I set out to locate any possible alternative. Although a number of smaller fiber optic illuminators existed (250 watts and under, generally with quartz halogen type bulbs) all appeared for the most part insufficient. That is until I found a new bulb technology called SolarcTM.

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SolarcTM lights are a product of Welch Allyn. They use low wattage metal halide arc lamps that deliver intense color corrected white light (5400K). The light is as close to true sunlight as you’re going to get. But the largest wattage I could locate in a SolarcTM lamp was 60 watts. Given the presumption that bigger is better, on first glance it appeared SolarcTM wouldn’t stand a chance. But in discussing the SolarcTM with the Welch Allyn engineers, I quickly discovered that a simple watt comparison meant nothing. The low wattage SolarcTM lamps produced light intensities easily comparable to a 300-350 watt Xenon bulb. Depending upon the delivery mechanism (the size of the liquid light guide) these SolarcTM bulbs could generate between 800-1250 lumens. An additional benefit of the SolarcTM bulb is that they last longer. According to Welch Allyn, a SolarcTM bulb would last up to ten times as long as a halogen bulb and five times as long as a Xenon bulb. The SolarcTM costs were another consideration. The high-end 60-watt SolarcTM sells for just about $1000.00, a significant savings compared to any comparable fiber optic illuminator.

Just when I thought I had solved my illuminator issue, I suddenly discovered an additional SolarcTM based lamp. This one was manufactured by FRS Omega of California, weighed less than 2.2 lbs and could operate from a belt carried battery for over an hour per-charge. Not only had I discovered a cheap, clean, intense white light but I found a portable one as well. The Omega 24 with the battery belt, although a less intense 24-watt light, sold for just under $1000.00. Comparing the intensity of the 24-watt SolarcTM against a $8000.00 ALS in a head to head test (both using fiber optic bundles) it was obvious that the SolarcTM was not quite as bright. Nevertheless it was well in the ballpark. Also evident in the test was the SolarcTM had a brilliant white light, far better than the blue tinged light evident in the ALS. I never got the chance to compare the 60 watt SolarcTM, but I have no doubt it would have been very nearly as bright as the “true” ALS. Ultimately portability won out over intensity and I chose the FRS Omega 24 over the larger 50-60 watt SolarcTM illuminators. Photographs 1 and 2 demonstrate the overall size and portability of the Omega 24 light source.

The light source is just one part of an ALS. The next concern was a delivery mechanism. The two options available were fiber optic bundles or liquid light guides (LLG). Fiber optic bundles were the cheaper of the two, but for a specific reason. Light transmission is significantly reduced in a fiber optic bundle due to what is referred to as packing fraction loss. Each individual fiber rod in the bundle is placed as close as possible to the next, but even with the state of our technology it is impossible to pack them without having what could best be described as dead spots. A fiber optic bundle may transmit only 40-50% of the original light. Liquid light guides however don’t suffer this problem. The light transmission in a LLG is usually up to 80% of the original light. The costs between the two are significant, liquid light guides are almost double the cost of a similar sized fiber optic bundle. Nevertheless due to their transmission ability, the LLG was the only way to go.

If you’ve ever used an ALS, you probably thought you were holding a fire hose in your hand. Most use an 8-10mm liquid light guide. There is a specific purpose to these larger diameter LLGs, the larger the LLG, the greater the transmission of light. Unfortunately, anything above 5mm in an LLG is way out of the ordinary in the fiber optic world. LLG manufacturers were incredulous that I wanted anything that big. I initially sought an 8mm LLG, but when faced with a 3 month special manufacturing window, I compromised and decided on a smaller off the shelf 5mm LLG.

With the illuminator and liquid light guide in hand, all I needed now were the filters I required and some mechanism for connecting it all together. The filters were really the least of the problem. Edmund Scientific offers narrow band excitation filters throughout the necessary spectrum. These are high quality filters more than capable of handling the heat issues that the techie’s informed me would way-lay my project. For my purposes the ALS needed three filters. I started with a standard wide band excitation filter (the same filter used in a typical blue light). My additional choices were a 365 nm (long wave UV), something I find helpful when examining bloodstain patterns and 455 nm, which is effective for viewing a fluorescein reaction. Cost of the filters varies, but they range from between $90.00 to $130.00 each. Filters come in several standard sizes and after considering how I would connect the components, I chose a 24mm filter. As you will see, the most effective way to put all the components together was to use a Mini-Maglight frame, which happens to correspond to the 24mm size.

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Connecting the dots was clearly my concern. How could I effectively mount the filters to the LLG? Given the size of the filters, an immediate solution I thought of was the small rubber protectors that go on the outer frame of a Mini-Maglight. These sell for about $4.00 a piece and simply slide over the Maglight head. The 24mm filters set in this item while still allowing the rubber protector to seat securely over the Maglight frame. Photograph 3 shows the flashlight head, filter and rubber protector broken down. Initially I intended to mount each individual filter in their own rubber protector and to change them out, simply slide them on or off over a single Mini-Maglight head mounted to the LLG. The problem in mounting the Maglight head and LLG together was that removing the Maglight reflector and inserting the LLG in its place was light inefficient and unstable. To solve this problem I pulled the reflector from the Maglight, and then drilled the center of the reflector (its all plastic construction) to the appropriate diameter of the LLG. See Photograph 4. This allowed the LLG to slip in and seat securely in the reflector.

The LLG however is flexible, with a convoluted metal sheath that encases the entire length. This sheath prevents excessive bending which can damage the LLG. But flexibility at the point of the Maglight connection created a problem of an unstable connection. To solve this dilemma I decided to take the full length of the Maglight frame (the portion normally holding the two AA batteries) and feed the LLG through this, creating a “handle” if you will. The only modification necessary was to remove the ‘guts” of the Maglight on the reflector end and then drill the opening to the required 11mm size. Once the LLG was fed into the Maglight frame, foam packing was added for stability at the base end and the end then sealed with a glue gun. The result was the Maglight frame with the LLG connector extending from it. See Photograph 5. As a result the Maglight head with the drilled out reflector screwed on perfectly, seating tightly with the LLG tip. The modification resulted in a solid, secure and lightproof seal. See Photograph 6.

Given this situation I also altered my prior idea and purchased a Maglight for each filter I intended to use. Each head was constructed as before, taking the head and drilling the reflector as necessary. Given the color combinations in Maglights, this also allowed me a quick and easy way to identify at a glance the nature of the filter I had. I used blue for a CSS filter (blue light), black for my 455nm and violet for my 365nm (UV).

All in all the costs for the project were as follows: Omega 24 light source $964.00 5mm Liquid Light Guide $370.00 Excitation Filters $220.00 3 Mini-maglights $30.00 3 Mini-maglight rubber rings $12.00 Total Costs $1602.00

The manufacturing required for the project was minimal and accomplished with a drill, one bit and a handheld hobby grinding tool. As discussed each reflector was drilled with a 9mm bit. Then using the hand-held grinding tool the reflector was opened up slowly to 11mm, just enough so the tip of the liquid light guide would fit in it. This process took about 10 minutes for each reflector. The plastic tip in the Mini-Maglight frame was removed with little effort by a pair of needle nose pliers (its the part that says Do Not Remove). This opening had to be ground out slightly to accept the tip of the liquid light guide. This was also accomplished with the hand-held grinder and took less than 5 minutes. Securing the liquid light guide to the Mini-Maglight frame took a few minutes, simply because I wanted to ensure that after the LLG was fed thru the Maglight frame, it centered properly. Obviously caution is appropriate when using the glue gun around the light guide. The glue won’t harm the sheath or exterior (in fact they are manufactured with similar glue), but the tip end of the LLG had to be protected from any possible contamination.

Adding filters in the future will be just as easy. Edmund Scientific and Mini-Maglights have been around a while and I expect they will be here for some time in the future. I can add a filter for a specific purpose at any time for under $140.00 and with less than ten minutes of effort.

What did I learn and gain through the process? Well I grant you my ALS isn’t quite on par with the big-boys, but it will more than suffice for the purposes I have. Photograph 7 shows the system in operation, with a blue light filter in standard room lighting. Trust me - no more worries regarding illumination. This system gives me a flexibility that my blue light couldn’t provide. It allows me to put clean white light where I need it in the scene as well as the ability to use specific bandwidths from the visible spectrum for more defined crime scene tasks. Additionally the small and portable Omega 24 offers me the ability to take the ALS anywhere and operate without concern of where the power is coming from. Photograph 8 shows the kit complete and stored in a Pelican brand hard case for protection.

Would I recommend this idea for everyone? Probably not, but if you have a specific need and you don’t have tons of cash laying about your home or department, this may be a viable alternative.

Photo 1. The Omega 24 with a Liquid Light Guide attached. For size note the ABFO scale in the foreground.

hoto 2. The Omega 24 and battery belt worn together. The battery belt will provide more than an hour Pof continuous operation of the light source.

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Photo 3. The excitation filter from Edmund Scientific (middle) sets inside a Mini-Maglight rubber protector (right side) which then slides onto the Mini-Maglight head (left). This securely holds the excitation filter in place without further effort.

Photo 4. The Mini-Maglight reflector is removed and then drilled to the required diameter. This piece is all plastic construction and is easily modified. This photo shows both sides of the reflector after modification.

Photo 5. The Mini-Maglight body after minimal modification slides over the liquid light guide, allowing the tip to extend out just the right amount. The modification includes removing a small plastic piece from the tip end of the Maglight frame, drilling the opening where the LLG tip extends from to an 11mm diameter.

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Photo 6. The completed modifications provide a secure light efficient wand. To change filters one simply unscrews the Mini-Maglight head and screws on another with the appropriate filter.

Photo 7. The Omega 24 provides significant illumination. This photo is with a CSS filter in standard room lighting. In a darkened room or poorly illuminated room the Omega 24 is more than adequate whether you’re using a filter or just for clean white examination light.

Photo 8. The entire kit containerized in a Pelican brand hard case for security. This was an additional $200.00 cost, but as with all sensitive and expensive equipment, well worth the price.

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This section is dedicated to snipits of evidence collection techniques. It may include a specific technique that you use and have found works well. We will share this information in each newsletter. Any topic is welcome - trace evidence, GSR’s, trajectories, diagramming and so on. It is not a lot of work so please send your ideas to The Scene.

Trace Evidence Collection

by Bill Gifford

Anchorage Police Department

This method allows for quick and easy trace evidence collection and benefits the laboratory examiner in completing examinations. Equipment needs: Lint roller, clear 81/2 X 11 document protector and marking pen Processing technique: To prevent the question of contamination, remove and discard the first layer from the lint roller. Grid the area then simply roll the surface. Remove the tape once it stops picking up debris.

Place the tape on a clear document protector and record the zone from which it was collected.

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If necessary more than one lift can be taken from one zone. Record each zone and lift number on the non-stick side of the lift. Laboratory examiners can search the lift for specific evidence, which is easily removed by opening the document protector.

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Hairs Fibers

I hope you have enjoyed this publication of the newsletter. The newsletter can only be as good as the articles provided. Please take the time to put something together for publication. Mail it on DISC if possible or e-mail to bgifford@ak.net The Editor

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