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Last week, we looked at a press release from Los Alamos National Laboratory regarding Micro-X-Ray Fluorescence (MXRF), a new latent print visualization technique that could hold new promise for non-destructive latent print recovery. 

This week Ed German relates a need in the Middle-East that you and your laboratory can help with:

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By ONIN.com Webservant on Friday, April 08, 2005 - 07:59 am (onin forum):

Your excess or old fingerprint supplies and equipment are needed to help refurbish Iraqi crime labs. If you have spare or excess magnifying glasses, powder, brushes, tape, lifters, fluorescent dyes, ninhydrin, DFO powder, PD, alternate light sources (220 volt or 110 volt), fuming hoods or other items you are replacing (or that are excess and taking up space in your storage room), it is requested that you donate those supplies/equipment to the Iraqi Police.

If you have chemicals/supplies that are outdated and cannot be used due to ISO or ASCLD/LAB accreditation restrictions (but are otherwise probably still good), this is an excellent opportunity to support a good cause that needs even less-than-best materials to get restarted. Items associated with everyday crime laboratory office work are also needed, including office supplies such as evidence tape, folders, envelopes, pens, staplers, and everything else you daily use.

Frequent readers of these postings may remember that a several years ago this forum carried a request for supplies/equipment to help refurbish forensic supplies in the Kosovo region (after police facilities were looted). This is a similar request to help Iraqi crime laboratories.

The US Army is working with the international coalition supporting the rebuilding of Iraqi Police Services (i.e., the Civilian Police Assistance Training Team or CPATT). Please mail or ship your crime laboratory supplies/equipment to the below address. Items will be consolidated and palletized for rapid shipment to Iraq enabling coordinated distribution.

The US Army Rapid Equipping Force (REF) is an organization that reports directly to the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army. The REF is currently working with the new Iraqi Ministry of Interior to help rebuild Iraq's Forensic Laboratory system. The REF works to rapidly increase mission capability while reducing risk to Soldiers and others. By helping restore Iraqi crime detection abilities, your donations will help reduce the risk to Iraqi Police, Iraqi citizens and all coalition force personnel working to help rebuild Iraq.

Concurrent with the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime (and Hussein's release of tens of thousands of criminals from prisons), the Iraqi national crime laboratories were looted. Equipment, supplies and fixtures were stripped from the laboratories, leaving little more than empty shells of buildings at most locations.

Equipment and supplies are also sought for all other forensic laboratory disciplines (Questioned Documents, Firearms and Toolmarks, Trace Evidence, Serology/DNA, Drug Chemistry, etc.).

Here is a link to a 144-page US State Department report (PDF document) on security and law enforcement in Iraq. The report includes information about some CPATT initiatives.

For further information, please email egerman@ref.army.mil

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Remember, the message board is always open: (http://www.clpex.com/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=2).  For more formal latent print discussions, visit onin.com: (http://www.onin.com)

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UPDATES ON CLPEX.com

Added seven new Smileys to the Smiley Files... Check them out!

Updated my CV online to reflect my new employer, Lockheed Martin / Department of Defense

Updated Ivan Futrel's new course dates for his fingerprint classes... go to Training and find his course pages.
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