Events

There are many forensic science service providers (FSSPs) with a genuine interest in initiating standards implementation within their organizations but, for a variety of reasons, have not been able to successfully launch an implementation program. This webinar is designed to provide attendees with a step-by-step tutorial to demonstrate the simplicity of the process and alleviate any concerns or anxiety that may be preventing them from moving forward.

The vision for this course is to introduce the basic concepts of Pettler's Murder Room death investigation methodology for law enforcement field application.

It is one thing to solve a murder case (proper suspect identification), but it's another to clear murder case (adjudication). Pettler's method, The Murder Room (TMR), is a systematic, scientific, multidisciplinary, crime scene-to-courtroom victim-centered approach to death investigation for crime scene investigators, detectives, coroners, prosecutors, and students that not only identifies the correct suspect and manner of death, but helps present the case in the courtroom. TMR's six-stage method is a team-approach to solving and clearing murders is all-inclusive; everyone's ideas and skill sets are relevant and paramount to success. With a 98% solvability rate, TMR is surprisingly easy to learn, easy to build at your location, and easy to use. This course introduces the TMR concept, provides an overview of its six stages and substages, matrices and metrics, its built-in fail safes, and legal applicability for 21st century death investigation today.

Victimology is the analytical study of the victim and research-based forensic victimology is the core of modern, sophisticated, investigatory practice in death cases. Victimology is not part of a death investigation; it is the core of scientific death investigation. The importance of conducting research-based forensic victimology within THE FIRST 48 hours of a death investigation cannot be understated. Research-based forensic victimology can help investigators avoid cases going cold, failure to identify violent offenders before they kill again, or the inability to prosecute when victims' “suicides”, “accidental”, “natural”, or “undetermined” deaths are later determined to be homicides and murders. This webinar introduces Pettler's Research-Based Forensic Victimology approach to preparing, conducting, and analyzing victimological information for crime scene investigators, detectives, coroners, and prosecutors.

Crime scene personnel should always be able to perform the most effective techniques when locating evidence that may help in the criminal investigation. To do this, the use of presumptive chemical tests and alternate light sources are important components of successful crime scene work. While some blood evidence may be easily visualized, sometimes this type of evidence is not.

The purpose of this three-day workshop is to introduce attendees to the different chemicals used to enhance bloodstains and patterns that are visible on crime scenes and evidence and also to detect blood that is unseen because the amount of blood is too small or because the blood has been removed in a cleaning of the scene. The use of chemical presumptive tests to determine if blood is present and if the detected blood is of a human or a nonhuman source will also be introduced.

Photographing chemical reactions to bloodstains and the use of infrared photography is also important and will be addressed in this workshop.

This workshop will be taught by a certified crime scene expert.

Crime scene photographs are the permanent record of a crime scene and are critical evidence in any case. This course is designed to teach students the correct way to compose crime scene photographs when documenting crime scenes, evidence, and people.

Students will be introduced to the cardinal rules of crime scene composition, review the exposure triangle, and learn how to avoid common issues in image composition. While some concepts are suited towards students with DSLR or mirrorless cameras, point and shoot camera users can also benefit from this course.

The Latent Print Sequential Processing and Preservation course includes comprehensive training in evidence collection and physical and chemical processing of latent print evidence as well as latent print photography. The course will provide both lecture material and hands-on practical exercises.

The purpose of this 4-day Discovering Trace Evidence workshop is to introduce attendees to the importance of trace evidence such as hair, fibers, soil, paint, accelerants, glass and gunshot residue in crime scene investigations and the ability to successfully locate this evidence through tools such as alternate light sources, document this evidence through advanced photographic techniques and effective collection for submission to the lab for analysis. Power points, lectures, interactive activities, and many hands-on labs will be implemented throughout the workshop to ensure all objectives are met.

Basic three day course participants will develop a comprehensive understanding of digital imaging concepts. This class covers Adobe Photoshop processing tools and functions.

This 36-hour comparison course is spread out over 10 days. The class meets six times online for lectures. Between lectures, participants will work independently to complete the comparison exercises. Successful completion of this course provides examiners thirty-six (36) approved training hours toward IAI Latent Print and Tenprint Certification/Re-Certification. This course is scheduled for April 8 – 18, 2024.

This 40-hour course is designed to instruct the proper methods and techniques to be applied when investigating and documenting crime scenes. Techniques that can be employed to identify and process and/or collect physical evidence at the scene will be covered.

The course is intended for crime scene technicians and investigators as well as patrol officers and detectives who are charged with the responsibility of processing crime scenes. University student and individuals seeking employment in the field of forensics are also welcomed to attend.

Within the field of forensic science, many agencies provide little training to the new supervisor or those who are looking to lead in the future. This Supervision of Forensic Units class is for those supervisors with lots of experience, to those who wish to be a wish to be a forensic supervisor one day. A depth of topics and hands-on material will give the student the information needed for today's leaders. 

This three day class will be a deep dive into the underutilized aspects of latent analysis. Go beyond font counting and target group searching. Learn how to understand and properly interpret level one information in every type of latent print . This class will make you a better more confident latent print examiner, no matter what experience level you are at.

This webinar is adapted from elements of the Analysis of Distortion in Latent Prints workshop that Alice has taught since 2006. In this webinar Alice will introduce basic concepts in contact mechanics (what happens to the skin when it makes contact with a surface) and the transfer of friction ridge features to impressions under four common circumstances. We will explore basic touches and evaluate the changes that occur with the overall size of a fingerprint, the ridge and furrow width, feature type, edge shapes, incipient ridges, and wrinkles/secondary creases. Further, we will explore anomalies and difficulties presented by skin that wobbles on the surface, double touches/overlays, and double taps. Numerous images and videos will be used to illustrate these commonly encountered distortions. While this class is titled “Basic”, this course covers some challenging interpretation issues related to tonal issues created when the skin wobbles on the surface, sources of false minutiae, and the illusion of continuity created by double touches and double taps.

This 40-hour course is designed combining theory, best practices, and real experiences as an intermediate level for several capacities of 1st Responders: Patrol Officers, Patrol Supervisors, Detectives, Crime Scene Investigators, Arson Investigators and Medicolegal Death Investigators. From the onset of the call for service through case preparation for court, we address the mindset to perform the work, the scene management, tried and proven positive techniques as well as negative experiences with lessons learned. Multiple practical exercises are conducted throughout the course.

Why can friction ridge impressions be used a means of identification? This webinar will unpack the important differences between the following responses:

1. “Fingerprints, palm prints, and footprints can be used as a means of identification because they are unique and permanent. Each fingerprint, palm print, and footprint in the world is unique and these prints remain unchanged from before birth until decomposition after death.”

2. “Impressions of the friction ridge skin are a valuable means of identification because of the nature of the skin itself and because of the comparison skills exhibited by trained examiners. As far as the skin is concerned, the features the friction ridge skin show remarkable variation in the population, which means these features can be used to tell one person from another. Many of the skin’s features are also relatively stable over time, which means they can be used to track a person from one year to the next. Most importantly, trained examiners demonstrate a high degree of accuracy when assessing these features to determine the source of a given friction ridge impression.”

The first response contains over-simplified statements that can be disputed with published research and glosses over one very important aspect of using prints as a means of identification – it requires an examiner! The second response can be supported with published research and avoids exposing an examiner to impeachment with published treatises during testimony.

While reflective infrared and ultraviolet photography techniques were discovered over 100 years ago, their use in forensics is not commonplace. This is due in part to the specialized equipment and techniques required to successfully capture useful images. This Forensic Ultraviolet & Infrared Photography course will demystify the practice of taking reflective infrared and ultraviolet photographs with digital cameras and will provide the student with skills he or she can use in their work to assist in the investigation of criminal activity.

The human eye cannot see light in the infrared and ultraviolet wavebands of the spectrum. However, the properties of these types of radiation make it possible to capture images that cannot be captured using visible light. This makes infrared and ultraviolet photography capable of capturing images that might otherwise never be seen. In some cases, these images could make or break the case.

This 4 ½ day workshop will link together the biological aspects of the skin (“morpho” of morphometric) with the geometry of the impressions of the skin (“metric” of morphometric). The estimated distributions of the features within the population will be evaluated using published research and exploring the degree of symmetry among twins and within individuals (bilateral symmetry). Assessing variation in appearance will take place along two lines of inquiry 1) skin variation due to time (e.g., aging, injury, disease) and 2) variation in appearance due to distortion during the recording of the skin on a surface.  Attendees will be able to make their own collection of distortion videos to reinforce the distortion concepts. Practical exercises will challenge the examiners to consider which features and their attributes are being compared and weighted and which distortion factors are most relevant for understanding the variation in appearance between two impressions that originated from the same source.

The 50th Anniversary Symposium held in Austin, Texas, in April 2023 was one for the record books: it was our highest attended Symposium ever! And so the wheel keeps turning as we prepare for our visit to Birmingham, Alabama, in April 2024. 

When responding to scenes where blood has been shed, it is essential for investigators to ensure that the patterns formed by bloodstains are preserved and documented. In cases where the scene will not be visited by a qualified bloodstain pattern analyst, the correct documentation of these bloodstains will permit this type of analysis to be performed later in the investigation. Improper documentation can lead to instances where no analysis is possible or where such analysis is less meaningful and useful.

This course is designed for the student who wants to learn how to correctly recognize, document, and collect bloodstains and bloodstain patterns for later analysis by a bloodstain pattern analyst. Students will be taught terminology, pattern recognition, and documentation methods that will ensure the possibility that the patterns can be reconstructed and analyzed at a later date. Classroom presentations are supplemented with practical exercises and hands-on activities.

This forty-hour workshop is designed to help get the training process started for new examiners by introducing them to the terminology and concepts necessary to become a latent print examiner. 

This Basic Latent Print Comparison workshop is designed to introduce the student to the science of latent print examination. It will provide the student with the basic knowledge, skills, and abilities to conduct comparisons as a latent print examiner. By knowing the history of latent print examination, the biology of the friction ridge skin, levels of friction ridge skin detail, and proper ACE-V methodology it will help the student become an expert in the latent print discipline.

This 40-hour Crime Scene Photography course teaches the techniques needed to successfully document evidence and scenes in a professional manner. The course begins with instruction of basic photographic techniques such as the mechanics of exposure, depth-of-field, and motion control. Camera handling and operation are stressed in all areas to include camera controls and how they work, electronic noise causes and controls, and much more. This course also includes instruction on basic electronic flash operation and techniques.

This 4 ½ day workshop will link together the biological aspects of the skin (“morpho” of morphometric) with the geometry of the impressions of the skin (“metric” of morphometric). The estimated distributions of the features within the population will be evaluated using published research and exploring the degree of symmetry among twins and within individuals (bilateral symmetry). Assessing variation in appearance will take place along two lines of inquiry 1) skin variation due to time (e.g., aging, injury, disease) and 2) variation in appearance due to distortion during the recording of the skin on a surface.  Attendees will be able to make their own collection of distortion videos to reinforce the distortion concepts. Practical exercises will challenge the examiners to consider which features and their attributes are being compared and weighted and which distortion factors are most relevant for understanding the variation in appearance between two impressions that originated from the same source.

This Courtroom Testimony for the Forensic Science Professional's course is designed to instruct proper testimony techniques to forensic science professionals, such as those employed in the fields of crime scene investigations, fingerprint analysis, and laboratory analysis.

Practitioners in these disciplines are frequently called upon to testify in court regarding the techniques, observations, and conclusions undertaken in their work. Often, they are requested to express opinions in their courtroom testimony, which is only possible when they are accepted by the court as expert witnesses. The goal of this course is to provide the students with the knowledge and practical experience necessary to successfully testify in a court of law as a forensic expert witness.

The first step in being accepted as a forensic expert witness is to survive the “voir dire.”
Students will learn how to prepare themselves and the concerned attorney(s) for this important initial step. The course will continue by covering techniques the witness can employ to more effectively explain scientific evidence to the judge and jury.

This comprehensive course is designed to train you to full competency as a latent print examiner. The program normally takes 9 months to complete, but must be completed within 2 years. Approved for 25 hours towards IAI Latent Print Certification.

This forty-hour workshop is designed to help get the training process started for new examiners by introducing them to the terminology and concepts necessary to become a latent print examiner. 

This Basic Latent Print Comparison workshop is designed to introduce the student to the science of latent print examination. It will provide the student with the basic knowledge, skills, and abilities to conduct comparisons as a latent print examiner. By knowing the history of latent print examination, the biology of the friction ridge skin, levels of friction ridge skin detail, and proper ACE-V methodology it will help the student become an expert in the latent print discipline.

The Fingerprint Evidence Processing, Collection, and Photography course includes comprehensive training in the mechanical and chemical processing of latent print evidence as well as two days of photography workshops that include specialized lighting techniques and use of forensic light sources to visualize and photographically record the evidence.

This 4 ½ day workshop will link together the biological aspects of the skin (“morpho” of morphometric) with the geometry of the impressions of the skin (“metric” of morphometric). The estimated distributions of the features within the population will be evaluated using published research and exploring the degree of symmetry among twins and within individuals (bilateral symmetry). Assessing variation in appearance will take place along two lines of inquiry 1) skin variation due to time (e.g., aging, injury, disease) and 2) variation in appearance due to distortion during the recording of the skin on a surface.  Attendees will be able to make their own collection of distortion videos to reinforce the distortion concepts. Practical exercises will challenge the examiners to consider which features and their attributes are being compared and weighted and which distortion factors are most relevant for understanding the variation in appearance between two impressions that originated from the same source.

We have a great slate of speakers and presentations to provide for you! See you all in Rock Hill! Can’t beat $100 for 4 days of training! ($200 for non-members)

This 4 ½ day workshop will link together the biological aspects of the skin (“morpho” of morphometric) with the geometry of the impressions of the skin (“metric” of morphometric). The estimated distributions of the features within the population will be evaluated using published research and exploring the degree of symmetry among twins and within individuals (bilateral symmetry). Assessing variation in appearance will take place along two lines of inquiry 1) skin variation due to time (e.g., aging, injury, disease) and 2) variation in appearance due to distortion during the recording of the skin on a surface.  Attendees will be able to make their own collection of distortion videos to reinforce the distortion concepts. Practical exercises will challenge the examiners to consider which features and their attributes are being compared and weighted and which distortion factors are most relevant for understanding the variation in appearance between two impressions that originated from the same source.

The purpose of this five-day workshop is to introduce attendees to proper documentation of blood-shedding events through photographic techniques, sketching components and proper collection of blood evidence so the reconstruction process can proceed. Attendees will also be introduced to different chemicals used to enhance bloodstains that are visible on crime scenes and evidence and also to detect blood that is difficult to visualize because the amount of blood is too small or because the blood has been removed by cleaning or altering of the scene. The use of chemical presumptive tests to determine if blood is present and to determine if the detected blood is of a human or a nonhuman source will also be introduced.

This Courtroom Testimony for the Forensic Science Professional's course is designed to instruct proper testimony techniques to forensic science professionals, such as those employed in the fields of crime scene investigations, fingerprint analysis, and laboratory analysis.

Practitioners in these disciplines are frequently called upon to testify in court regarding the techniques, observations, and conclusions undertaken in their work. Often, they are requested to express opinions in their courtroom testimony, which is only possible when they are accepted by the court as expert witnesses.

The goal of this course is to provide the students with the knowledge and practical experience necessary to successfully testify in a court of law as a forensic expert witness.

The first step in being accepted as a forensic expert witness is to survive the “voir dire.”
Students will learn how to prepare themselves and the concerned attorney(s) for this important initial step.

The course will continue by covering techniques the witness can employ to more effectively explain scientific evidence to the judge and jury.

This five-day (40 hour) course is intended for crime scene investigators/forensic technicians and detectives/investigators who are called upon to process crime scenes. Patrol officers who do not normally process crime scenes will benefit from this course especially if and when they are called upon to preserve and process a crime scene because the crime scene response personnel are unavailable. This course is not intended for those who have taken an advanced crime scene course except as a refresher.

This 40-hour Crime Scene Photography course teaches the techniques needed to successfully document evidence and scenes in a professional manner. The course begins with instruction of basic photographic techniques such as the mechanics of exposure, depth-of-field, and motion control. Camera handling and operation are stressed in all areas to include camera controls and how they work, electronic noise causes and controls, and much more. This course also includes instruction on basic electronic flash operation and techniques.

This 4 ½ day workshop will link together the biological aspects of the skin (“morpho” of morphometric) with the geometry of the impressions of the skin (“metric” of morphometric). The estimated distributions of the features within the population will be evaluated using published research and exploring the degree of symmetry among twins and within individuals (bilateral symmetry). Assessing variation in appearance will take place along two lines of inquiry 1) skin variation due to time (e.g., aging, injury, disease) and 2) variation in appearance due to distortion during the recording of the skin on a surface.  Attendees will be able to make their own collection of distortion videos to reinforce the distortion concepts. Practical exercises will challenge the examiners to consider which features and their attributes are being compared and weighted and which distortion factors are most relevant for understanding the variation in appearance between two impressions that originated from the same source.

At the Texas Division of the IAI, we’ve served forensic science professionals in Texas for over 80 years. With the creation of the TDIAI Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity, we can focus on educating forensic science professionals to improve and develop greater capabilities while also being able to advocate for forensic science professionals in the Great State of Texas!

This webinar is adapted from elements of the Analysis of Distortion in Latent Prints workshop that Alice has taught since 2006. In this course Alice will introduce the anatomical structures of the finger that influence the behavior of the friction ridge skin when it moves on a surface. After reviewing basic concepts and terminology in contact mechanics, attendees will learn how the skin behaves under four different types of shearing stress. For each type of shearing stress, the attendee will be able to view videos of the skin deforming as it slides on the surface and the resulting latent print. In the most complicated samples, Alice will demonstrate what happens when shearing stress is accompanied by changes in compressive stress or angle of contact. Important lessons from this webinar include 1) sources of missing or false minutiae and 2) how the effects of shearing stress lead to incorrect interpretation of deposition pressure.

This 40-hour course is designed to instruct the proper methods and techniques to be applied when investigating and documenting crime scenes. Techniques that can be employed to identify and process and/or collect physical evidence at the scene will be covered.

The course is intended for crime scene technicians and investigators as well as patrol officers and detectives who are charged with the responsibility of processing crime scenes. University student and individuals seeking employment in the field of forensics are also welcomed to attend.

We are excited to announce our 2024 Educational Conference Location – Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown – MISSOULA, MONTANA!

Alternate Light Sources (ALS) are tools that can permit investigators to locate, process, and photograph otherwise invisible evidence. Understanding how these devices work is helpful in applying them correctly at the crime scene or in the laboratory.

This Alternate Light Source Workshop course begins with a discussion of the properties of light and luminescence and culminates in the use of the ALS to visualize and photograph items of evidence. A review of basic photography and the use more advanced photographic techniques to optimize image quality will be included.

This course is designed for crime scene investigators, technicians, and detectives who have a moderate level of experience working in the field of crime scene investigations.

This Basic Latent Print Comparison workshop is designed to introduce the student to the science of latent print examination. It will provide the student with the basic knowledge, skills, and abilities to conduct comparisons as a latent print examiner. By knowing the history of latent print examination, the biology of the friction ridge skin, levels of friction ridge skin detail, and proper ACE-V methodology it will help the student become an expert in the latent print discipline.

Comprehensive and accurate analysis of evidence will make or break a case, and it ultimately determines if justice is served, whether the case is a property crime, assault, or death investigation.

Investigative Analysis and Crime Scene Reconstruction is a challenging, forty hour course, designed by veteran field experts for detectives, crime scene investigators, evidence technicians, and others involved in crime analysis. Through both lecture and practical exercises, investigators expand their skill sets by learning and practicing accepted, tested methodologies for objective analysis of evidence. This is not a crime scene processing course; it is, rather, an exploration of expanded ways of thinking about information and evidentiary relationships in investigations.

Learn, perform and explain advanced concepts of Adobe Photoshop.

The Fingerprint Evidence Processing, Collection, and Photography course includes comprehensive training in the mechanical and chemical processing of latent print evidence as well as two days of photography workshops that include specialized lighting techniques and use of forensic light sources to visualize and photographically record the evidence.

In this webinar we will look at many ways the ridges and furrows stray from this ideal condition. We will first discuss the composition of latent print residue (it is NOT 98-99% water as many of us were told). We will then discuss the different ways residue can be distributed across the surface of the skin and how this distribution matters when a surface is touched. After contact with a surface has been made, the manner in which the skin slides through the residue wreaks all kinds of havoc on the tone of the ridges and furrows – we will explore the many visual anomalies associated with movement. Lastly, we will discuss the impact of surfaces that already have contaminants and how this affects the transfer of residue, and consequently the appearance of the ridges and furrows.

This course will use three regions of the friction ridge skin to demonstrate the difficulty with exclusions: extreme tips of fingers, extreme edges of fingers, and impressions from proximal and medial phalanges. These regions will illustrate the importance of understanding the completeness of exemplar prints. In addition to these problematic areas of the friction ridge skin, Alice will demonstrate same source samples that would likely result in a high false exclusion rate. Attendees should leave this webinar with a better grasp of why the false exclusion rate will likely always be higher than the false identification rate.

This 4 ½ day workshop will link together the biological aspects of the skin (“morpho” of morphometric) with the geometry of the impressions of the skin (“metric” of morphometric). The estimated distributions of the features within the population will be evaluated using published research and exploring the degree of symmetry among twins and within individuals (bilateral symmetry). Assessing variation in appearance will take place along two lines of inquiry 1) skin variation due to time (e.g., aging, injury, disease) and 2) variation in appearance due to distortion during the recording of the skin on a surface.  Attendees will be able to make their own collection of distortion videos to reinforce the distortion concepts. Practical exercises will challenge the examiners to consider which features and their attributes are being compared and weighted and which distortion factors are most relevant for understanding the variation in appearance between two impressions that originated from the same source.

This 4 ½ day workshop will link together the biological aspects of the skin (“morpho” of morphometric) with the geometry of the impressions of the skin (“metric” of morphometric). The estimated distributions of the features within the population will be evaluated using published research and exploring the degree of symmetry among twins and within individuals (bilateral symmetry). Assessing variation in appearance will take place along two lines of inquiry 1) skin variation due to time (e.g., aging, injury, disease) and 2) variation in appearance due to distortion during the recording of the skin on a surface.  Attendees will be able to make their own collection of distortion videos to reinforce the distortion concepts. Practical exercises will challenge the examiners to consider which features and their attributes are being compared and weighted and which distortion factors are most relevant for understanding the variation in appearance between two impressions that originated from the same source.

This 4 ½ day workshop will link together the biological aspects of the skin (“morpho” of morphometric) with the geometry of the impressions of the skin (“metric” of morphometric). The estimated distributions of the features within the population will be evaluated using published research and exploring the degree of symmetry among twins and within individuals (bilateral symmetry). Assessing variation in appearance will take place along two lines of inquiry 1) skin variation due to time (e.g., aging, injury, disease) and 2) variation in appearance due to distortion during the recording of the skin on a surface.  Attendees will be able to make their own collection of distortion videos to reinforce the distortion concepts. Practical exercises will challenge the examiners to consider which features and their attributes are being compared and weighted and which distortion factors are most relevant for understanding the variation in appearance between two impressions that originated from the same source.

Crime scene documentation is an important component of investigative work. Proper documentation of crime scenes can assist in reconstruction, the use of experts and in trial testimony. However, in doing so, crime scene personnel face many challenges in photographing scenes. These include low light, use of advanced equipment and chemicals.

This comprehensive 40-hour crime scene photography workshop will provide lectures, power points, hand out materials and many hands-on practicums to ensure all objectives are met. The course is designed for students of basic to intermediate skill level.

Attendees will review the 2018 OSAC proposed standard “Standard for Friction Ridge Examination Conclusions” and Glenn will outline how to introduce and implement this standard into ISO accredited procedures. We will explore the importance of qualitative versus quantitative results, relative magnitude, and how to understand the significance of these terms. We will define these terms and how they differ from current terms. Glenn will propose methods for testing the use of this scale and what is required to implement the standard into casework in an accredited agency.

Course Pre-Requisites: You should have an understanding of current reporting practices and the current SWGFAST/ENFSI conclusions in the field of fingerprints (i.e., Identification, Exclusion, Inconclusive, and various forms of Inconclusive).

In this course, attendees will learn helpful strategies for preparing for admissibility hearings. We will discuss the difference between Frye and Daubert hearings (or 702 hearings or equivalent). Glenn will demonstrate different strategies for addressing ‘general acceptance’ of fingerprint methodology. We will review various peer-reviewed research papers that demonstrate ‘testing and validation’ of fingerprint methodology. We will review industry standards that are available to the analyst. We will discuss critical error rate studies and we will review a strategy for addressing the known or potential error rate of latent print methodology. Finally, we will examine some limitations of fingerprint methodology which need to be acknowledged.

Blood matrix can be one of the more difficult factors affecting the interpretation of friction ridges. Owing to its unique composition, blood creates many unusual artifacts in friction ridge impressions. We will examine the range of bloody impressions from liquid, to tacky, to nearly dry. Furthermore, we will examine the typical characteristics that manifest in bloody impressions. We will watch the moments blood impressions are deposited and what happens to them as they dry. Finally, we will review the literature and research regarding ‘activity level’ statements such as if a bloody impression was made in blood or made with blood.

While reflective infrared and ultraviolet photography techniques were discovered over 100 years ago, their use in forensics is not commonplace. This is due in part to the specialized equipment and techniques required to successfully capture useful images. This Forensic Ultraviolet & Infrared Photography course will demystify the practice of taking reflective infrared and ultraviolet photographs with digital cameras and will provide the student with skills he or she can use in their work to assist in the investigation of criminal activity.

The lAl's 2024 Annual Educational Conference meets the core aspects of the lAI Mission - education and professional development. There will be a full week of high-quality, cutting-edge education and hands-on training in forensic physical evidence examination and crime scene processing.

The Rocky Mountain Division of the International Association for Identification, chartered in 1967, is composed of persons in Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico, and is formed to associate persons who are actively engaged in the profession of forensic identification and scientific investigation so the profession in all of its branches may be effectively standardized and scientifically practiced. The RMDIAI also works with the parent organization and other chartered divisions to advance the field of scientific identification.

This Advanced Crime Scene Photography course provides instruction that can permit the student to successfully document challenging photography situations that occur at crime scenes. The course begins with instruction of lighting techniques. Scene specific photography of bloodstain pattern and shooting scene evidence will be covered in detail. The course covers low-light, chemiluminescent, and forensic light source photography. 

Students will learn techniques for taking examination quality photographs of fingerprint and shoe wear/tire tread evidence. The capstone exercise, at the end of training, is designed to reinforce knowledge and skills gained during the week. Students will be tasked to photograph mock scenes and demonstrate several advanced forensic photography techniques.

This 4 ½ day workshop will link together the biological aspects of the skin (“morpho” of morphometric) with the geometry of the impressions of the skin (“metric” of morphometric). The estimated distributions of the features within the population will be evaluated using published research and exploring the degree of symmetry among twins and within individuals (bilateral symmetry). Assessing variation in appearance will take place along two lines of inquiry 1) skin variation due to time (e.g., aging, injury, disease) and 2) variation in appearance due to distortion during the recording of the skin on a surface.  Attendees will be able to make their own collection of distortion videos to reinforce the distortion concepts. Practical exercises will challenge the examiners to consider which features and their attributes are being compared and weighted and which distortion factors are most relevant for understanding the variation in appearance between two impressions that originated from the same source.

Did you know the suggestion that “ridge units line up to form ridges” is based on a historical theory proposed in biology in the 1800’s called the theory of recapitulation? Although the theory of recapitulation was handed a death knell in the mid-1900’s by the budding field of genetics, the idea that “ridge units line up to form ridges” continued into the afterlife via the friction ridge discipline. In reality, embryologists have never observed ridge units lining up to form ridges in the friction ridge skin.

This webinar is adapted from elements of the Analysis of Distortion in Latent Prints workshop that Alice has taught since 2006. In this webinar Alice will introduce the changes that take place in the friction ridge skin throughout your lifetime. Tenprint and latent print examiners should be aware of the limits of the persistency of the various features of the friction ridge skin. The first changes actually take place in the skin as the hands and feet grow to their adult size. Did you know that some ridges will predominantly grow in length while others predominantly grow in width? During the busy lifetime of an individual, the skin can change due to injuries and disease. Some injuries can alter ridge patterns, ridge paths, and minutiae. As people pass through middle age, changes occur once again. Did you know that incipient ridges tend to blossom in the furrows throughout your lifetime and that ridge edge shapes can change dramatically? This lecture will provide numerous examples and explain how these changes take place. This will help friction ridge examiners to 1) recognize common changes in the friction ridge skin and 2) explain differences caused by these changes.

This 4 ½ day workshop will link together the biological aspects of the skin (“morpho” of morphometric) with the geometry of the impressions of the skin (“metric” of morphometric). The estimated distributions of the features within the population will be evaluated using published research and exploring the degree of symmetry among twins and within individuals (bilateral symmetry). Assessing variation in appearance will take place along two lines of inquiry 1) skin variation due to time (e.g., aging, injury, disease) and 2) variation in appearance due to distortion during the recording of the skin on a surface.  Attendees will be able to make their own collection of distortion videos to reinforce the distortion concepts. Practical exercises will challenge the examiners to consider which features and their attributes are being compared and weighted and which distortion factors are most relevant for understanding the variation in appearance between two impressions that originated from the same source.

This webinar is adapted from elements of the Analysis of Distortion in Latent Prints workshop that Alice has taught since 2006. In this webinar Alice will introduce basic concepts in contact mechanics (what happens to the skin when it makes contact with a surface) and the transfer of friction ridge features to impressions under four common circumstances. We will explore basic touches and evaluate the changes that occur with the overall size of a fingerprint, the ridge and furrow width, feature type, edge shapes, incipient ridges, and wrinkles/secondary creases. Further, we will explore anomalies and difficulties presented by skin that wobbles on the surface, double touches/overlays, and double taps. Numerous images and videos will be used to illustrate these commonly encountered distortions. While this class is titled “Basic”, this course covers some challenging interpretation issues related to tonal issues created when the skin wobbles on the surface, sources of false minutiae, and the illusion of continuity created by double touches and double taps.

Why can friction ridge impressions be used a means of identification? This webinar will unpack the important differences between the following responses:

1. “Fingerprints, palm prints, and footprints can be used as a means of identification because they are unique and permanent. Each fingerprint, palm print, and footprint in the world is unique and these prints remain unchanged from before birth until decomposition after death.”

2. “Impressions of the friction ridge skin are a valuable means of identification because of the nature of the skin itself and because of the comparison skills exhibited by trained examiners. As far as the skin is concerned, the features the friction ridge skin show remarkable variation in the population, which means these features can be used to tell one person from another. Many of the skin’s features are also relatively stable over time, which means they can be used to track a person from one year to the next. Most importantly, trained examiners demonstrate a high degree of accuracy when assessing these features to determine the source of a given friction ridge impression.”

The first response contains over-simplified statements that can be disputed with published research and glosses over one very important aspect of using prints as a means of identification – it requires an examiner! The second response can be supported with published research and avoids exposing an examiner to impeachment with published treatises during testimony.

This course will use three regions of the friction ridge skin to demonstrate the difficulty with exclusions: extreme tips of fingers, extreme edges of fingers, and impressions from proximal and medial phalanges. These regions will illustrate the importance of understanding the completeness of exemplar prints. In addition to these problematic areas of the friction ridge skin, Alice will demonstrate same source samples that would likely result in a high false exclusion rate. Attendees should leave this webinar with a better grasp of why the false exclusion rate will likely always be higher than the false identification rate.

In this webinar we will look at many ways the ridges and furrows stray from this ideal condition. We will first discuss the composition of latent print residue (it is NOT 98-99% water as many of us were told). We will then discuss the different ways residue can be distributed across the surface of the skin and how this distribution matters when a surface is touched. After contact with a surface has been made, the manner in which the skin slides through the residue wreaks all kinds of havoc on the tone of the ridges and furrows – we will explore the many visual anomalies associated with movement. Lastly, we will discuss the impact of surfaces that already have contaminants and how this affects the transfer of residue, and consequently the appearance of the ridges and furrows.

This webinar is adapted from elements of the Analysis of Distortion in Latent Prints workshop that Alice has taught since 2006. In this course Alice will introduce the anatomical structures of the finger that influence the behavior of the friction ridge skin when it moves on a surface. After reviewing basic concepts and terminology in contact mechanics, attendees will learn how the skin behaves under four different types of shearing stress. For each type of shearing stress, the attendee will be able to view videos of the skin deforming as it slides on the surface and the resulting latent print. In the most complicated samples, Alice will demonstrate what happens when shearing stress is accompanied by changes in compressive stress or angle of contact. Important lessons from this webinar include 1) sources of missing or false minutiae and 2) how the effects of shearing stress lead to incorrect interpretation of deposition pressure.

Attendees will review the 2018 OSAC proposed standard “Standard for Friction Ridge Examination Conclusions” and Glenn will outline how to introduce and implement this standard into ISO accredited procedures. We will explore the importance of qualitative versus quantitative results, relative magnitude, and how to understand the significance of these terms. We will define these terms and how they differ from current terms. Glenn will propose methods for testing the use of this scale and what is required to implement the standard into casework in an accredited agency.

Course Pre-Requisites: You should have an understanding of current reporting practices and the current SWGFAST/ENFSI conclusions in the field of fingerprints (i.e., Identification, Exclusion, Inconclusive, and various forms of Inconclusive).

In this course, attendees will learn helpful strategies for preparing for admissibility hearings. We will discuss the difference between Frye and Daubert hearings (or 702 hearings or equivalent). Glenn will demonstrate different strategies for addressing ‘general acceptance’ of fingerprint methodology. We will review various peer-reviewed research papers that demonstrate ‘testing and validation’ of fingerprint methodology. We will review industry standards that are available to the analyst. We will discuss critical error rate studies and we will review a strategy for addressing the known or potential error rate of latent print methodology. Finally, we will examine some limitations of fingerprint methodology which need to be acknowledged.