Forensic Science Questioned Documents 4/14/2018 Forensic Science Questioned Documents Documentation

4/14/2018 Use a black ink pen. Each of you will write the same message in CURSIVE Sign your name on the bottom in pencil. Write the following: I have your daughter. Do what you are told and no one will get hurt. Put 100,000 dollars worth of 20’s in a suitcase and place it in locker number C8160 at the bus depot. I will get back in touch with you aas to the whereabouts of your daughter. Your loyal fan.

What is a Questioned Document? A questioned document is one in which a document in its entirety, or in part, is subject to question as to authenticity and/or origin. Any signature, handwriting, typewriting, or other marks whose source or authenticity is in dispute or is doubtful. http://www.questioneddocuments.com/intro.html Norwitch Document Laboratory

Most Common Questioned Documents Letters Checks Drivers Licenses Contracts Wills Voter registration Passports Petitions Threatening letters Suicide notes Lottery tickets http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/425/425lect05.htm

Cases Involving Questioned Documents Forgery Counterfeiting Mail fraud Kidnapping Con games Embezzlement Gambling Organized crime White collar crime Art crimes Theft Robbery Arson Burglary Homicide Serial murder Psychological profiling Deviant sex crimes http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/425/425lect05.htm

Questioned Document History Turn of century, lifestyles changed from rural to urban. Allowed for more opportunities in education. With education and advances in ink, became more of a paper society. Instead of the exchange of money and handshake it became the exchange of money and a signature.

Questioned Document History Need grew for people that could distinguish the authenticity of a document. Attorneys would look toward penman for help in these cases. They testified that they could tell the difference in handwriting. Accepted in court because they used scientific methods. (example: side by side comparison)

Questioned Document History Dreyfus case, setback the discipline. Alfred Dreyfus, French army officer, accused of treason through letters found attempting to sell French secrets to Germany. Later found that Dreyfus did not write the letters. Albert Osborn, American handwriting expert, noticed that there needed to be a basis of handwriting knowledge. Did this through inviting penman, throughout the country, to share their experiences and expertise in handwriting cases. Kevin McDowell (QDE, WV State Forensic Lab)

Questioned Document History Osborn is considered the pioneer of the question document field because he published a book, Questioned Documents. Widely excepted because of his extensive use of scientific techniques. Albert Osborn and Lindbergh Baby Case Result of his work and national attention, the QD field was included in many Federal and State Agencies. Now called Questioned Document Examiners Kevin McDowell (QDE, WV State Forensic Lab)

Graphologist VS QD Examiner Profiles character or personality by drawing conclusions from certain types of characteristics in the handwriting sample. They do not compare handwriting to determine authenticity or origin. Remember, most of graphology lack scientific proof. On the other hand, some of the principles of graphology are correct like: Handwriting can be effected by illness, old age, etc… Have many different “systems of graphology”.

Graphology Examples http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/425/425lect05.htm

Question Document Examiner Studies scientifically the whole document in order to recognize the source or other evidence that can determine authenticity of the document in question. The first QDE where called “handwriting specialists” because that was the primary means of agreements or contracts. Division of Criminal investigation – Iowa Department of Public Safety

Handwriting Theory Handwriting is just as unique as your fingerprints. Difference between fingerprint and handwriting Fingerprints are permanent and do not change Handwriting is a learning process and lends itself to change as a normal process http://www.questioneddocuments.com/intro.html Norwitch Document Laboratory

The Learning Process Child is taught using the model of alphabet Manuscript Writing Cursive Writing Child does not have handwriting of his own because he is creating an artistic representation Child gets better at remembering letter formations and now draws them from memory This is where variations and deviations come from and he/she begins their own handwriting.

The Learning Process Its not until individual characteristics become habitual and repetitious that handwriting has become mature. When the person can write as a sub-conscious act. This is where we can make the comparison from fingerprint to handwriting. Just as there are no 2 fingerprints the same, handwriting is also unique.

Class Characteristic in Handwriting Class Characteristics are similarities between individuals who learned the same type of writing systems. Serve just to narrow down the search when comparing a questioned document to standard writing systems. Handwriting systems: Palmer, Zaner-Bloser, and Spencerian

Individual Characteristics These are characteristics that are true only to a specific writer. It is a combination of individual characteristics that make handwriting unique to him/her.

Warm Up What are some individual characteristics to identify different handwriting? Continue to work on your lab from yesterday…

Types of Individual Characteristics Skill Level Slant Form Movement Proportions Height “I” Dot “t” Crossing Loops Pressure Baseline Alignment Pen Lifts Speed Embellishments Entry/Exit Strokes Retracing Spelling/Spacing Format Case

Skill level The way a writing looks. Important characteristic of identification or non-identification. High skill level VS Low skill level

High Skill Level

Low Skill Level

Slant This is the angle of writing and can be forward or backward. This alone is not a good basis for judgment. Forwards and backward slants are not indicative to handedness.

Form Most basic individual characteristic and is very important to QDE. Form is the way a writer makes a letter or movement of letters.

Movement and Pressure Movement is the way a pen moves in order to make a mark or form a letter This can help distinguish the difference in form. 2 letters can be the same, but made in a different way. Pressure is the difference in ink or pencil in width or shade. Helps show direction of movement.

Proportions, Height, & Loops Proportions is the symmetry of an individual letter Loops are similar to proportions Height is the comparing the height of one letter to another Height, proportions are usually habits found in a specific writer.

The “I” dot and “t” crossing

Baseline Alignment The value of this show the questioned writing in correlation to the baseline Helps QDE examiners determine whether the writing was altered or is consistent with the rest of the writing or other examples

Pen Lifts and Embellishments Pen lifts are when the pen or pencil is lifted from the paper and reapplied to finish a word or sentence. Most people have pen lifts that are likely in their writing. Embellishments decorate writing. Usually found in the beginning of word, but can be seen other places.

Speed The speed of a writer is a key indicator for QDE in the examination process. Fast and slow speeds are difficult to duplicate leaving behind inconsistencies in the writing.

Entry/Exit Strokes Entry/Exit Strokes is the way a writer begins certain letter or words and can be very specific to an individual. Also includes the idea of connecting stokes.

Retracing Retracing is considered fixing a portion of writing that is not readable or pleasing to the writer. In some cases, this can indicate forgery but is very common in normal handwriting to retrace letters or words.

Spelling/Spacing Spelling is an individual characteristic because of education or habits and can be an easy fix to eliminate or pin point suspects. Spacing is the area between letters or words and is usually specific to the writer. .

Format and Case Format is the habit in which a writer uses to depict simple things like; Dates, numbers, abbreviations, etc … Example: The way people write checks Case is a characteristic of a writer who might use upper case letters where a lower case should be present.

Collecting Questioned Documents Original document is preferred QDE would rather not have a copy, but can still use them. All evidence should be marked by the QDE. Usually, initial and date. If document cannot be marked it should be placed in enveloped and sealed with initial and date. Maintain chain of custody. And of course, DOCUMENT DOCUMENT DOCUMENT!

Character of Handwriting No single handwriting characteristic can in itself be taken as the basis for a positive comparison. The final conclusion must be based on a sufficient number of common characteristics between the known and questioned writing samples. There are no hard and fast rules for a sufficient number of personal characteristics; it is a judgment call made by the expert examiner in the context of each case.

Collecting Samples or Exemplars Exemplar – Handwriting used as a standard for comparison with the document in question. 2 types of exemplars: Dictated or requested Undictated or collected The collection of an adequate number of known writings (exemplars) is most critical for determining the outcome of a handwriting comparison. Known writing should contain some of the words and combination of letters present in the questioned document and be adequate in number to show the range of natural variations in a suspect’s writing. The writing implement and paper should also be alike. The writing of dictation and several pages may serve to minimize attempts at deception.

Ink and Paper Comparisons A study of the chemical composition of the ink used on documents may verify whether or not known and questioned documents were prepared by the same pen; and the paper itself may be analyzed. A nondestructive approach to comparing ink lines is accomplished with a visible-light microspectrophotometer. Thin-layer chromatography is also suitable for ink comparisons.

Ink Analysis The U. S. Secret Service has an ink analysis program and maintains a library of over 6,000 inks. Handwritten notes as well as printed documents can be analyzed. Chemical tests of ink (ink solubility, paper chromatography and thin layer chromatography) can be performed on printed or written material. Samples can be removed up to 10 plugs, approximately 1 millimeter each, of the paper containing the printing from the questioned sections and from control sections.

Thin Layer Chromatography

Typewriters and Printing Devices The two requests most often made of the examiner in connection with the examination of typewriters and printing devices are: whether the make and model of the typewriter and printing devices used to prepare the questioned document can be identified. whether a particular suspect typewriter or printing device can be identified as having prepared the questioned document. In order to do this, the individual type character’s style, shape, and size are compared to a complete reference collection of past and present typefaces.

Characteristics From Use As is true for any mechanical device, use of a printing device will result in wear and damage to the machine’s moving parts. These changes will occur in a fashion that is both random and irregular, thereby imparting individual characteristics to the printing device. The document examiner has to deal with problems involving business and personal computers, which often produce typed copies that have only subtle defects. Another area of investigation relates to the typewriter ribbon, which may contain type impressions.

Digital Technology In the cases of photocopiers, fax machines, and computer printers an examiner may be called on to identify the make and model of a machine or to compare a questioned document with test samples from a suspect machine. A side by side comparison is made between the questioned document and the printed exemplars to compare markings produced by the machine. Examiners compare transitory defect marks, fax machine headers, toner, toner application methods, and mechanical and printing characteristics.

Alterations Document examiners must deal with evidence that has been changed in several ways, such as through alterations, erasures, and obliterations. Erasures by rubber erasers, sandpaper, razor blade or knife to remove writing or typing disturb the fibers of the paper and are readily apparent when examined with a microscope. If an alteration is made to a document with ink differing form the original, it can sometimes be detected due to differences in the luminescence properties of the inks. Obliteration of writing by overwriting or crossing out to hide the original writing can be revealed by infrared radiation, which may pass through the upper layer of writing while being absorbed by the underlying area.

Types of Examinations Handwriting Comparisons Ink Examinations Indented Writing Alterations Paper Analysis Photocopy Analysis Typewriting And other related sections

Instruments Used in QD Lab Stereo Microscope Light Microscope Video Spectral Comparator (VSC) Electrostatic Detection Apparatus (ESDA)

VSC & ESDA

Examples of Questioned Documents

Examples of Questioned Documents

Examples of Questioned Documents

Examples of Questioned Documents

Examples of Questioned Documents

Questioned Documents 4/14/2018 Involves the examination of handwriting, ink, paper, etc. to ascertain the source or authenticity Examples include letters, checks, licenses, contracts, wills, passports, etc. Topics Handwriting analysis Ink (and pens) Paper (and pencils) Forgery Codes and Ciphers

4/14/2018 COMPARISON Graphologist--attempts to predict character traits from handwriting examination Forensic Document Examiner--involves the analysis and comparison of questioned documents with known material in order to identify whenever possible, the author or origin of the questioned document. Unfortunately, no federal licensing exists. There is certification through the ABFDE. The lower-case "t" in Bundy's signature "indicates a very low opinion of himself, usually caused by significant damage to the ego early in life" -- according to document examiner Brown.

Handwriting Handwriting analysis involves two phases: 4/14/2018 Handwriting analysis involves two phases: The hardware--ink, paper, pens, pencils, typewriter, printers Visual examination

Handwriting Characteristics 4/14/2018 Handwriting Characteristics Line Quality Word and Letter Spacing Letter Comparison Pen Lifts Pen Pressure Lettering Slant Unusual Letter Formation Diacritic Placement Baseline Habits Body Placement

Handwriting Identification 4/14/2018 Handwriting Identification “ACE” Analysis of the “knowns” with a determination of the characteristics found in the known Analysis of the questioned or unknown writing and determination of its characteristics Comparison of the questioned writing with the known writing. Evaluation of the evidence, including the similarities and dissimilarities between the “questioned” and “known” writing.

Handwriting Analysis Handwriting Sample of President George Bush 4/14/2018 Handwriting Analysis Handwriting Sample of President George Bush According to Sheila Lowe in her book, Handwriting of the Famous and Infamous, President Bush’s handwriting is “fast and highly simplified in fairly well-organized writing field”. Is this a forensic document examiner or a graphologist??

4/14/2018 Handwriting Samples The subject should not be shown the questioned document The subject is not told how to spell words or use punctuation The subject should use materials similar to those of the document The dictated text should match some parts of the document The subject should be asked to sign the text Always have a witness

4/14/2018 Linguist Experts that look at the linguistic content (the way something is written) of a questioned document. Language that is used can help to establish the writer’s age, gender, ethnicity, level of education, professional training, and ideology.

Ink 4/14/2018 Chromatography--physically separate mixtures of gases, liquids or dissolved. Types Gas Chromatography HPLC--high-performance liquid chromatography TLC--thin-layer chromatography Paper Chromatography

Paper Chromatography with Ink 4/14/2018 Paper Chromatography with Ink Two samples of black ink from two different manufacturers run using paper chromatography.

4/14/2018 Retention Factor (Rf) This is a number that represents how far a compound travels in a particular solvent Rf = distance solute travels distance of solvent front

4/14/2018 Scientific Equipment Gas chromatograph--used to separate mixtures on the basis of their distribution between a stationary liquid phase and a moving gas phase. Chromatogram-the written record of the results is called a chromatogram. Peaks Time tracked on x axis--this is known as retention time. Example: amounts of “hot” compounds in a particular pepper pod. Chromatogram-the written record of the results is called a chromatogram. A typical one will show a series of peaks, with each representing one component of the mixture. The time required to go from the injection out of the column is known as the retention. This allows identification of class characteristics.

Scientific Equipment con’t 4/14/2018 Scientific Equipment con’t Mass spectrometer--an instrument that connects to the gas chromatograph. The substance to be identified is exposed to a beam of high-energy electrons causing the molecules to decompose into numerous fragments. These fragments then pass through field where they are separated according to their masses. No two substances produce the same fragmentation pattern, thus producing individual characteristics.

Paper Characteristics 4/14/2018 Weight Color Water marks Age

4/14/2018 Pencils Lead Hardness Scale--a traditional measure of the hardness of the "leads" (actually made of graphite) in pencils. The hardness scale, from softer to harder, takes the form ..., 3B, 2B, B, HB, F, H, 2H, 3H, 4H, ..., with the standard "number 2" pencil being of hardness 2H.

Forgery Check Fraud Credit Cards Art--imitation with intent to deceive 4/14/2018 Forgery Check Fraud Forgery Counterfeit Alterations Paper Money Identity Social Security Driver’s license Credit Cards Theft of card or number Art--imitation with intent to deceive Microscopic examination Electromagnetic radiation Chemical analysis

Codes and Ciphers 4/14/2018 Codes--letter combinations or symbols used to represent words or concepts Interception from terrorists and other war enemies Ciphers--a message in which letters or symbols replace the actual letters in the message.

Used as Evidence 4/14/2018 1. Class characteristic--the type of ink may have similar characteristics at the primary and/or secondary crime scene, on the suspect or on the victim. Handwriting may be used to include or exclude a suspect. 2. Individual characteristic--With document analysis, it is difficult to identify to an individual characteristic except with typewriter or printer specific marks.

CRAZY CRIMINALS 4/14/2018 According to Point of View, a magazine published by the Alameda county District Attorney’s office, a guy walked into an Oakland bank and handed the teller a note reading, “this is a stikkup. Hand over all yer money fast.” Guessing from this that the guy was no rocket scientist, the teller replied, “I’ll hand over the cash as long as you sign for it. It’s a bank policy that all robbers have to sign for their money.” The guy thought this over, then said “Uh, I guess that’s OK.” He signed his full name and address. That’s where the cops found him a few hours later.

4/14/2018 You are to do “Fraud and Counterfeiting as homework. It is DUE: November 13th.