Scientific Working Group for Materials Analysis SWGMAT 2010 update DNA. Maureen C. Bottrell, SWGMAT Chairman 27 September 2010

Transcription

1 Scientific Working Group for Materials Analysis SWGMAT 2010 update DNA Maureen C. Bottrell, SWGMAT Chairman 27 September 2010

2 Mission SWGMAT is dedicated to improving the field of trace evidence analysis through the development of guideline documents for the analysis of fibers, paint, glass, hairs, or tape; the interpretation of data; for the training new forensic examiners; and through cooperative research projects and academic exchange.

3 ~ 65 members 14 Federal (5 agencies) 19 State (18 states) 5 Local (4 States, 5 labs) 12 Foreign (4 countries, 6 labs) 6 Federal 4 State 1 Local 1 Academia 6 Private (5 companies) 3 Academia Acadiana Criminalistics Lab Arizona Department of of Public Safety Australian Federal Police Bundeskriminalamt Kriminaltechnisches Institut Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives California Department of Justice Centre of Forensic Sciences Der Polizeiprasident Berlin Eastern Kentucky University Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory Florida Department of Law Enforcement Forensic Access, Ltd. George Washington University Georgia Bureau of Investigation Illinois State Police Indiana State Police John Jay College Lake County Regional Forensic Lab Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Los Angeles Sheriff's Department McCrone Associates Inc. Michigan State Police Microtrace Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Missouri Highway Patrol National Institute of Standards and Technology New Hampshire Department of Public Safety New Jersey State Police North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Oregon State Police Forensic Laboratory Royal Canadian Mounted Police Forensic Laboratory Sacramento County Forensic Services Lab San Diego County Sheriff's Office Suffolk University TAKA, Inc. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Texas Department of Public Safety U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services University of Technology Washington State Patrol Crime Lab Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory - Madison

4 Structure of SWGMAT Chairman Maureen Bottrell Databasing Ed Bartick Fibers Sandy Koch Hair Amy Michaud & Silvana Tridico Glass Jodi Webb Paint Tammy Jergovich Tapes Mark Ahonen J. Almer S. Ballou E. Davis L. Herrold M. Kurowski C. Lozen K. McMahon K. Nehse K. Olsen D. Orr S. Palenik S. Parent J. Remy W. Schneck G. Schubert S. Stoeffler R. Bisbing R. Cooksey H. Deadman P. DeForest P. Lamb L. Peterson G. Rowe S. Shaw F. Springer B. Wheeler B. Yates S. Becker M. Bottrell B. Burton J. Buscaglia R. Davis D. Green R. Koons C. Krausher T. Kubic J. Barnett C. Bonmartio V. Desiderio G. Edmondstone M. Eyring D. Fhlor S. Hardy T. Hodgins T. Hopen T. Jergovich S. Ryland M. Stam L. Bender S. Gross A. Mehltretter C. Roux J. Smith U. Simross

5 Published Guidelines Forensic Fiber Examination Guidelines (04/1999, in revision) Forensic Paint Analysis and Comparison Guidelines (07/1999) Trace Evidence Recovery Guidelines (10/1999) Trace Evidence Quality Assurance Guidelines (01/2000) Trace Evidence Proficiency Testing Guideline (07/2001) Standard Guide for Using Scanning Electron Microscopy/X-ray Spectrometry in Forensic Paint Examinations (10/2002, in revision) Introduction to Forensic Glass Examination (01/2005) Collection, Handling and Identification of Glass (01/2005) A Forensic Fiber Examiner Training Program (4/2005) Forensic Human Hair Examination Guidelines (4/2005) Initial Examination of Glass (01/2005, 01/2006) Glass Fractures (01/2005, 01/2006) Glass Density Examinations (01/2005, 01/2006) Glass Refractive Index Determination (01/2005, 01/2006) Elemental Analysis of Glass (01/2005, 01/2006) Standard Guide for Microspectrophotometry and Color Measurement in Forensic Paint Analysis (10/2007) Guideline for Forensic Examination of Pressure Sensitive Tapes (10/2008) Expert Reporting Guideline (01/2009) Scientific Working Group on Materials Analysis Position on Hair Evidence (09/15/2009)

6 Guidelines in Publication Fourier Transform-Infrared Analysis of Paint Paint Examiner Training Guidelines Physical Characteristics of Tape Polarized Light Microscopy of Tape Fourier Transform-Infrared Analysis of Tape

7 Guidelines in Committee Admissibility guidance for each discipline Interpretation guidance Pyrolysis of Paint Training guidance for animal hair examiners Animal hair examination guidelines Photographic Hair Atlas X-ray Diffraction Analysis of Tape Pyrolysis of Tape

8 Scientific Presentations March 2010 meeting Reports from Subgroup Chairs Report from ENFSI-EFG and EPG Presentations Py-GC-MS of Tapes, Jenny Smith Architectural Paint, Diana Wright PDQ, Tamara Hodgins, Diana Wright Damages/Physical Fits, Kornelia Nehse Case studies involving: Transfer and Persistence of Glass, David Green Cut-Tear Examinations, David Green Hair and Fiber Evidence in Cookie, Sandra Koch State of Glass Analysis at the BKA, Stefan Becker Revised Paint, Tape, and Polymer Reporting Guidelines at the FBI, Andria Mehltretter

9 FBI Interpretation of Results and Report Writing Working Group (IRRWG) Created March, 2009 Lead by FBI Quality Assurance and Training Unit Chief, Catherine Theisen Tasked with: Reviewing sample reports from all disciplines represented at the FBI Laboratory. Revising reports to meet standard outlined in the USA National Academy of Sciences report: Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward

10 USA National Academy of Science, Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward Recommendation 2: The National Institute of Forensic Science (NIFS), after reviewing established standards such as ISO 17025, and in consultation with it s advisory board, should establish standard terminology to be used in reporting on and testifying about the results of forensic science investigations, Similarly, it should establish model laboratory reports for different forensic science disciplines and specify the minimum information that should be included. As a part of the accreditation and certification processes, laboratories and forensic scientists should be required to utilize model laboratory reports when summarizing the results of their analyses.

11 Interpretation* *as imagined by FBI Paints and Polymers Group Tapes report used as example: 7 point scale Level 1 - Physical Fit Level 2 - Consistent in all properties, some properties rare. Level 3 - Consistent in all properties. Level 4 - Consistent in all properties, but those are commonly occurring or the number of properties measured in less than optimum. Level 5 Consistent in some, but not all measured properties. There s a good reason why they re inconsistent (sample heterogeneity, contamination, non-representative samples,...). Inconclusive We can t tell whether or not they re from the same source. Elimination From different sources.

12 3 point scale Interpretation* *as envisioned by the SWGMAT Hair Group Consistent with the same source Inconclusive Inconsistent with the same source

13 Interpretation* *as envisioned by the SWGMAT Glass Group Level.Sublevel One source of glass 1 fragment 2-5 fragments 6-10 fragments >10 fragments 1 fragmen 1 Physical properties (thickness, color, curvature, fluorescence) alone RI alone Physical properties (thickness, color, curvature) + RI RI pre- and post-laboratory annealing RI at multiple λ Density RI+density RI pre- and post- lab annealing + density Major and minor element composition by SEM- EDS Major and minor element composition by XRF Major, minor and trace element composition by ICP methods Major and minor element composition by SEM- EDS+RI+physcial properties Major and minor element composition by XRF+RI+physical properties Major, minor and trace element composition by ICP methods+ri+physical properties 2 16 Physical fit 1

14 Federal Interagency Working Groups Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) within the Executive Office of the President established through its National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), Subcommittee on Forensic Science. Five Inter-agency Working Groups (IWGs) Standards, Practices and Protocols Education and Ethics Outreach Certification, Licensing and Accreditation Research, Training, Development and Evaluation

15 USA National Academy of Science, Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward Recommendation 6: To facilitate the work of the National Institute of Forensic Science (NIFS), Congress should authorize and appropriate funds to NIFS to work with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in conjunction with government laboratories, universities, and private laboratories, and in consultation with Scientific Working Groups, to develop tools for advancing measurement, validation, reliability, information sharing, and proficiency testing in forensic science and to establish protocols for forensic examinations, methods, and practices. Standards should reflect best practices and serve as accreditation tools for laboratories and as guides for the education, training, and certification of professionals. Upon completion of its work, NIST and its partners should report findings and recommendations to NIFS for further dissemination and implementation.