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NIST Scientific Foundation Reviews

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Abstract:The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a scientific research agency that works to advance measurement science, standards, and technology and that has been working to strengthen forensic science methods for almost a century. In recent years, several scientific advisory bodies have expressed the need for scientific foundation reviews of forensic disciplines and …

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Policy and procedure recommendations for the collection and preservation of eyewitness identification evidence

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Wells, G. L., Kovera, M. B., Douglass, A. B., Brewer, N., Meissner, C. A., & Wixted, J. T. (2020). Policy and procedure recommendations for the collection and preservation of eyewitness identification evidence. Law and Human Behavior, 44(1), 3–36. The Executive Committee of the American Psychology-Law Society appointed a subcommittee to update the influential 1998 scientific review …

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FBI admits flaws in hair analysis over decades

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The Justice Department and FBI have formally acknowledged that nearly every examiner in an elite FBI forensic unit gave flawed testimony in almost all trials in which they offered hair comparison evidence against criminal defendants over more than a two-decade period before 2000. Of 28 examiners with the FBI Laboratory’s microscopic hair comparison unit, 26 …

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Portable NIST Kit Can Recover Traces of Chemical Evidence

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A chemist at NIST has developed a portable version of his method for recovering trace chemicals such as environmental pollutants and forensic evidence including secret graves and arson fire debris. The briefcase-sized kit could enable detectives, field inspectors and others to carry with them a convenient version of NIST’s “headspace analysis” technique, which identifies solid or …

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Improving a Database to Help Identify a Vehicle by Using Paint Fragments

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For years, investigators have relied on the Paint Data Query database to identify the make of a vehicle by matching the physical attributes, chemical composition, and infrared spectrum of the paint, primers, and clear coating layers. However, there are concerns with the database, generic coding being one of them.

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Linking Suspects to Crime Scenes with Particle Populations

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Two scientists with a long record of research into the forensic value of very small particle populations examined cell phones, handguns, drug packaging, and ski masks from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office examine whether such particles are valuable as physical evidence.

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Microbial Communities on Skin Leave Unique Traces at Crime Scenes

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Two related NIJ-supported studies evaluated the possibility of using an individual’s skin microbiome — a community of microorganisms that inhabit a specific environment — as a form of trace evidence from evidence found at a crime scene. The first study, led by Dr. Rob Knight of the University of California, San Diego, examined whether the …

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Toner Particles as Forensic Evidence

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The Journal of Forensic Sciences is now offering an early viewing of a new article by Microtrace scientists. This article is co-authored by Katie White and Christopher Palenik. This article explores the potential usefulness of subvisible toner cartridge particles as evidence in forensic investigations. Modern printing toners represent a prime example of subvisible particles that can be …

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Fingerprint Error Rate on Close Non-Matches

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Sept. 2020 research by Jonathan J. Koehler and Siquan Liu on the accuracy of distinguishing between two close non-matches. False positive error rates were 15.9% and 28.1% on the two close non-matches on mandatory proficiency tests that were studied. As the size of fingerprint databases grow, the risk of a close non-match being present in …

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