North Carolina Office of Indigent Defense Services
// by Sarah Olson
NIJ and its multidisciplinary partners have released an updated technical guide for conducting collaborative death scene investigations. The 2024 guide accounts for key changes in the field, including: This revised edition is a collaborative effort to update the content to ensure the best possible outcome for both death and criminal investigations today.
Death Investigation: A Guide for the Scene InvestigatorRead More
// by Sarah Olson
NIJ-supported research has enabled biomechanical experts to improve predictive models of head injuries in children, helping physicians and law enforcement to better distinguish between accidental injury and abuse.
// by Sarah Olson
NIJ report on use of direct PCR which may eliminated the loss of DNA that traditionally occurs during DNA extraction and quantitation
// by Sarah Olson
Black box study of bloodstain pattern analysts finds contrasting conclusions due to terminology; highlights importance of establishing consensus standards.
Study Assesses the Accuracy and Reproducibility of Bloodstain Pattern AnalysisRead More
// by Sarah Olson
// by Sarah Olson
Researchers investigated how marijuana affects skills required for safe driving and found that biofluid levels of THC did not correlate with field sobriety test performance or marijuana intoxication, regardless of how the cannabis was ingested.
Field Sobriety Tests and THC Levels Unreliable Indicators of Marijuana IntoxicationRead More
// by Jessica Phipps
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.
Improving a Database to Help Identify a Vehicle by Using Paint FragmentsRead More
// by Jessica Phipps
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.
Linking Suspects to Crime Scenes with Particle PopulationsRead More
// by Jessica Phipps
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 …
Microbial Communities on Skin Leave Unique Traces at Crime ScenesRead More
// by Jessica Phipps
With funding from the NIJ, Dr. Michael Sigman and Mary Williams from University of Central Florida developed a method for analyzing fire debris samples that are highly contaminated with pyrolysis interferences. This technique provides an alternative objective method for classifying ignitable liquid residues, which is one of the only viable options for helping to progress …
// by Jessica Phipps
Nanoparticles and other subvisible particles potentially present in nearly all trace evidence are often overlooked in forensic investigations. NIJ-supported researchers have characterized several types of particles and developed detection methods.
Making Use of What’s Not Visible in Trace Evidence ExaminationsRead More