Forensic Photography

HOWARD MYERS

Fire Safety Consultant (Cantwareburh Fire Safety)

CANTWAREBURH:
taken from the Old Saxon English name meaning
Kent People’s stronghold…….

FORENSIC PHOTOGRAPHY: HOW WILL THESE IMAGES BE CAPTURED?

Digital Bridge Single Lens Reflex and/or Digital Video cameras will be used at the time of an investigation or incident using the latest technology of near Infra Red and Ultra Violet filters enhanced by the appropriate ring lights. Images can be captured in RAW, JPEG or TIFF formats.

All photographs are taken and stored in accordance with the guidelines issued by SWGIT, the USA Scientific Working Group on Imaging Technology. The original copy of all images will be immediately transferred to a laptop/desktop computer and burned onto a “Gold” format CD. There will be no alterations or enhancements made to those images before or during transfer. Those original digital images on CD will be a true representation of the photographs taken during the scene examination. These images are then attached to a file within a report and are accompanied by the “Gold” CD and a Photographic Description Sheet.

Once transferred, images may be altered for enhancement to accentuate or to zoom in for close examination using Adobe Photoshop 7.0 and/or other software. All copies will include details of any or all enhancements or alterations made.

WHAT TYPES OF INCIDENT NECESSITATE FORENSIC EVIDENCE PHOTOGRAPHY?

Personal injury photographed in a hospital, the home, nursing home or office
Injury Rehabilitation – Progress at Commencement to Discharge
Crime scenes – Blood – Semen – GSR – Footprints – Fingerprints
Victim Identification – Cuts – Abrasions - Tattoos
Abuse victims – sexual - nursing home – spousal - Child – school bullying
Dog bites, burn injuries
Vehicle accidents – Roads – Streets – Intersections – Tire Tracks – Skid marks
Vehicular Damage – Interior – Exterior
Fires and Explosions
Slip & Fall Accidents – Locations (Interior and/or Exterior) – Clothing & Footwear – Reported Injuries
Accident Location – Interior – Exterior
Wrongful death claims – ME offices – Autopsies – Mortuaries
Product Liability – Potential Defects – Potential Malfunction
Property Damage caused by Persons – Objects – Weather
Disputes involving more than one interested party
Pre and Post Blast Conditions
Aerial Photography of locations/investigations scenes (fixed wing or helicopter)
Night Photography
Photographs indicating Traffic Patterns
Commercial/Domestic Planning Applications – Inadequate security
Document Fire Inspections and/or any violations to codes or standards

· Fire Pattern Analysis

· Analyzing fire plumes

· Determining equivalent fire diameters

· Interpretation in tracing behavior of fire

· Recording depth of char

· Identifying vector patterns

· Recording visible evidence of the presence of flammable liquids

· Recording visible evidence of the presence of flammable liquid pour patterns

· Depicting differences in heat transfer

· Locating entrainment

· Differentiation between pyrolosis and combustion

· Fire death documentation

WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO PROVIDE EVIDENCE PHOTOGRAPHY?

To protect the first responders – departments - administrations
To protect the Emergency Room – Medical Examiner’s personnel
To protect and represent the insurance company or adjuster (intermediary)
To protect the victim and/or the victim’s estate
To provide photographic information for written reports of an incident or event
To fully photo-document the course of events
To provide photographic illustration of news and other public relations events
Obtain every angle of the incident
To provide additional evidence
For presentation of evidence in a court of law
As a record of an incident or event for training purposes

COORDINATION OF
DEMONSTRATIVE EVIDENCE

Power Point Presentations
Graphics for Titles, Charts and Graphs
Copy work in black & white, infra-red, ultra-violet or color
Sketch Maps & Diagrams