November 2015 Greetings!
In This Issue
When we witness a crime, which details stick in our memories, and to what extent do
Error in Accuracy in
those details change over time? Can our memories of events be reshaped, just from being asked certain types of questions? In this issue, Kaichen McRae, Dr. Matthew J. Sharps, DABPS, and Nicole Kimura explore the accuracy of eyewitness testimonies and show how our memories of weapons can be separate from our memories of the
Eyewitness Memory for Firearms
perpetrators holding them. From there, we look at the aging process of ink: how can
A Non-destructive Approach
examiners tell how old a given document is, and whether all its markings originated
to Determine the Relative Age
during the same time period, or over the course of many different time periods? Nato Locktongbam, Dr. R.N. Khound, and Priyankar Ghosh examine the most up-to-date techniques that can be used to determine absolute and relative ink age. One
of Ink Using the Hyperspectral Imaging
technique, hyperspectral imaging, may be able to provide results without harming the document being examined.
Certified Criminal Investigator,
Articles Error in Accuracy in Eyewitness Memory for Firearms
CCI速 Certified Forensic Consultant, CFC速
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By:
Dr. Matthew J. Sharps, PhD, DABPS, FACFEI Nicole Kimura, BA Kaichen McRae, MA
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This research addresses the cognitive bases for errors in firearm description and identification, a largely neglected area within the field of eyewitness memory. Consistent with the theoretical considerations driving this study, a substantial portion of participant responses were uninformative, based on general, "gestalt" concepts rather than on concepts emphasizing specific details. However, when participants were questioned in a manner that encouraged more specific "feature-intensive" processing, their responses became more generative. Surprisingly, the gender of the assailant holding a firearm did not contribute to error, for witnesses of either gender. These
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results provide practical information on eyewitness memory for consultants, investigators, and legal experts in investigative and courtroom proceedings.
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About the Authors
Simply call us to sign up at: Dr. Matthew J. Sharps, PhD, DABPS, FACFEI,
800-423-9737
received his MA in clinical psychology at UCLA and his BA, MA,
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and PhD (cognitive developmental psychology) at the University
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of Colorado, where he served as a National Institutes of Health
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research associate and assistant professor attendant. In 1990,
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he joined the faculty of the Department of Psychology at
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California State University, Fresno, advancing to professor of psychology in 1997. He
membership
has taught or lectured at the University of Wyoming, Alliant International University,
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Fresno Pacific University, Stanford University, and Stockholm University. He is a
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Diplomate of the American Board of
Psychological Specialties 速
and a Fellow of the
American College of Forensic Examiners InstituteSM . He has consulted in over 170 criminal cases in California and currently serves as a research consultant to the Fresno Police Department. He has published extensively on cognition and is the author of the cognitive asynchrony theory of cognitive aging, and of the Gestalt/Feature - Intensive (G/FI) processing theory of cognition, addressing the operation of mental representations as a function of task demand characteristics. His current research interests focus on applications of representation theory to forensic and police psychology, especially eyewitness processes, shoot/no-shoot decisions, and IEDdetection. He is the author of over 150 publications, proceedings abstracts, and presentations, as well as the book Aging, Representation, and Thought: Gestalt and
The American College of Forensic Examiners InstituteSM is always looking to help their members find qualified help in building their practice or business. Send the editor a description of the professional you are seeking to hire and ACFEI will put the announcement in its newsletter. Please specify if you prefer your potential hires to hold CCI, CFC, or any other certifications.
Feature-Intensive Processing (Transaction Publishers, 2003), and Processing Under
Email the editor at
Pressure: Stress, Memory, and Decision-Making in Law Enforcement (Looseleaf Law,
editor@acfei.com.
2010).
Looking for Experts It is the mission of The American
Nicole Kimura, BA completed her bachelor's degree in psychology at California State University, Fresno.
College of Forensic Examiners InstituteSM to continually strengthen and improve the quality of our certifications in the field of forensics. As such we are currently looking for members, that have a professional background in criminal investigation, to provide feedback on the Certified Criminal Investigators, CCI速
exam. If you have multiple years Kaichen McRae, MA is a doctoral candidate in forensic clinical psychology at Alliant International University, Fresno. Her research focuses on eyewitness memory. Her clinical work focuses on victims of crime and on post-release treatment of offenders. She has also worked in the California prison system with female offenders.
experience in criminal investigation and would be willing to assist us as we review the CCI exam contact Brittany Kiser at: Brittany.Kiser@acfei.com Sincerely, Brittany Kiser Director of the American College
A Non-destructive Approach to Determine the Relative Age of Ink Using the Hyper-spectral Imaging
of Forensic Examiners InstituteSM
New Members All new members of ACFEI and certifications issued by ACFEI
By:
Locktongbam Nato Signh, MA Dr. R.N. Khound, PhD Priyankar Ghosh, MA The challenges faced by the forensic document examiner are to know whether
can be viewed HERE. Thanks for joining, and welcome to The Forensic Examiner 速 .
Looking for Submissions
entries/writings with ink made on certain documents - such as logbooks, registers, OMR sheets, cheques, drafts, promising letter/notes, deeds, wills, prescription notes,
As always we are looking for
and other important documents - are executed during the same period of time, or in
regular content for The Forensic
different periods of time, and to know whether entries/writings were executed by the
Examiner 速 . If there is anything
same ink. In order to address these challenges, an attempt was made to study the
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rate of diffusion of inks at different time intervals using hyperspectral imaging. The
contact us.
study was carried out to quantify the amount of ink diffusion using luminosity as a parameter at different intervals of time by preparing a Common Reference Index Value (CRIV) and to assess whether particular writings were made at the same period of time. This study reveals that there are noticeable differences in the rates of diffusion of the same classes of inks, depending on time interval. This new approach can determine the relative age of the ink, in a nondestructive manner, from any two writings created at different periods of time with the same class of ink.
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About the Authors Locktongbam Nato Signh, MA was born on the second of February 1968 and was brought up in Imphal, the capital city of Manipur, state of the country India. After graduating from Manipur University in life sciences in the year 1989, Singh completed post-graduate studies from Madras University in forensic sciences with specialization
American Association of Integrative Medicine
in three major disciplines (Questioned Documents, Serology and Genetics, and Biochemistry) in 1992. Singh worked as a forensic scientist in the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal, Manipur since August 1992, and was later commissioned as Assistant Government Examiner of Questioned Documents by Union Public Service Commission, under Directorate of Forensic Science Services, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India in the year 1998. At present, Signh is posted in the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Kolkata and examines case exhibits as well as tendered evidences in various courts of law pertaining to Questioned Documents, such as
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handwriting, type matters, printed matters, obliterations, erasures, additions and alterations, examination of inks, indented writings, latent writings, use of various equipment such as ESDA, VSC6000, Raman Spectrometer, Docucentre, Forensic XP, SEM etc. Dr. R.N. Khound, PhD is the Director, Directorate of Forensic science, Guwahati, Government of Assam. Having a master's and doctorate in physics, he has been in the profession for the last 33 years.
American Board for Certification in Homeland Security
Priyankar Ghosh, MA is the Director-in-Charge in the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Directorate of Forensic Science Services, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Having a master's degree in chemistry, he has been in the profession for the last 27 years.
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Recertification Policies
Dr. Ron Martinelli, PhD, CMI-V, BCFT, CFA
Recertification policies are being
Forensic Criminologist, It's 0200 hours on a hot August night. You are at an apartment fourplex on a loud noise complaint. As you walk up the stairs in an attempt to determine the location of the noise, you observe an open door. It's completely quiet. As you illuminate the apartment's interior with your flashlight, you note that nothing appears amiss and no one is stirring inside. No one responds to repeated knocks and announcements. The open door and circumstances seem suspicious and you believe that the occupant(s) might be in need of assistance. Can you enter?
For Complete Story About the Author Dr. Ron Martinelli is a nationally renowned forensic criminologist. Dr. Martinelli is a police expert and a Certified Medical Investigator 速 . Dr. Martinelli directs a multidisciplinary Forensic Death Investigations & Independent Review Team and specializes in forensic investigations including officerinvolved and civilian self-defense death cases. Dr. Martinelli is a retired San Jose (CA) Police Department detective with a background in investigations, medicine and applied sciences including forensics, psychology & psychological profiling; physiology and human factors; violent crimes and death scene investigations. He has been referred to in the forensics and legal community as the "expert's expert." Dr. Martinelli provides forensic expert services to several State Attorney Generals' Offices, major metropolitan cities, the USMC Judge Advocate General's Office and numerous nationally prominent private law firms. He is also a contributing forensic
strengthened for all American College of Forensic Examiners InstituteSM certifications. All new and current certifications and renewals will be for a three (3) year period. In compliance with third-party accreditation, the American College of Forensic Examiners InstituteSM requires certification holders to remain in good standing by being current with maintenance fees or membership dues, submitting the required 30 continuing education units every three years for recertification, and upholding the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute's SM code of conduct. If you have any questions please feel free to contact our Registrar via email or by phone at: Jeff Thornsberry MA, Ed. S Director of Education 417-823-2528 Jeff.Thornsberry@ACFEI.com
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investigations expert for CNN, OANN, Discovery, History and Investigations Discovery channels and is a contributing writer to USA TODAY, POLICE Magazine, Law & Order Magazine, The Forensic Examiner ® , PoliceOne.com and Officer.com. Dr. Ron Martinelli's forensic and law enforcement social media website is found at: www.DrRonMartinelli.com where readers can find his insightful commentary and forensic articles addressing a variety of topics relating to the forensics, law enforcement and First Responder communities. His firm's website is found at: www.martinelliandassoc.com
NBCC Clock Hours! American College of Forensic Examiners InstituteSM (ACFEI) is excited to announce we are now able to offer NBCC (National Board of Certified Counselors) credit to our members to meet their licensing and re-certification
Featured Certifications Certified Criminal Investigator, CCI®
needs. We will be offering courses totaling over 60 clock hours of NBCC credit. This a great opportunity for our members in the mental health field to obtain needed NBCC clock hours. This opportunity is available to ACFEI members. ACFEI is an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEPTM) and may offer NBCCapproved clock hours for events
The Certified Criminal Investigator,CCI® Investigating criminal behavior involves many different facets. Investigators have to identify the crime scene, identify evidence (including trace evidence), conduct interviews, properly handle evidence, make out different wound types, and testify in court. Being efficient in these areas attests to your knowledge as an investigator.
Certified Forensic Consultant, CFC®
that meet NBCC requirements. The ACEP solely is responsible for all aspects of the program. For a fee of $5.00 per clockcredit hour our members will now have the opportunity to not only receive the ACFEI credit for approved CE courses completed but they can also obtain a certificate of completion for NBCC clock hours of credit. By simply going on to the CE online catalog, members will see a new tab labeled NBCCApproved CE'S. Our members
The Certified Forensic Consultant, CFC® Forensic consultants will be assessed on knowledge and competency in areas relating to consultation services, litigation processes, general legal principles, witness payment, the discovery process, the deposition, and the trial.
then know that those courses will be qualified to meet the NBCC standards for clock hours of Continuing Education Credit. Once they complete the course the CE assessment and course evaluation the member will
CFC Live Training Atlanta Georgia Dec 4th 2015 The American College of Forens ic Examiners Ins tituteSM will be hos ting a live training for the Certified Forens ic Cons ultant, CFC ® on December 4th at the Hyatt Place South in Atlanta, GA. The s eminar is open to individuals s eeking training for the CFC certification exam and thos e needing continuing education credits for their current ACFEI certifications . The
receive a certificate of completion noting the number of NBCC clock hours received for the course completion. We look forward to offering more of these types of continuing education opportunities to our members in the future and if you
training may als o apply for credit toward your licens ure. The training has been approved for 6 Georgia Bar credits (4 trial, 1 ethics & 1 profes s ionalis m) and 6 P.O.S.T. credits (4 legal & 2 technical).
wish to author an article for
ACFEI's Certified Forens ic Cons ultant, CFC ® live training will be taught by
Educationally,
Dr. Paul Friedman. Participants attending the training and pas s ing the exam will be eligible for the Certified Forens ic Cons ultant, CFC ® certification. Regis ter for the live training today! If you want to attend the CFC training, contact Brittany Kis er for inquiries at 800.423.9737, email Brittany at brittany.kis er@acfei.com, or vis it our webs ite at
NBCC credit, contact us as well.
Jeff Thornsberry MA, Ed. S Director of Education 417-823-2528 Jeff.Thornsberry@ACFEI.com
www.acfei.com/training/cfc/. Dr. Friedman will be conducting our CFC Live Training in Atlanta, GA on December 4th. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE CFC LIVE TRAINING
Disclaimer The American College of Forensic Examiners InstituteSM , and/or The Forensic Examiner ® does not endorse,
CE Credits for ACFEI Members ACFEI Members Eligible to Receive Continuing Education Credits Through DUI Seminars with Dave Cox Dave Cox is the owner and operator of Your DUI Pro, which is located in Middleton, Idaho. Mr. Cox investigates criminal cases and is an Expert DUI Defense Analyst and Consultant. Mr. Cox is a decorated former police officer and he devoted most of his time as a police officer to DUI enforcement. He has performed the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests on thousands of people. Mr. Cox arrested over 1,000 people for DUI throughout his career, with over 200 arrests for DUI - Drugs. He was named the 2003 State DUI Enforcement Officer of the Year. Mr. Cox learned, from his experience as a police officer, that DUI enforcement is not an exact science. Because DUI enforcement is not an exact science, Mr. Cox discovered that, after further investigation, it was sometimes determined that drivers arrested for DUI were not actually under the influence. Knowing this information, Mr. Cox decided to leave law enforcement so he could teach attorneys across the United States how to identify drivers who are not guilty of DUI and teach attorneys how to effectively win
guarantee or warrant the credentials, work, or opinions of any individual member. The opinions and views expressed by the authors, publishers, or presenters are their sole separate views and opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of the American College of Forensic Examiners InstituteSM and/or The Forensic Examiner ® nor does the American College of Forensic Examiners InstituteSM and/or The Forensic Examiner ® adopt such opinions or views as its own. The American College of Forensic Examiner InstituteSM and/or The Forensic Examiner ® does not assume any
these cases.
responsibility or liability with
Mr. Cox was trained as a certified Drug Recognition Expert. He was certified in the
and factual statements of such
National Highway Transportation Safety Administration DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing and was also trained as a certified operator of both the Intoxilyzer 5000 and the Intoxilyzer 8000. Mr. Cox has also received training, from a breath testing expert, on each of the commonly used breath testing machines. Mr. Cox was a regular speaker at Victim Impact Panels and taught DUI Detection classes at the Citizen's Police Academy. Mr. Cox testified in hundreds of DUI trials and hearings as an officer and has testified many times as a DUI Defense Expert. Mr. Cox is the author of How to Fight a DUI Arrest and he now consults with and assists attorneys across the United States in effectively and efficiently investigating, preparing,
respect to the opinions, views, authors, publishers, or presenters, nor with respect to any actions, qualifications, or representations of its members or subscriber's efforts in connection with the application or use of any information, suggestions, or recommendations made by
and defending DUI cases.
ACFEI or any of its boards,
Mr. Cox has personally trained thousands of attorneys across the United States. This
resources, or activities thereof.
includes Defense Attorneys, Prosecutors, Judges, and Police Officers. Mr. Cox's DUI Continuing Legal Education Courses have consistently been rated by attending attorneys as one of the best DUI seminars in the country.
committees, publications,
The American College of Forensic Examiners Institute SM (ACFEI) recognizes this continuing education activity for Certified Members, and provides 7.5 hours of credit for attendees. Members are also able to receive CLE credits for attending. Click below for more information on times, dates and location of the DUI seminars. http://www.yourduipro.com/seminars Click Here for Seminar Credentials
ACFEI offers ACCME Credits! The American College of Forensic Examiner's InstituteSM is excited to announce we are now able to offer Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) credit to our members to meet their medical licensing and re-certification needs. We will be offering courses totaling over 35 clock hours ACCME credit. This a great opportunity for our members in the health field to obtain needed ACCME credits. For a fee of $10.00 per clock-credit hour our members will now have the opportunity to not only receive the ACFEI® credit for approved CE courses completed but they can also obtain a certificate of completion for ACCME clock hours of credit. When you go to the CE online catalog, members will see a new tab labeled ACCMEApproved CE'S. You then know that those courses will be qualified to meet the ACCME standards for clock hours of Continuing Education Credit. Once you complete the course, the CE assessment and, evaluation the member will receive a certificate of completion stating the number of ACCME clock hours received for the course completion. We look forward to offering more of these types of continuing education opportunities to our members in the future and if you wish to author an article for ACCME credit, contact us as well. ACFEI is also able to offer ACCME for the following certifications Certified Medical Investigator® -IV , Certified Medical Investigator® -V and Certified Forensic Physician ® , CFP. As many hospitals will pay for the obtaining of ACCME credits this would be a great opportunity to obtain these valued certifications and be reimbursed for them. If you have any questions concerning these credits contact: Jeff Thornsberry Director of Education for The American College of Forensic Examiner's InstituteSM Phone: 417-823-2528 Jeff.Thornsberry@ACFEI.com
Member Profile Darren Dake Certified Criminal Investigator, CCI®
Darren is an ABMDI accredited Medicolegal Death Investigator and an ACFEI Certified Criminal Investigator, CCI® working with the Crawford County Missouri Coroner's Office and the Cuba Police Department; an author, conference speaker, trainer, and podcast-media producer. Darren is a certified teaching instructor and criminal investigator with 30-years experience in the field of law enforcement and death investigations. He holds certification as an instructor for the Missouri Department of Public Safety, the Missouri Sheriff's Association, the Association of Missouri Deputies, and the Law Enforcement Training Institute - (Missouri University Columbia). Darren is also the lead instructor and facilitator for the Death Investigation Training Academy™, and hosts its online podcast-media program for death investigators. Darren began his career in the U.S. Army where he served as Military Police; he is a veteran of the first Iraq war, Desert Storm. After leaving active duty, he took a position with the Franklin County, Missouri Sheriff's office and later moved to Crawford County, Missouri Sheriff's office, where he was soon promoted to Detective Sergeant and later Lieutenant Detective, as commanding officer of the unit. He retired from the Sheriff's side after 20 years of service, but still remains an investigator for the Coroner's office. To stay active in the Law Enforcement realm he works part time for the Cuba, Missouri Police Department. A career summary in his own words: "I have spent my life working criminal investigations. I love the 'who done it and how' side of law enforcement. Death investigation and the medico-legal aspects of it, has always fascinated me. I have worked thousands of death cases in my 30-year career and I'm blessed with the ability to deal with the dead. I truly believe the quote 'to the living we owe respect and to the dead we owe the truth'. At the heart of it all, I am a trainer. I love to teach others what I have learned and collaborate on how we can all do it better. I guess I'll be investigating death and teaching others about it until the day a death investigator is assigned to work mine. Until then, I'll keep digging for the truth." Darren is the producer of an online media podcast called Coroner Talk™. The podcast is a weekly training podcast for death investigators and those working in related roles. The show is currently downloaded in over 100 countries around the world. In this "peer to peer training", investigators receive training in a variety of topics and can engage in conversation and discussions related to the show topic. Coroner Talk™ can be found in iTunes or any podcast directory, or at coronertalk.com. Darren can be contacted by email at: Darren@coronertalk.com or at the training academy phone number 314-328-0996.
Certified Instructor, CI Dr. Paul Friedman, MA, PhD, JD
Dr. Paul Friedman, MA, PhD, JD is a member of O'Steen & Harrison, PLLC. He joined the firm in 1996, and practices in the areas of personal injury, wrongful death, ethics, professional malpractice, defective products and pharmaceutical liability. Since completing the tobacco case on behalf of the State of Arizona as a Special Assistant to the Attorney General, he has focused his practice on professional malpractice, ethics and traumatic brain injury cases. He served as an Adjunct Professor of Medical and Research Ethics at Midwestern University and the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine for almost a decade where he instructed health care providers and students in the medical field regarding law and ethics. He is a nationally recognized writer and speaker regarding medical and legal ethics as well as forensic techniques. In addition to his law degree, Paul received a master's degree in bioethics and a doctorate in comparative ethics where his dissertation was entitled "Morality and Ethics: An Analysis of Medical, Legal and Business Ethics from a Casuist Perspective". Paul is admitted to the State Bar of Arizona, the State Bar of Colorado (inactive), the District of Columbia (inactive), District Court of Arizona, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. He has been a member of the American College of Forensic Examiners InstituteSM since 2009 and has served on the Legal Advisory Board since 2012. Paul is a Certified Forensic Consultant,CFC® and Certified Instructor with the American College of Forensic Examiners InstituteSM as well as a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Examiners ® . Paul is Board Certified by the National Board of Legal Specialty Certification in Civil Pretrial Practice Advocacy and Civil Trial Advocacy. He is also Certified in Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation by the State Bar of Arizona Board of Legal. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Lawyers and is rated AV® Preeminent™ Martindale Hubbell.
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Call Brittany Kiser for membership and certification inquiries at 800.423.9737 or email at Brittany.kiser@acfei.com. To contribute to our E-Newsletter contact our editor at editor@acfei.com. Sincerely, ACFEI Team