Following the release of the NAS report, forensic examiners have faced increased scrutiny regarding how strongly their court testimony is grounded in science. How can the probative value of a conclusion be explained without falling victim to exaggeration or understatement? In this session, the fundamentals of examiner testimony as related to the strength of evidence and level of certainty will be presented from a legal and forensic practitioner perspective. This will be followed by an open discussion among panelists and symposium attendees on selected questions received at the networking reception the previous night.

Moderator: George W. Clarke, Judge of Superior Court, San Diego Superior Court, San Diego, CA

Presenters:

• Melissa R. Gische, Physical Scientist/Forensic Examiner, Latent Print Operations Unit, FBI Laboratory, Quantico, VA
  Presentation PDF 32kB
• David Kaye, Professor, School of Law and Forensic Science Program, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
  Presentation PDF 388kB

Discussants:

• Bruce Budowle, Executive Director and Professor, Forensic and Investigative Genetics, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Ft. Worth, TX
• Greg Klees, Firearms and Toolmark Examiner, National Laboratory Center, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Ammendale, MD
• Jennifer Mnookin, Professor, Law Department, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
• John E. Murdock, Firearms-Toolmark Examiner, Forensic Services Division, Office of the Sheriff-Coroner, Contra-Costa County, Martinez, CA
• Q&A

Speakers will present on their research and the direct impact it has on the field of impression and pattern evidence.

Moderator: Ryan S. Tomcik, Consultant, Booz Allen Hamilton, Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences, National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC

Presenters:

• Cognitive Profiling of Latent Fingerprint Examiners Rebecca E. Bucht, Graduate Center at CUNY, Associate Consultant, Cognitive Consultants International, New York, NY
  Presentation PDF 896kB
• An Empirical Study to Evaluate the Repeatability and Uniqueness of Striations/Impressions Imparted on Consecutively Manufactures Miami/EBIS Gun Barrels Thomas Fadul, Laboratory Manager, Crime Laboratory, Miami Dade Police Department, Miami, FL
  Presentation PDF 5.2MB
• Statistical Approach for an Efficient Use of Footwear Marks in Crime Analysis Alexandre Girod, Chef de l’Identite Judiciaire de la Police Cantonale Vaudoise, Police Forensic Department, Police Cantonale Vaudoise, Lausanne, Switzerland
  Presentation PDF 8.3MB
• Computerized System for Aiding Expert Evaluation of the Degree of Certainty and Error Rate in Physical Match and 2D Shoeprints Yaron Shor, Forensic Officer, Division of Identification and Forensic Science, Israel Police, Jerusalem, Israel
  Presentation PDF 3.3MB

Current fingerprint research on computational methods for assessing the uniqueness of fingerprints, the discriminating power or pore configurations combines with additional ridge features, and insight into fingerprint examiner performance and the exclusion process.

Moderator and Presenter: Probability Calculation for Latent Fingerprints Sargur Srihari, Professor, Computer Science and Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY

Presenters:

• Integration of the Pore Characteristics in the Evaluation of Fingerprint Evidence Alexandre Anthonioz, Scientific Collaborator, Institut de Police Scientifique, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
  Presentation PDF 1.3MB
• The Black Box Latent Print Examiner Studies R. Austin Hicklin, Fellow, Noblis, Falls Church, VA

Current state of the art research, requirements, recommendations and practices of forensic firearm and toolmark examination.

Moderator: Nicholas D.K. Petraco, Associate Professor of Forensic Science, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, NY
Presentation PDF 772kB

Presenters:

• Quantification of Toolmarks Scott Chumbley, Professor, Materials Science and Engineering, Iowa State University/Ames Laboratory, Ames, IA
  Presentation PDF 216kB
• Systematic Requirements/Recommendations for the Forensic Firearm and Toolmark Laboratory Douglas S. Lancon, Forensic Scientist, Physical Evidence Section, Acadiana Criminalistics Laboratory, New Iberia, LA
• Application of 3D Measurements for the Assessment of the Evidential Strength of Marks on Cartridge Cases Fabiano Riva, Doctoral Student, Institute of Forensic Science, Universite de Lausanne, Switzerland
  Presentation PDF 2.9MB

Nike Air Force I shoes are a very prevalent shoe in forensic laboratory casework. This panel will present the manufacturing processes, labeling information, production numbers and the presence of counterfeits along with case work comparisons, all of which will help address the significance of this common shoe.

Also presented will be a study regarding the random nature of individual characteristics and a comprehensive view on some new methods for lifting 2D shoe prints.

Moderator: Sandy Parent, Forensic Scientist, Crime Laboratory, Texas Department of Public Safety, Austin, TX

Presenters:

• Evaluation of the Random Nature of Acquired Marks on Footwear Outsoles Christopher Hamburg, Forensic Scientist, Forensic Services Division, Oregon State Police, Clackamas, OR
  Presentation PDF 5.4MB
• Attaching Significance to Questioned Footwear Impressions Characteristic of the Nike Air Force I Cheryl Lozen, Forensic Scientist, Forensic Science Division - Trace Unit, Michigan State Police - Northville Laboratory, Northville, MI
  Presentation PDF 3.6MB
• Using the Manufacturer’s Information of the Nike Air Force I Shoe to Assist in the Examination Process Michael B. Smith, Forensic Examiner, FBI Laboratory, Quantico, VA
  Presentation PDF 600kB
• Comprehensive View on Some New Methods for Lifting 2D Shoe Prints Sarena Wiesner, Scientific Officer, Toolmarks and Materials Lab, Division of Identification and Forensic Science, Israel Police, Jerusalem, Israel
  Presentation PDF 1.8MB

Moderator: James Krylo, Forensic Scientist, Forensic Laboratory, Firearm and Toolmark Unit, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Las Vegas, NV

Presenters:

• The Use of Probabilistic Networks in the Area of Fingerprints Christophe Champod, Professor, Institut de Police Scientifique, Univeristy of Lausanne, Switzerland
• Addressing the National Academy of Sciences’ Challenge: A Method for Statistical Pattern Comparison of Striated Tool Marks Nicholas D.K. Petraco, Associate Professor of Forensic Science, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, NY
  Presentation PDF 772kB
• A Probabilistic Measure for Signature Verification Based on Bayesian Learning Sargur Srihari, Professor, Computer Science and Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo, NY

Moderator: William J. Bodziak, Owner, Bodziak Forensics, Palm Coast, FL

Presenters:

• The Use of Databases in the Evaluation of Footwear Evidence David Baldwin, Principal Scientist, Marks and Traces, Volume Crime, Forensic Science Service, London, United Kingdom
• The Emperors New Impression: On the Need to Better Document Laboratory Results Based on Impression Evidence Vincent J. Desiderio, Forensic Scientist, Trace Evidence Section, Office of Forensic Sciences, New Jersey State Police, Hamilton, NJ
  Presentation PDF 904kB
• Using Physical and Chemical Techniques in Sequence to Maximize the Recovery Footwear Marks Michael E. Gorn, Senior Criminalist, Boston Police Department, Boston, MA
• Unqualified Testimony and Conclusions Regarding Footwear Impression Evidence by a Tracker: A Case Study Julie A. Lawry, Senior Attorney, Associated Counsel for the Accused, Public Defender Agency, Seattle, WA