Forensic Science Questioned Documents 1 Questioned Documents A

Forensic Science Questioned Documents 1

Questioned Documents A "questioned" document is any signature, handwriting, typewriting, or other mark whose source or authenticity is in dispute or doubtful. Letters, checks, driver licenses, contracts, wills, voter registrations, passports, petitions, threatening letters, suicide notes, and lottery tickets are the most common questioned documents, although marks on doors, walls, windows, or boards would also be included by definition……. . Who wrote the graffiti on the bathroom wall ? 2

Questioned Documents Topics 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Handwriting analysis Ink Paper Pens and Pencils Forgery Codes and Ciphers 3

Who’s Who ? Graphologist- attempts to predict character traits from handwriting examination Forensic Document Examinerinvolves the analysis and comparison of questioned documents with known material (exemplar) in order to identify the author or origin of the questioned document. 4

Handwriting Sample of President George Bush According to Sheila Lowe in her book, Handwriting of the Famous and Infamous, President Bush’s handwriting is “fast and highly simplified in fairly well-organized writing field”. Is this a forensic document examiner or a graphologist? ? 5

Handwriting analysis involves two phases: 1. Visual examination 2. The hardware— ink, paper, pens, pencils, typewriter, printers 6

Visual examination 12 Handwriting Characteristics ) Line Quality ) Word and Letter Spacing ) Letter Comparison ) Pen Lifts ) Pen Pressure ) Connecting Strokes ) Beginning/Ending Strokes ) Lettering Slant ) Unusual Letter Formation ) Diacritic Placement ) Baseline Habits ) Fancy Writing Habits 7

Visual examination Handwriting Identification “ACE” )Analysis of the “knowns” with a determination of the characteristics found in the known )Analysis of the questioned or unknown writing and determination of its characteristics )Comparison of the questioned writing with the known writing. )Evaluation of the evidence, including the similarities and dissimilarities between the “questioned” and “known” writing. 8

Visual examination Collecting Handwriting Samples 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. The subject should not be shown the questioned document The subject is not told how to spell words or use punctuation The subject should use materials similar to those of the document The dictated text should match some parts of the document The subject should be asked to sign the text Always have a witness 9

Visual examination Collecting Handwriting Samples Refusal ? ? *The U. S. Supreme Court decided that handwriting is a part of identifying physical characteristics that aren’t protected against “the 5 th” *The U. S. Supreme Court decided that providing a handwriting sample doesn’t violate the 4 th Amendment’s protections against unreasonable search and seizure. 10

Visual examination Linguist Experts that look at the linguistic content (the way something is written) of a questioned document. Language that is used can help to establish the writer’s age, gender, ethnicity, level of education, professional training, and ideology. 11

Hardware Ink Chromatography--physically separate mixtures of gases, liquids or dissolved. Types )Paper Chromatography )Gas Chromatography )HPLC--high-performance liquid chromatography )TLC--thin-layer chromatography 12

Paper Chromatography with Ink Two samples of black ink from two different manufacturers run using paper chromatography. 13

Paper Chromatography with Ink Retention Factor (Rf) ) This is a number that represents how far a compound travels in a particular solvent ) It is determined by measuring the distance the compound traveled and dividing it by the distance the solvent traveled.

Gas Chromatography with Ink Gas chromatography--separates mixtures on the basis of their distribution between a stationary liquid phase and a moving gas phase. The written record of the results is called a chromatogram. A typical one will show a series of peaks, with each representing one component of the mixture. The time required to go from the injection out of the column is known as the retention. 15

Mass Spectroscopy with Ink Mass spectrometer--an instrument that connects to the gas chromatograph. The substance to be identified is exposed to a beam of high-energy electrons causing the molecules of the sample to lose electrons and to acquire a positive charge. These positively charged molecules decompose into numerous fragments. These fragments then pass through an electronic or magnetic field where they are separated according to their masses. The unique feature of mass spectrometry is that no two substances produce the same fragmentation pattern, thus producing individual characteristics. 16

Hardware Paper Combination of wood, cotton and chemical additives 1. Coatings - improve appearance & surface properties 2. Fillers - add color strength, and surface texture 3. Sizings - make the surface less porous to ink The types and amounts of each of these additives vary among manufacturers (testable) 17

Hardware Paper Water marks-(found in high end papers) -Translucent design created @ manufacture. -Has fewer fibers than rest of paper -Who made it ; when made ; made for whom -Hard to forge 18

Hardware Pencils Hardness Scale of Lead--a traditional measure of the hardness of the "leads" (actually made of graphite) in pencils. The hardness scale, from softer to harder, takes the form. . . , 3 B, 2 B, B, HB, F, H, 2 H, 3 H, 4 H, . . . , with the standard "number 2" pencil being of hardness 2 H. 19

Hardware Pens Ink Line Striae – microscopic lines of non inked areas due to imperfections in the ball or ball housing of the ball point pen 20

Forgery Checks Forgery Counterfeit Alterations Paper Money Counterfeit Identity Credit Cards Theft of card or number Art--imitation with intent to deceive Microscopic examination Electromagnetic radiation Chemical analysis Social Security Driver’s license 21

U. S. Counterfeit protection measures Intaglio Printing Portrait Watermark Color Shifting Ink Micro printing Fine Line Engraving Serial Numbers Treasury Seal Security Threads Unique Paper Embedded Red and Blue fibers 22

Intaglio Printing Intaglio printing is what gives the U. S. currency its distinctive look. This beautiful art is painstakingly produced by engraving on steel plates. Special ink is applied to plates. The plates are first wiped clean, leaving only ink in the grooves, then pressed with enormous pressure. The enormous pressure causes the paper to be embossed with the ink, thus giving the ink a distinctive raised feel that other printing techniques cannot duplicate 23

Portrait The Treasury maintains that the face is the most recognizable part of money. By moving the portrait to the left, the face will suffer less wear from folding. The move also makes extra room for the watermark on the right side. 24

Watermark The watermark is created during the paper making process and is caused by variations in the density of the paper. As light passes through these tiny variations in thickness, it creates different tones. When held up to light these varying tones form a clear image 25

Color Shifting Ink The black to green colorshifting is a new and important element of the redesigned $100 bill. The change in color is the result of multi-layered metallic flakes added to the ink. When the bill is tilted, light reflects off these flakes at different wavelengths and changes colors. This is called color diffraction 26

Micro printing Appears as just a thin line to the naked eye, but can be easily read upon magnification. 27

Fine Line Engraving Fine circular lines appear around the portrait of the bill. The clarity and detail of these lines are difficult for scanners and photocopiers to reproduce. These lines often cause a blur during the scanning process. 28

Serial Numbers No two serial numbers are the same. On the new bills, these serial numbers have been increased to 11 digits. 29

Treasury Seal The old green Treasury seal hidden behind the "100" has long been part of U. S currency and will remain an important security feature. This detailed combination of green and black is difficult to reproduce 30

Unique Paper Currency paper has a unique feel and is extremely durable. Is it really 'paper' in the traditional sense? There are no wood fibers or starch in currency paper. Instead, like high quality stationery, currency paper is composed of a special blend of cotton and linen fibers. The strength comes from raw materials continuously refined until the special feel of the currency is achieved. People who handle money on a regular basis, such as bank tellers, can easily determine if a bill is counterfeit by this distinctive feel. The characteristic yellowish-green tint of U. S. currency is another distinctive feature which is, in fact, hard for color photocopiers to accurately match. 31

Security Threads In the redesigned notes, a security thread will appear in a different location and a different color when held over ultraviolet 32

Red and Blue Fibers Red and blue fibers have been a longtime ingredient of U. S. currency paper. Special features like these fibers are embedded in currency paper to ensure that reproduction is difficult. While some counterfeiters attempt to draw these fibers onto the surface of the bill, close inspection reveals the absence of the authentic embedded fiber and the clear presence of crude lines drawn on the surface. 33

Codes and Ciphers Codes--letter combinations or symbols used to represent words or concepts Ciphers--a message in which letters or symbols replace the actual letters in the message. 1. Simple Substitution Ciphers How many possible sequences are there ? 4. 0329 x 1026=400, 000, 000, 000. 2. Keyword Number Ciphers 3. Telephone Keypad Ciphers 4. Masonic Cipher 5. Tic-Tac-Toe Cipher 34

Cipher Examples ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZA 35

Cipher Examples 36

Cipher Examples 37

CRAZY CRIMINALS A guy walked into an Oakland bank and handed the teller a note reading, “this is a stikkup. Hand over all yer money fast. ” Guessing from this that the guy was no rocket scientist, the teller replied, “I’ll hand over the cash as long as you sign for it. It’s a bank policy that all robbers have to sign for their money. ” The guy thought this over, then said “Uh, I guess that’s OK. ” He signed his full name and address. That’s where the cops found him a few hours later.