Forensic Document Research Articles

The document examiner and fraud investigation

This paper aims to give the Investigator of Fraud an appreciation of the sorts of assistance that the Forensic Document Examiner can offer him. It gives an indication as to the material needed from the investigator if the examiner is to provide the maximum help. It contains some information about the possibilities of dating documents.

An Identification of Handprinting Produced with the Unaccustomed Left Hand

A case report and demonstration of a positive identification of handprinting produced with the unaccustomed left hand. The Document Examiner was provided with only normal right hand handprinting as comparison samples. The features a Forensic Document Examiner can expect in handprinting done with the unaccustomed hand are discussed along with the salient points leading to the identification.

Additional Applications of Digital Image Processing to Forensic Document Examinations

Abstract Two experimental applications of digital image processing to the examination of questioned documents are evaluated. First is a comparison of digital image processing, electrostatic detection apparatus (ESDA) processing, side lighting, and photography in the decipherment of indented writing. Best results are achieved by first utilizing the ESDA, then digitally enhancing the ESDA lift using a high-pass sharpening filter. The second application is the use of image processing equipment to make fracture match comparisons to associate carbon film typewriter ribbons with questioned typescript. Split-screen images and image overlays are found to be very effective techniques for this kind of examination. Wenderoth [1] and Baier et al. [2] have reported on image processing as it relates to questioned document examination.

Color Comparison in Questioned Document Examination Using Microspectrophotometry

Abstract The work of the document examiner is often aided through the use of specialized analytical instruments. One such instrument, in use at the Immigration & Naturalization Service Forensic Document Laboratory (INSFDL), is the Nanometrics 10S Microspectrophotometer, manufactured by Nanometrics, Inc., of Sunnyvale, CA. This pseudo-dual-beam spectrophotometer performs nondestructive color analysis of objects down to 2 μm in size. First, an object to be examined (such as an ink line) is viewed through a microscope and the light reflected from it is measured over the visible spectrum. The reflected energy is then compared with a standard stored in the system's microprocessor, and a spectral curve is provided which is characteristic of the color of the object examined. At INSFDL, the Nanospec 10S™ has been successfully used to differentiate similarly colored printing inks, stamp pad inks, and fibers found on various travel and identity documents. Examples from recent cases will be demonstrated.

Laser Technology—A New Concept to Challenge the Forensic Document Examiner

ABSTRACTThis research on laser printing was initiated to disclose the current “state of the art”, explain the basic theory of laser printing, particularly the I.B.M. 3800 printer, and to indicate some class and identifying features to look for during case examinations.

Forensic Document techniques Applied to Literary Manuscripts

Forensic Document techniques Applied to Literary Manuscripts