Forensicphotography

BY: CHELDY SYGACO ELUMBA-PABLEO,MPA,LLB
POLICE PHOTOGRAPHY
FORENSIC
PHOTOGRAPHY

FORENSIC PHOTOGRAPHY
• Is known as police photography.
• It is also referred to as crime scene
photography, is an activity that
records the initial appearance of
the crime scene and physical
evidence, in order to provide a
permanent record for the courts.

IMPORTANCE OF FORENSIC PHOTOGRAPHY
• “A picture is worth a thousand words and it is
especially true in crime scene photography.”
• Photography is the basis of all crime scenes
and is carried out on priority.
• Forensic photography is an integral part of
trial.
• And the judgement often is based upon crime
scene photographs to prove prima facie
evidence.

IMPORTANCE OF FORENSIC PHOTOGRAPHY
• Without crime scene photograph, it would be
hard to develop the theories for it is in the
photograph where actual crime scene can be
preserved for further analysis.
• It is through photograph where scenarios of the
happening of the unfortunate events can be
recreated.
• With that, theories can be developed as to
what happen, why and how the crime was
perpetrated.

• Police Photography is considered an
indispensable instrument in
criminal investigation.
• It always played a vital part in
criminal investigation.
• It acts as a tool in crime solution
and in bringing offender to justice.

• Modern policing considers
photography as more than just
a way to record evidence or
identify a known criminal.
• It plays an important part in
all aspect of forensic science.

FOUR WAYS TO USE PHOTOGRAPHY IN POLICE WORK
1) As a means of identification.
2) As a method of discovering,
recording and preserving evidence.
3) As a way to present in the court
room, an impression of the pertinent
elements of crime; and
4) As a training and public relations
medium for police programs.

BRANCHES OF CRIMINALISTICS HELP IN
PROSECUTIONS OF CRIMINAL
• Criminalistics, which is defined as the
application of science to the solution of
crime, played an important part in
mapping out the truth as to the culpability
of the accused.
• Criminalistics is vital in the criminal justice
system for it may exonerate the accused
wrongfully charged of a crime or
determine his or culpability.

• In today’s world, the progress
of MODERN TECHNOLOGY
FORENSICS has shaped the
world of justice, giving law
enforcement the much needed
scientific tools of crime
investigations and detection.

• Criminalistics is the application
of the physical and natural
sciences to law-science matters
directed to answer questions
relating to the recognition,
identification, individualization,
evaluation and examination of
physical evidence.

• Unlike testimonial evidence where the
witness may be coach, evades and
forgets what they have had seen or
witness, physical evidence never lies,
evades or forgets.
• In all sense, all areas and subdivisions
of criminalistics relate to one thing:
RECONSTRUCTION OF THE CRIMINAL ACT.

FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY
• is application of the science of
physical anthropology to the
interest of law, most often in
criminal cases, where, more or
less, the victim’s remain is
skeletonized.

FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY
• THE EXAMINATION IS APPLIED TO DETERMINE THE
FOLLOWING CHARACTERISTICS:
•
(1) Determine whether the skeleton is human.
(2) Determine the gender, approximate age,
physical stature and likely the racial affiliation of
the deceased, and,
(3) Approximate time since death, cause of
death, identifying wounds or illnesses that can be
could be traced in the bone structure.

FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY
• It is the study and examination of insects in,
on, and around found in decomposing
human remains to assist in legal
investigations.
• It is divided into three (3) general areas:
1. Medico legal
2. Urban Aspect
3. Stored-Product

FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY
• (1) MEDICO LEGAL – This
division focuses on the
criminal aspects of the legal
system and dwells with the
necrophagous feeding insects
that normally infest in dead
bodies or human remains.

FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY
• (1) MEDICO LEGAL --In this
case, usually involving murder
investigations, entomologist
determines with what insects
lay eggs when and where, and
in what order they appear in
dead bodies.

FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY
• (1) MEDICO LEGAL--The examination
is helpful to determine the time of
Post Mortem Interval (PMI) and
location of the death in question
since, in some instance, a person is
killed in one location and dumped in
another location.

FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY
•(2) URBAN ASPECT – This division
deals with the environmental
aspect of investigation.
•A person may have lived in an
area which is also the natural
habitat of the said place.

FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY
• (2) URBAN ASPECT --The damaged
cause by their sting bites or
mandibles as they feed on humans
create a marking that may be
interpreted as human abuse.
• Entomologist may be called upon in
the courts of law to shed light on the
circumstance.

FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY
• (3) STORED-PRODUCT – This division
deals with products or foodstuffs which
are commonly infested by insects.
• Entomologists may be called upon by the
courts of law to serve as expert witness
in a criminal or civil proceedings
involving food contamination.

FORENSIC PATHOLOGY
•It is a branch of forensic science
which deals with the structural
changes of the body caused by
disease or injury and determines
the cause of death.

FORENSIC PATHOLOGY
• Forensic Pathologist is a medical doctor.
• He or she performs autopsy on the human remains to
determine the following aspect of death:
•
(1) To establish cause of death,
(2) To estimate the approximate time of death.
(3) To infer the type of weapon used.
(4) To distinguish whether the cause of death is
homicide or suicide.
(5) To establish the identity of the deceased, and
(6) To determine the additive effect of trauma or pre-
existing conditions

FORENSIC ODONTOLOGY
• Forensic odontology is a branch of
forensic medicine which deals with the
study of uniqueness of dentition and, in
the interests of justice, deals with the
proper examination, handling and
presentation of dental evidence in a
court of law.
• Odonatologists may be called upon to
serve as expert witness.

FORENSIC ODONTOLOGY
• ODONATOLOGIST AREA OF WORK COVERS:
• (1) Identification of found human remains and
age estimations through dental records,
(2) Identification of mass fatalities,
(3) Identification of bite marks on the victims of
attack,
(4) Comparison of bite marks in other substances
such as wood, leather, foods, etc.,
(5) Assessment of bite marks injuries.

FORENSIC ODONTOLOGY
•Forensic Odonatologist
often works with forensic
anthropologist and
pathologist.

FORENSIC BALLISTICS
• Forensic Ballistics is more commonly known
as Firearms identification.
• It is one of the disciplines of Forensic
science where its primary concern is the
analysis of firearm usage, type and caliber
of firearms fired, types of ammunitions,
bombs and missiles or any kind of
projectiles, its motion and impact, which
has of great legal interest.

GENETIC FINGERPRINTING, DNA TESTING, DNA
TYPING, AND DNA PROFILING
• This discipline of forensic science is a
techniques used to distinguish between
individuals of the same species using only
samples of their DNA.
• In People vs. Vallejo, G.R. No., May 9, 2002,
the Supreme Court upholds the admissibility of
DNA evidence as it affirmed the death sentence
of Gerrico Vallejo on the strength of DNA
analysis of body fluids founds in the victims
vagina conducted by the NBI Forensic
Chemistry Division.

• Forensic Photography (sometimes
referred to as forensic imaging or
crime scene photography) is that
subdivision of forensic science which
deals with two aspects:
(1) Pictures of actual crime scene, and
(2) Pictures of recreated scenarios of
the crime committed.

FORENSIC HANDWRITING AND DOCUMENT
ANALYSIS
•It is that subdivision of Forensic
Science which deals with the
study of handwriting and
documents to determine
whether or not a questioned
handwriting or documents is
genuine or not.

FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION
• This is often referred to as
DACTYLOSCOPY.
• It is that branch of Forensic
Science where the process involves
comparison of known and
questioned fingerprints or palm
prints to determine if it came
from the same finger or palm.

FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION
• The process is by way of
comparing the friction skin ridge
impression.
• The principle behind is that “No
two persons are born alike”.
• Thus, no two persons are born
with the same finger prints or
palm prints

FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY
• It is that branch of Forensic Science
which deals with the application of
psychological principles and
knowledge, which is of legal interest,
generally assessment of a person’s
emotional, physical and psychological
capacity to determine whether or
not he is mentally fit or not.

FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY
• In a murder or homicide case for instance,
an accused may be examined, if his defense
is insanity, whether he is fit for trial and
whether or not he was on his right mind
when he committed the offense so as to
exempt him from any criminal liability.
• Sometimes, Forensic psychologists assist
law enforcement agents in serving as
“criminal profilers”.

FORENSIC TOXICOLOGY
•It is the process of identifying
toxic reaction or poison or what
type of toxic substance are
present, in what concentration
and the probable effect of such
substance or chemicals on
person.

•In a murder investigation,
toxicologist may assist
medico-legal in the
determination and
investigation of death
poisoning, substance or drug
abuse.

COMPUTER FORENSICS
• It is the process of analysis and
investigation of computer
crimes or determinations of
whether or not a computer or
computer systems have been used
in illegal or unauthorized
activities.

COMPUTER FORENSICS
•Expert in this field may be able
to identify source of an illegal
optic or digital device,
recover deleted, encrypted or
damaged information in a
computer system which may be
used as evidence.

CARDINAL RULE OF METHODOLOGY IN
FORENSIC DOCUMENT ANALYSIS
• In, Robert E. Pettus, vs. United States, No.08–
CF–1361, argued December 6, 2011 --
February 09, 2012, Harrison described the
four-step followed generally (and by FBI
Document Examiners) in expert comparison of
handwriting.
• The procedure and methodology is known as
the ACE-V method (Analysis, Comparison,
Evaluation, and Verification).

• 1) ANALYSIS. — This step begins
with the examiner analyzing
the known writing to decide
whether it was “freely and
naturally prepared” rather
than a simulation or tracing of
other writing.

• 1) ANALYSIS.--Using magnification,
the examiner also establishes “a
range of variation” on the known
writer's part, i.e., “deviations
[from a person's] repetitive
handwriting characteristics ․
expected in natural, normal
writing.”

• 2) COMPARISON. — Once the known and
questioned writings are studied
separately, the examiner “compare[s
them] to determine if there are
similarities present between the two
writings, if there are differences present
and if the [range of] variation that was
observed in the one writing is also
observed in the [other] writing.”

• 3) EVALUATION. — In evaluating or “assess[ing] the
characteristics observed in common or not between
the two writings,” examiners consider both “pictorial”
or “gross” features and more detailed ones, including
“the beginning and ending strokes, how the writing
sits on the [hypothetical] baseline or ruled line of
writing,” “spacing [and height relationships] between
words and letters,” the “number of [strokes] used to
prepare a letter,” shading (“if you're going upstroke on
a letter, do you have heavier ink deposit than you
would on the down stroke”), and the side-slant of
letters.

• 3) EVALUATION.-- All told,
examiners look at both documents
“to determine if there are
characteristics present that would
stray from what we call the
copybook style of writing, the
writing you learn[ed] when you
learned writing in school.

• 3) EVALUATION. — Harrison conceded that there is
no “standard for how many individualizing
characteristics need to be present” in either the
known or questioned writing for a conclusion of
authorship to be reached, but she was clear that
“[t]he identification of authorship is not based
on one single characteristic”, “we have to have
sufficient identifying characteristics in common
[and] no significant differences and variation
between the two writings.”

• 4) VERIFICATION. — The final phase of the
process, “common practice” both for the
FBI and in “the field” generally, is
verification, whereby (in the FBI's
laboratory) “the handwriting is given to
another examiner who goes through the
same process to evaluate the conclusion
of the [first] examiner,” though the
repetition is not “blind” since the second
examiner will have the work product of
the first.

• 4) VERIFICATION. — Unlike other laboratories which
permit a broader or narrower range of conclusions, FBI
examiners may reach one of FOUR CONCLUSIONS:
1. identification (a “definite determination” of
authorship),
2. elimination (a definite determination of no
authorship),
3. no conclusion, and
4. a qualified (“may have” or “may not have”) opinion.

• 4) VERIFICATION. — The final phase, in
the field of PRIVATE PRACTITIONER, is
also known as Peer-Review, a process
of self-regulation by re-evaluating the
assessment and result conducted by a
qualified professional of the same field
to maintain standards, improve
performance and provide credibility.

• 4) VERIFICATION. — The final
phase, however, is not a
mandatory regulation in the
private practice but having one
will maintain the standards of
the profession provide credibility
and eliminate “according to the
highest bidder” practitioner.

WHAT IS AFIS?
• AFIS is acronym of AUTOMATED FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION
SYSTEM.
• The following is the brief explanation of the acronym which
also serves as its usage in the effective utilization of
identification in the field of criminal investigation as
explained and expounded by Peter Komarinski:
1. A (Automation)
2. F (Fingerprint)
3. I (Identification)
4. S (System)

AUTOMATED FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION
SYSTEM
• A (AUTOMATION) – The Automation
process has eliminated the need for
a print classifier to locate
fingerprint cards from a file and
compare two physical cards
manually.

SYSTEM
• F (FINGERPRINT) – The searchable
database is composed of
Fingerprint images collected from
individual either by using
fingerprint cards or by electronic
capture using a device similar to a
scanner.

SYSTEM
• I (IDENTIFICATION) – The
Identification aspect occurs when
the person is fingerprinted, and
the resulting images are searched
against the database of
fingerprint images on a local
state, or national database

SYSTEM
• S (SYSTEM) – It is considered as a
system because it uses a
computer and software and can
interact with the subsystems and
other identification system,
including other AFIS systems.

SYSTEM
• These systems is amazing fast
and it only takes a few minutes
to identify the identity of the
suspect(s).
• AFIS technology can search a
single crime-scene latent print
against an entire collection of
fingerprint files.

THANK YOU FOR READING!
CHELDHAYE

Forensicphotography

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