Category: Articles, Crime Investigation, DNA, Firearms/Guns, Resources for Attorneys Forensic DNA on Guns TASA ID: 16621 As DNA profiling has become increasingly sensitive, I have seen a steady increase in the use of DNA evidence in felon weapon cases. Often the weapon is recovered in the suspect’s home. In other cases, the weapons are found in a glove box or under the seat of a vehicle. The weapon is swabbed, the DNA is profiled, and more often than not, the resulting profiles are a mixture of 2-4 or more individuals.The prosecution theory is: The suspect’s DNA is on the weapon; therefore, the suspect must have handled the weapon. The question for the defense: Is this always true? Read more
Category: Articles, Crime Investigation, Entertainment, Law Enforcement & Corrections, Resources for Attorneys, Resources for Experts, Safety, Security What Do Active Shooter Threats Mean for the Standard/Duty of Care? TASA ID: 8635 After the tragic Pittsburgh synagogue shooting that claimed 11 lives, the faith-based community and other gathering places have found themselves left with an almost unfathomable, but inevitably relevant question: “what if a shooting happens here next?” Read more
Category: Articles, Crime Investigation, Education, Law Enforcement & Corrections, Resources for Attorneys, Resources for Experts, Safety, School Safety/Violence 5 Reasons Why Parkland Florida School Officials and Nikolas Cruz’s Family Are Liable TASA ID: 2774 The Valentine’s Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School by Nikolas Cruz was initially blamed on the poor response from the Broward County Sheriff’s Department and school security.However, an investigation by the SERAPH School Safety team has found a much darker series of failures by adults in Cruz’s personal life and school life. Read more
Category: Articles, Crime Investigation, Law Enforcement & Corrections, Resources for Attorneys Bullet Behavior TASA ID: 8673 Ricochet Characteristics: Smaller, faster moving bullets tend to fragment upon impact rather than ricochet so they would have a lower or more acute critical angle than larger, slower moving bullets. With this in mind, a .45 ACP moving at approximately 800 fps is an ideal cartridge to use when conducting experiments with ricochets. Investigators in the field typically would not have the requisite information available to estimate a critical angle when a ricochet marking is discovered at a crime scene so field testing with a similar cartridge and the same or similar substrate would be a benefit to the CSI’s analysis when calculating the approximate critical angle is necessary. Read more
Category: Articles, Computer/Internet, Crime Investigation, Law Enforcement & Corrections, Record Fraud, Resources for Attorneys, Resources for Experts Communications are Essential as a Force Multiplier in Fraud Investigations TASA ID: 8635 While most news broadcasts lead with headlines of violent crime and terrorist acts; white collar crimes, like scams and frauds present a serious problem. According to the FBI, white collar crime costs the United States over $300 billion a year. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, who published the 2016 “Report to the Nations on Occupational Fraud and Abuse” paint a far graver picture; estimating that the typical organization loses 5% of its revenues each year to fraud. Based on the 2015 Commerce Department estimates; the U.S. gross domestic product of $17.9 trillion, American businesses lost about $895 billion to fraud in 2016. Read more