Solving crimes often depends on teamwork, but the process of collecting evidence is traditionally a more individual pursuit. At its core, gathering and processing evidence remains a fairly low-tech endeavor, relying as much on old-fashioned shoe leather as anything else. Now, that could be changing. New tools help detectives and other law enforcement professionals do more in real time, which means smoother and safer investigations, better teamwork, and more precise handling of key pieces of evidence. “Evidence technicians, investigators, and detectives are all usually working on their own to collect all of the necessary information,” said Jeff Gurvis, a forensic scientist and cofounder of Visionations, an Illinois-based technology company catering to the criminal justice sector. “Then, they informally talk about what they found later in a debriefing.”¹

The individual collection of evidence is a practice that doesn’t change much from crime to crime or agency to agency, but it can sometimes lead to gaps and inefficiency. Some steps may be inadvertently duplicated, while others may be omitted entirely. “Things can get lost in translation,” Gurvis said. “Sometimes all the information is written down on a standard worksheet or just freehand in a notebook. People write down the same thing as someone else, or they forget something.”

Visionations believes it has the solution for such problems. CrimePad, an app for tablets and other platforms, allows all crime scene personnel to be on the same page from start to finish. Investigators can enter evidence, record crime scenes, and take pictures and then share all the information instantaneously among other CrimePad users, both at and away from the crime scenes.

“With homicides or violent crimes especially, you need tools to standardize the way you’re collecting and sharing evidence with all those working to investigate,” Gurvis said. “You can take a quick photo. You’re streamlining the documentation process. You can use prompts to remind everyone what data to collect and then help them share it with those that need it.”

Gurvis said CrimePad, which is used by about 250 agencies in the United States, has received positive feedback from professionals who say it helps them do their jobs better and solve more crimes in less time. It can also expand the investigation team beyond the individuals at the physical scene.

“When you’re talking to neighbors, you can see what info has been collected, so you can ask more targeted questions,” Gurvis said. “You can do videoconferencing, which helps you bring in sets of eyes to the scene without them physically being there. Sheriffs, police chiefs, and even the attorney general can stay involved in investigations from their desks.”

Some technologies don’t even need Internet access to make evidence more shareable. HD Barcode, an application from Complete Inspection Systems in Florida, can transform identification cards, court documents, and other items (both text and images) into unique bar codes, which can then be converted back into the documents at a later date. The result is a more portable and more secure system for moving and cataloging important and sensitive documents.

According to Gary Parish, president of Complete Inspection Systems, HD Barcode allows users to create a bar code version of an important photograph and store that bar code along with the photograph. That bar code can be accessed and converted only by select personnel, making the evidence more secure. The device does not need to be connected to the Internet in the field in order to function, and it is available at a low cost, Parish said. In some cases, HD Barcode can even replace web-based means of authenticating evidence.²

The Story

Some traditional methods of handling evidence not only place inadvertent silos between personnel but serve as obstacles to effective evidence collection.

For example, although multiple gunshot residue (GSR) field tests exist, most test for materials such as nitrates or antimony that can last virtually forever and stay on skin or clothing indefinitely. Cross-contamination is also fairly common in GSR tests, particularly in areas where firearm use is prevalent. Taken together, these factors have rendered typical GSR tests virtually useless as a means of securing a conviction in court. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) tests are more reliable and legally valuable, but can cost time and money. Further complicating matters, field GSR tests, while cheaper and faster than an SEM test, usually destroy the residue sample, making a follow-up SEM test impossible. This forces investigators to make a difficult choice, but a new device can eliminate the need to do so.

The XCAT, developed by the Maryland-based RedXDefense firm, is a handheld device that can conduct field GSR tests without compromising the sample for subsequent SEM testing. A digital “card” is swiped along the tested surface and inserted into the XCAT device, which then provides a positive (red light) or negative (green light) indication on the spot. The card can then be ejected, bagged, and sent to a lab for SEM testing, if desired.

The XCAT is currently in use in 30 U.S. states and 10 countries and costs $1,895, plus $5 for each one-time-use GSR card. In addition to GSR testing, the device can test for narcotics and explosives.

Tommy Hudson, a homicide detective with the Little Rock, Arkansas, Police Department, estimates that his unit has used the XCAT about 15 times, and the tool has directly led to several arrests. “We’ve had people say they didn’t fire a shot or they didn’t fire it at the person or something, and when they see that light turn red right in front of them, they change their story,” Hudson said.³

Safety First

As they work to collect evidence, investigators must protect themselves and their equipment. Sharp objects, weapons, and biohazardous materials are common pieces of evidence that must be appropriately handled.

As long as people remain involved in the evidence collection process, so, too, will the human body. Lynn Peavey Company, headquartered in Kansas, is an all-purpose supplier for anyone working with evidence. Items for sale on its website, www.lynnpeavey.com, include evidence packaging kits and pouches, seals, masks and other protective apparel and accessories, and biohazard kits, among other things.

When it comes to protecting equipment, especially fragile or sensitive mobile devices, OtterBox, a Colorado manufacturer, creates cases for phones, tablets, and laptop computers from a variety of big-name manufacturers. The company’s Defender series of products protects devices against drops, bumps, and shocks, as well as dust and debris, and comes with a belt-clip holster included.

Training officers and detectives on the best ways to collect and handle evidence is another important piece of the puzzle. Several schools offer such training, and one of the leaders is the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety. At its Illinois classrooms, the center provides instruction—in the form of full courses and workshops—on a broad range of forensic science and crime scene topics, including crime scene assessment, blood detection and collection techniques, evidence development on firearms and ammunition, collection of entomological specimens, and other areas. ♦

Notes:
¹Jeff Gurvis (cofounder, Visionations), telephone interview, July 15, 2014.
²Gary Parish (president, Complete Inspection Systems), email interview, July 15, 2014.
³Tommy Hudson (detective, Little Rock, AK, Police Department), telephone interview, July 22, 2014.

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