wood burning

Success Story: Advancing the Forensic Analysis of Ignitable Liquid Fuel Fires

National Institute of Justice and JENSEN HUGHES Date February 2018 Overview Investigating fires with “liquid fuel” is particularly challenging, as the combustion of building materials often conceals the presence of the fuel. JENSEN HUGHES, led by Dr. Daniel Gottuk, evaluated…
DNA strand

Success Story: Forensic Epigenetics – Markers for the Identification of Body Fluids

National Institute of Justice and Florida International University Date February 2018 Overview  The identification of body fluids recovered from crime scenes can provide valuable information to further aid investigations. The biological origin of body fluids can facilitate the identification of…
vehicles driving in tunnel

Success Story: Improving the Reliability of Forensic Data from Vehicle Data Records

National Institute of Justice and Synercon Technologies Date December 2017 Overview Event Data Recorders (EDRs) are available in commercial vehicles. EDRs store relevant information about operation and other environmental variables. These devices contain content that support criminal investigations involving commercial…

Familial DNA: A series of reports released by the National Institute of Justice [2017]

Overview The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) published several reports related to Familial DNA in August 2017. The topics of these reports include Studies of Familial DNA Searching Policies and Practices-Case Studies, Studies of Familial DNA Searching Policies and Practices -…

Detection of Organic Gunshot Residue Using Capillary Microextraction of Volatiles with Cryofocusing

Date July 2017 Overview Researchers at Florida International University’s (FIU’s) International Forensic Research Institute evaluated the capability of capillary microextraction of volatiles (CMV) to extract the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that constitute organic gunshot residue (OGSR) on the hands of…

Evaluation of Existing Technologies for Novel Analysis and Probabilistic Interpretation of Organic Gunshot Residue

Date July 2017 Overview Firearms exposure has traditionally been monitored by screening for the presence of inorganic particles prevalent in gunshot residue (GSR). These inorganic compounds are associated with the primer in ammunition. Recent research efforts have explored alternative approaches…

2017 National Institute of Justice Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium

Date June 2017 Overview The 2017 National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Forensic Science Research and Development (R&D) Symposium is intended to promote collaboration and enhance knowledge transfer of NIJ-funded research. The NIJ Forensic Science R&D Program funds both basic or…

Reports of Adverse Events Associated with Use of Novel Psychoactive Substances, 2013–2016: A Review

Date April 2017 Overview Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) represent significant analytical and interpretive challenges to forensic and clinical toxicologists. Timely access to case reports and reports of adverse incidents of impairment or toxicity is imperative to clinical diagnosis and treatment,…