Underwater Forensics

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Mphill9929

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What processes do you think are necessary to a PSD team to process forensic evidence underwater? To answer this question, identify what you consider to be valid underwater forensic evidence.

What examples of collectible forensic evidence do you think are a priority to collect and preserve? How do you make the determination and what do you do with them?

Mark Phillips
Editor / Publisher
PSDiver Monthly
PSDiver.com
 
Mark, Do you have a copy of the FSU curriculum? All I have ever seen is the abstract.

G Stanton. Underwater Crime Scene Investigations (UCSI), a New Paradigm. In: SF Norton (ed). 2003. Diving for Science...2003. Proceedings of the 22nd Annual Scientific Diving Symposium, American Academy of Underwater Sciences. Greenville, North Carolina. RRR ID: 4762[url]
 
No - I have talked with them a few times. There used to be some information at the FSU web site but most of what I know I gathered from news articles and their web site. As far as I know, there are currently two universities who teach an underwater investigator program. FSU is the most intense and Chaminade University in Honolulu has the other. It is a seminar conducted by Dr. Ron Becker. Ron used to run the Underwater Institute at SW Texas State University. His program is a 4 or 5 day seminar that focuses on Underwater Forensics. There is an information link to the seminar in the current issue of PSDiver Monthly. I helped with his program a couple of years ago and may go again next year.

Mark Phillips
PSDiver.com
 
We have a county dive team funded by the county and we do all the search and recovery here. We have one more class before we do our Public Saftey Diver. After that we'd like to take an uderwater forensics class like the one described above at FSU that was 4-5 days long. Does anyone know who to contact at FSU for further info?
 
There are a few specialty courses available for Underwater Forensics around the country. One I can recall ofhand is in Honolulu next June at Chaminade University and will be taught by Ron Becker.

What would be your expectation of such a class? What specifically do you want to learn?

Mark Phillips
PSDiver Monthly
www.PSDiver.com
 
Does anyone know who to contact at FSU for further info?

The person to contact at Florida State University is:

Michael A. Zinszer, Director
Advanced Science Diving Program

Florida State University - Panama City
4750 Collegiate Drive
Panama City, FL. 32405

Office (850) 770-2203
 
Hey Mark,

Figured you may find the introduction on the home page here interesting Underwater Criminal Investigators relative to forensics and underwater criminal investigations.


Regards,

John
 
I have had some of Dr Beckers classes and I have his textbook, they are both class acts and I would highly endorse them.
 
I know what WE do and what I teach. I agree that Dr. Becker's programs are informative and have helped or assisted with a number of his programs over the years. I also credit (blame) him for part off my deep involvement in the PSD world - Much encouragement and assistance freely offered over the years.

What I am wondering is how well WE as dive teams perform our jobs. WE know what we do and how well we do it but are we doing all we should or could? If not, where are our teams lacking? Is it communication with LE or a medical examiner? Is it training tunnel vision where we have taken for granted what we were taught without questioning the validity of the lesson? Is what we read or take for granted as fact truly fact or theory? This is a very broad topic and not one that can be tackled easily.

I know some of the answers to most of my questions and present the topic for discussion. There is always more to learn.There are a lot of things that we CAN do but do not because we either do not see the value in it or because those we are diving for do not understand the relationship the divers have in the evidence chain. To me this is a communication and training problem that needs to be addressed.

So, what is REASONABLE forensic evidence that a dive team can document and or collect and preserve in a zero visibility environment? Once collected, what happens to it? You should know more than "I hand it off and it is not my problem anymore". I have seen water samples and sediment samples poured out or tossed away AT the scene by those who took possession. Why?

If you know HOW items and objects are processed and how evidence is processed and what happens to it AFTER you hand it off, you will gain a better understanding of HOW to collect and preserve it.

So, it is reasonable to collect sediment and water samples. Sediment can provide exclusion comparisons if other sediments are discovered on an object. For example, soil stuck in the tread of a tennis shoe can be compared to the soil where the shoe was recovered. If it does not match, there is documented proof that the soil compositions are not the same. This does NOT imply that the divers are performing these comparisons. Water samples can offer diatom evidence. Water samples can be compared to water recovered from the lungs of a victim. If chlorine is found in the lung fluid and not the sample, that could prove the victim drowned somewhere else and was dumped.

So, what is REASONABLE forensic evidence that a dive team can document and or collect and preserve in a zero visibility environment?

Mark Phillips
Editor / Publisher
PSDiver Monthly
www.PSDiver.com
 
Mark,

First off let me be picky here..., because I am one of those people that is picky on using proper terms. (fins, not flippers..., that sort of thing). The reason I mention it is because if you find it, you'll have to enter it in court and I've seen defence lawyers try to throw the odd curve here.

We are all victims of the CSI world. We, as divers DO NOT collect forensic evidence, we collect physical evidence. The water and soil samples you mention are physical evidence from the scene. Once the scientists in the lab do their thing, their findings are the forensic evidence. Even a latent fingerprint at a scene is physical evidence until the pros make a match at the lab.

So the question should be.., how much physical evidence can a dive team collect and preserve in zero viz.

Let's be honest.., zero viz, cold water (thus gloves) are we going to find hair and fibres not currently located on the body? No of course not. We just cannot physically do it by searching. Now if it a big enough case...., a small suction pump, a grid pattern and 'viola', a minor excavation where the pumped water from each grid is filtered through fine sheeting and there are your hair and fibres. Do you do this for every sudden death where 30 people at the beach saw the person drown.., no, of course not. But a huge scene, potential serial killer..., maybe.

bare minimums for physical evidence at every scene?? (just off the top of my head and before my morning coffee so hopefully others will throw more in)

-location, location, location (where the body was located in relation to a fixed point on the shore, or GPS.
-Depth (I take it at the victims head)
-position of body
-physical condition of body (I've had to talk an ME through this one after the vic, 6 months in the water, literally fell apart between the bottom and the morgue)
-direction of body (if possible) I use a compass bearing from the head down the body or in relation to any continuous, non-tidal current
-temperature of water
-body (bagged on the bottom)
-water and soil samples
-a search of the area (10-15 foot radius) looking for anything else, clothes, shoes, jewelry, signed confessions.., that sort of thing

I can't really comment on your first part of the question regarding the evidence chain and communication with LE and medical examiners, because I'm in a little bit of a different situation than you guys and cannot give a proper comment on this.

If you lack knowledge in the processing of the evidence, I recommend you try to set something up with your lab weenies.., and get it straight from the horses mouth. They are also the people who can give you the best advice on how to preserve anything you collect as they'll tell you what condition they want the items in when they get them. Most I have met love to talk about what they do and are more than willing to do anything to make you (and their) job easier

Great topic for discussions Mark, I look forward to reading other responses
 

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