Forensic 4

Module 3
Learning Objectives
At the end of this chapter, the student will be able to;
- Identify the instruments and equipment in forensic document examination
- Explain the functions and importance of photography in forensic document
examination

Instruments and Equipment in Forensic Document Examination

Forensic document examiner need certain instrument and scientific equipment in
examining documents and determining facts that may not be visible to the naked
eye. Below are some of the instruments and equipment used by forensic document
examiners at the PNP crime lab.

1. Optical Aids
- Microscope – an optical instrument that consists of a combination of lenses
that allows the user to view a magnified image of a small object (Brenner
2004)

- Magnifying glass or hand lens – the simplest microscope. Light from the
object is bent, or refracted as it passes through the curved lens and into the
eye, where it forms a magnified virtual image. The lens is usually mounted in
a frame with a handle. Their magnification limit is about five to ten times the
true size of the object.

- A stereo or Stereoscopic microscope is an instrument for blending into one

image two pictures of an object from slightly different points of view so as to
produce upon the eye the impression of relief and solidity and a three-
dimensional viewing (Brenner, 2004).

The stereoscopic microscope is the most important and the

commonly used equipment in forensic document examination.
Stereoscopic microscopes offer between 10 and 50 power that
includes both incident and transmitted illumination. Power refers to the
amount of magnification the microscope provides (2 power = 200%
enlargement). This type of microscope provides a magnified three-
dimensional image that assists the viewer in the study of pressure
patterns, crossed lines, erasures, indentations, writing over folds, and
similar problems (Koppenhaver, 2007). “

- Other optical aids include other good quality, non-distorting magnifiers in

various strengths like strong reading glasses and optivisors that can be worn
so that the examiner can view documents while leaving both hands free.
2. Measuring Devices
- Rulers, gauges, grids and other accurate measuring devices are important for
document examiners to obtain precise measurements. . .
- The typewriting test plate is used to detect any abnormal horizontal or vertical
alignment of typewritten characters. Ten characters per inch (cpi) is called
pica and twelve cpi are known as elite. Placed over the typewritten page,
these gauges need to be accurate to ensure a more comprehensive analysis
of a variety of situations. The printed image is on the bottom of the clear
plastic plate, which eliminates shadows and allows for direct photography.
- The protractor measures angles and is also called a handwriting slope
instrument. Other test plates include the letter slant or handwriting comparison
test plate and the type angle measurement.
3. Duplicating Devices
- Forensic document examiners need camera equipment for clear close-up
photographs of original documents. These photographs are useful in studying
documents in place of the original and in enabling a jury to see the
characteristics of writing and the reasons for conclusions more clearly than by
looking at the original documents.
4. Proper Lighting
- In addition to daylight, various types and intensity of lighting fixtures is crucial
for critical examinations in a document laboratory. Different types of lights can
reveal subtle details essential for revealing flaws and stains on documents.
- Some examinations also require special lightning effects.
- Transmitted light is passed through a transparent or translucent medium. It is
used in the examination of documents to determine the presence of erasures,
matching of serration and some other types of alteration.

5. Specialized Equipment
- Forensic document examiners use additional equipment based on specialized
needs and interests crucial to solving certain cases.
When documents are illuminated by ultraviolet light, certain inks and papers
will glow, making them visible to the naked eye in an otherwise darkened
room. The ultraviolet light machine is used to detect mechanical and chemical
erasures, which certainly change the reflectivity and - fluorescence of the
affected area. The exposure of the document to ultraviolet light is useful when
it consists of several pages and substitution is suspected. This machine is
also used in the examination of counterfeit bills. Genuine bills ‘have distinct
features like the serial number, security fibers, fluorescent printing, special
paper and other features that react and flourish when subjected to ultraviolet
light.
- A comparator is a device for comparing a measurable property or thing with a
reference or standard. A video spectral comparator consists of a camera, a
video monitor, various light sources and filters for exciting radiation and
reflected or fluorescent light, an image integrator and comparator, and a video
recorder. It uses a variety of lighting conditions to differentiate inks and paper
on a document placed in the cabinet (Koppenhaver, 2007). –
- Video spectral comparators include the VSC-1, VSC2CX and VSC-4CX,
which are designed to detect the different optical properties of document
materials. They are used in the examination of masked or obliterated text and
watermark. They .can also be used in exposed oblique illumination of
indented writing, dry stamps, embossed features and intaglio script. They can
also be an incident visible and infrared light source with variable intensity
controls for ink reflectance.

VSC testing is non-destructive and does not alter the appearance or

condition of a document. This is particularly effective in detecting
alterations to documents; restoring erased entries; revealing original
writing that has been obliterated, obscured or overwritten; and
differentiating inks that cannot otherwise be distinguished by the naked
eye.

The VSC-1 and VSC-2CX can easily detect when inks from different
writing instruments used in a document because the inks react
differently when illuminated with ultraviolet and infrared light. The VSC-
4CX is a portable instrument that can be taken outside the laboratory to
examine documents in law offices, court rooms or other off-site
locations.

- The Electrostatic Detection Apparatus or ESDA is used to detect indented

impressions left from writing on an overlying page. When a document: is
placed on a vacuum plate that is covered with thin polymer film stretched over
it, the film is positively charged by passing a high-voltage corona wire close to
its surface. Glass beads containing negatively charged photocopy toner are
cascaded over the film, making indented writing appear in gray to black tones.
The resulting visual image can be photographed and the film can be covered
with a transparent sheet to preserve the findings (Koppenhaver, 2007). .

The ESDA provides the document examiner with a non destructive

technique for detecting impressions in paper that are invisible to the
naked eye. It can also reveal the relative sequence of entries in
ledgers, journals or medical records. Specialists use this instrument to
restore handwritten impressions on anonymous letters and detect
documents that have been fraudulently altered or back-dated. Restored
impressions are preserved using adhesive-coated acetate sheets.
 A microfiche is a flat piece of microfilm on which many pages of printed material
have been photographed for storage in miniaturized form. The microfiche is
placed under the lens of a micro fitche machine or microfiche machine to enlarge
the images from 24 to 48 times. Signature and handwritings can also be
photographed for larger and clearer images.

6. Portable Equipment
- Document examiners also need portable equipment such as a transportable
microscope or the portable VSC-4Cx because some documents cannot be
released for examination and must be examined at their location. For
example, they can be taken to courthouses to view wills or police stations to
look at documents they do not want to release. A portable luggage carrier also
enables a document examiner to carry all equipment easily (Koppenhaver,
2007). °

7. Protective Equipment

Forensic document examiners also use protective equipment like cotton

gloves to handle original documents in cases in which fingerprints may be an
issue. A fireproof safe or file box is also useful to store and protect original
documents from harm.

Other equipment
 STEREOSCOPIC BINOCULAR MICROSCOPE – a tri-dimensional (3D)
enlargement is possible.
 TABLE LAMPS WITH ADJUSTABLE SHADES (Goose Neck Lamps) –
used for controlled illumination; needed in sidelight examination wherein light
is placed at a low-angle in a position oblique to plane or document.
 ULTRA VIOLET LAMP – this is usually used in the detection of counterfeited
bills but can actually be used to detect security features of qualified
documents.
 INFRARED VIEWER – primarily used to decipher writings in a charred
document.
 COMPARISON MICROSCOPE – similar to that of the bullet comparison
microscope.

Photography in Forensic Document Examination

Albert Osborn, the father of questioned documents, highlights the value of

reproducing questioned documents because it provides unlimited opportunity for
study, comparison and investigation by number of examiners, which would not be
possible by using the original document alone. “Photographs often make clear what
otherwise may be hidden or indistinct, and this fact alone is sufficient reason for their
use” (Osborn, 1929).

In this context, photography serves three main functions is forensic document

examination (Ellen, 2006).
 1. To make a permanent record of the document before it is damaged

Forensic document examiners make sure to avoid damage to any

document. However, some techniques to gather information may result
changes document.

For example, tests for inks and other materials that appear on a
document may require a small quantity to be removed from the paper.

Another example is the fingerprint detection that could stain or even

damage the whole document. By taking a record photograph, most of the
information visible on the original document can be used later as a substitute
for it in court. -

High-quality photographs to be used as a record of the questioned document

requires considerable expertise not only in taking sharp photos but also in
using adequate lighting, scale and magnification.

2. To detect certain features that are not visible and for which other methods are
unavailable

A photograph also provides a recording of what the eye cannot detect in the
original document. By subjecting the document to ultraviolet and infrared
radiation as well as to X-rays, the photographed record of the document can
provide a differentiation between inks, or reveal erasures or watermarks.
‘Using transmitted light photography is also helpful to achieve great color
saturation, show internal structure and get a distinctive look in a photograph.
In addition, a photomicrograph can provide proper magnification to a
document so that certain microscopic conditions can be clearly seen. They
can be compared closely to view whether elements are alike or different.

Photographs can also be cut apart so that various parts can be classified
for comparison. Oftentimes, handwriting characteristics can be more clearly
understood when parts to be compared are classified and all brought within
the angle of vision.

3. To prepare material for demonstration in courts

While photographs for record purposes require that every detail of the
document is reproduced, photographs for court demonstration removes
extraneous features that have no bearing on what is to be demonstrated. For
example, appropriate filters can be used to remove the colored security
background on checks or the marks made by a bank cashier across the
signature.

Photographs of writing in maximum resolution and a magnification of between

1.5 and 2 times the original demonstrate the similarities and differences
apparent between the known and questioned writings. When large writing has
 to be compared with small, photographs enable them to be shown in similar
sizes so that the more important similarities or differences in detail are more
clearly appreciated.

Photographs can also demonstrate finding through “before and after”

comparisons of questioned documents examined by electronic methods.
Normal-light photographs can be shown together with prints that show
differences in inks or restored obliterations or erasures detected by
photography of infrared radiation or fluorescence excited by ultraviolet rays.

PURPOSES OF PHOTOGRAPHS IN QDE:

1. serve as record of the initial condition of a disputed document;

2. make clear what otherwise may be hidden or indistinct;
3. enlarge a writing in question so that every quality and characteristics of it
can be clearly and properly interpreted whether the facts so shown point to
genuineness or to forgery;
4. enable any number of accurate reproductions of document, thus affording
unlimited opportunity for study, comparison and evaluation by any number of
examiners, which would not be possible by using the document alone;
5. allow cutting apart as may be desired and the various parts classified for
comparisons;
6. can show delicate discolorations due to chemical erasures or other
fraudulent changes, which may otherwise be overlooked, or misinterpreted;
7. can show very clearly any erasures by abrasions made by ordinary rubber
eraser and it can record in permanent form with the paper placed obliquely
to the plane of the lens and plate and inclined at just right angle of reflection
so as to show differences in the reflected light from different portions of the
paper surface; and

8. with transmitted light, photographs is useful in:

a. examination of watermarks
b. determining the identity, or the differences in paper by showing
arrangement of the fibers and the markings of the wire gauze and dandy
roll
c. showing the continuity of strokes and
d. determining retouching or patching of a writing by showing clearly the
presence of added ink film and the uneven distribution of ink in
interrupted strokes.

Reference: Forensic Examination of Questioned Document Second Edition

By PCINSP MARY GRACE P. ALVAREZ, PhD