September 2017 Newsletter
Kyprianos Georgiou and Kalisa Hadji Editors
 

From the Editors


            

Dear members,

I hope everyone had a great summer and you are all refreshed and back to your daily routines. 

It is now time for our next newsletter "The Examiner". Like mentioned in previous editions, we will be exploring different issues that CSIs are phased with on their day-to-day work. This month's edition, we will be exploring the use of Drugs in CSI work. Throughout this newsletter, different sections are coloured in blue and underlined which will open new windows with more information and details about drugs.  

If you have any questions or comments or if you would like to contribute any articles in future newsletters, please do not hesitate to contact us through the following links K.Georgiou@tees.ac.uk orKalisa@hadji.co.uk
 

Director's Letter

Greetings!

We will be changing the frequency of the newsletter from 6 times a year to 4 times a year to give you the readers a better newsletter with more content. The first newsletter in January will start that process.  Please check the web site for additional information and publishing dates.

We have successfully published an online course for the uniformed 1st Responder to Crime Scenes. This is free refresher course for the patrol officer. The course may be taken by others in law enforcement and CSI’s if they wish but it is not for students. The course can be found at https://lawenforcementlearning.com/course/crime-scene-first-responder-training/   The course is designed for the patrol officer that responds to crime scene for them to preserve and secure the scene. It is not a course to learn how to process the crime scene. We strongly urge all law enforcement agencies have their patrol officers take this free course to help preserve the scenes. The course is available internationally. If all your patrol officers from your agency want to take the course submit to me a list of their names and email addresses and we will get them all registered at once.

ICSIA has formed an International Training Committee that will look into defining what training a CSI should receive to be a CSI, what protocol they should follow and develop additional training courses that will be on line and live courses.

The 2017 CSI Conference is in the planning stages and as information becomes available we will post it on the web site. For now, it will be June 6, 7 & 8, 2017 in Chandler, Arizona.  Mark your calendars and plan on attending!

Future editions of the newsletter will include articles from our “International Reporters” about what is happening in their part of the world. I look forward to reading about CSI’s other than in the USA.

As always, if you have articles, images or cases studies to submit for publishing in the newsletter please send them in for review.

We all work in dynamic situations, stay safe!
 
Hayden B Baldwin, Executive Director
International Crime Scene Investigators Association

www.icsia.org
hbb@icsia.org

 

ICSIA's 2017 Conference


Phoenix, Arizona, 2017.

Further details will be provided at a later date.

Book your place now for another great conference.
 

Drugs

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) conducts the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). This is a major source of information on substance use, abuse, and dependence among Americans 12 years and older.
 

Please click here for the full article
 

Case studies

By Hayden Baldwin

As a CSI I was called to a death investigation in a residence by a local police agency. Upon arrival I was informed there was a young man 18-20 in the upstairs bedroom laying on the floor. He was found dead by his father who pulled a black plastic bag off his son’s head


For the full article please click here.
 

The times are changing

By Dr. Lorna Nisbet

Forensic toxicologists and drug chemists are undergoing periods of unprecedented change within their respective fields. The arrival of new psychoactive substances (NPS’s) have dramatically altered the recreational drugs market.


For the full article please click here.
 

Crime Scene Processing: A hazardous duty

By Hayden Baldwin

As crime scene investigators perform their daily duties what hazards are they coming into contact with? Other then the normal aspects of police work the crime scene investigator faces a host of other duties that could be hazardous to his health or the health of others.


For the full article please click here.

 

On the WEB:

  1. Identifying Prescription Drugs at the Crime Scene - Click here
  2. Evaluating A Presumptive Drug Testing Technology in Community Corrections Settings - Click here
  3. Forensic Drug Identification by Gas Chromatography – Infrared Spectroscopy - Click here
  4. Field Drug Tests Confuse Candy for Meth, Cause Serious Concern - Click here
  5. Crime Scene Safety - Click here

The next edition of "The Examiner" will be in January 2017

If you would like to contribute any papers/articles/stories from your experiences about any of these themes, please do not hesitate to contact us here with your papers in order to include them in our future newsletter.

Thank you
 

Dräger DrugTest® 5000

No pipetting, no drips, no timing: Collecting an oral fluid sample is quick and easy with the Dräger DrugTest® 5000. The collected sample can then be analysed immediately for accurate results on the spot.


 
 

Evidence Packaging

By Dick Warrington

This article originally appeared in Forensic Magazine® April 2008, Reprinted with Permission.

The evidence you’re likely to come across at a crime scene can vary greatly in size, type, and physical structure. You may have items as small as human hairs and as large as SUVs. You may have items ranging from solid and stable, like a hammer, to fragile and subject to change, like footprints left in snow. No matter what you’re presented with, though, it’s up to you to capture all of the evidence you find and maintain its integrity; if you fail to do so, you may jeopardize your entire case when it goes to court. Let’s take a look at the best way to package the evidence you find at crime scenes.

Read the full article here
 

 
 

Cell Phones

iCrimeFighter LE


This month we are looking at an app designed for investigative use. iCrimeFighter LE is designed to allow you to create case files on your iPhone or Android device and add notes, photos and videos.

The home page has just under a dozen icons which allow you to:
  • Create a new incident- asks for ID number, type and location (it will grab location via GPS if it's able).
  • Add a narcotics test- take a photo of the test and add it to the file and see test instructions for Mistral brand tests.
  • Add a photo to a case file
  • Add a video to a case file
  • Add a recorded audio interview to a case file
  • Add field notes to a case file (on my Galaxy Note I can even handwrite notes with the pen).
  • Add a to-do list to a case file
  • FAQ
  • About (appears to be broken- it's supposed to take you to their website).
Once you have created a case, most of the above options are presented as a list under the case heading. You can also create categories so that you can file similar types of cases together- Burglaries, Homicides or what have you. There are no pre-made categories, so you are free to use whatever you like. There are also several options listed for backing up the data- to a server, dropbox, archive (I assume to a local file) or to share via e-mail. In the LE version these are all disabled. You will have to register with the company to take advantage of these features. Cost for the full version is not listed, but the LE version is free.  This could be an easy solution for case notes for smaller agencies, or independent investigators. While the program seems a little slow at times, it does what it claims to do, and keeps everything in order for easy reference. I think Evernote is a better choice for personal users, but a registered version of this could be a good departmental solution.




 
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