NCJ Number
67902
Journal
Police Product News Volume: 3 Issue: 11 Dated: (NOVEMBER 1979) Pages: 22-23,25-26,28
Date Published
1979
Length
5 pages
Annotation
THE CENTER FOR HUMAN IDENTIFICATION WAS ESTABLISHED BY FORENSIC SCIENTISTS TO OFFER A FULL RANGE OF SERVICES DESIGNED TO AID LAW INFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN IDENTIFYING HUMAN REMAINS, THE CENTER EMPHASIZES SKILLED TEAMWORK.
Abstract
THE CENTER WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1979 TO REDUCE THE ESTIMATED 20,000 BODIES WHICH REMAIN UNIDENTIFIED ANNUALLY IN THE U.S. AND TO LIFT BODY IDENTIFICATION RESPONSIBILITIES FROM CORONERS AND MEDICAL EXAMINERS,WHO ARE NEITHER ADEQUATELY TRAINED NOR LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCH A PROCESS. SUCCESSFUL BODY IDENTIFICATION ID SAID TO REQUIRE THE TOTAL EFFORT OF MANY SPECIALISTS, INCLUDING PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGISTS, FORENSIC DENTISTS, PATHOLOGISTS, ARCHEOLOGISTS, AND ENTOMOLOGISTS. ALL THESE SPECIALISTS ARE ON THE STAFF OF THE CENTER, AND ANY AR ALL OF THEM ARE AVAILABLE TO AID LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES WITH BODY IDENTIFICATION IN THE FEILD. TECHNIQUES EMPHASIZED THE TEAM APPROACH, AND RELIANCE ON IDENTIFICATION DEVICES THAT RANGE FROM PHOTOGRAPHS AND X-RAYS TO FACIAL RECONSTRUCTION (BROUGHT ABOUT BY CALCULATING TISSUE THICKNESS FROM AN EXISTING SKULL). THE CENTER WARNS AGAINST TOO FREQUENT DEPENDENCE ON FIMGERPRINTS AND DENTAL WORK, AS FINGERPRINTS ARE NOT HELPFUL ON BURNED OF DECOMPOSED BODIES, AND DENTAL WORK FOR THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS IS EITHER NONEXISTENT OR HARD TO TRACK DOWN. AS THE FBI'S IDENTIFICATION DIVISION NOW LISTS ONLY COMPUTERIZED DATA SUCH AS BODY DESCRIPTION AND DENTAL RESTORATION, THE CENTER IS BEING PROPOSED AS A BACKUP RESPOSITORY FOR X-RAY AND PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIAL NEEDED FOR IDENTIFICATION PURPOSES, AND AS A SOURCE FOR LISTING ALL THEOSE MISSING PERSONS NOT CURRENTLY COVERED IN FBI CRIMINAL FILES. THE CENTER ALSO CONDUCTS RESEARCH IN FORENSIC SCIENCES AND OFFERS TRAINING IN THE FORENSIC SCIENCES FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL. THE CENTER IS CURRENTLY SEEKING FEDERAL FUNDING SO THAT IT CAN OFFER ITS SERVICES FREE OF CHARGE. BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF SEVERAL IDENTIFICATION TECHNIQES ARE INCLUDED ALONG WITH SEVERAL PHOTOGRAPHS. ABI MHP