NCJ Number
233780
Journal
Identification Canada Volume: 31 Issue: 4 Dated: December 2008 Pages: 126-172
Date Published
December 2008
Length
47 pages
Annotation
The two feature articles in this issue address the determination of time frame from plants and/or trees whose bark has been damaged by an incident under investigation, as well as the use of the new "Black and White Adjustment" tool in Adobe Photoshop CS3 in order to increase the contrast between the friction ridges of fingerprints and the background in photographs.
Abstract
In the first article, the case presented involved the determination of the route taken by a camper prior to entering a river, where it was observed by a passerby and reported to the police. Investigators discovered damage to a Speckled Alder shrub on the river bank and questioned whether the shrub's time-related response to the bark damage could be used to determine the camper's route into the river, i.e., if the bark damage occurred within the last 3 days. Fall and summer experiments with the shrub found that it takes more than 5 days for the damaged alder bark to dry out and harden, which indicated that damage to the shrub was due to another unrelated occurrence. The article advises that processes within a plant or tree may be influenced by levels of precipitation, area drainage, and any existing disease. The second article notes that Adobe Photoshop CS3 has added the "Black and White" feature in "Image Adjustments." It is an easy-to-use and powerful tool for making custom filters that reduce backgrounds and maintain the impression or the ridges. This tool allows control of the luminance of six different color regions with the click of the mouse. The article describes the method in detail, using illustrative figures. This issue also profiles a number of available training courses in forensic science being offered in Canada. This is followed by information on recent business of the Canadian Identification Society.