NCJ Number
61694
Journal
Security Management Volume: 23 Issue: 10 Dated: (OCTOBER 1979) Pages: 69-72
Date Published
1979
Length
4 pages
Annotation
NECESSARY INFORMATION FOR DOCUMENT EXAMINERS TO HAVE IN RENDERING EFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE TO CRIMINAL INVESTIGATORS IS DETAILED.
Abstract
DOCUMENT EXAMINERS MUST BE PROVIDED WITH THE ORIGINAL QUESTIONED DOCUMENT OR WITH THE BEST POSSIBLE PHOTOGRAPH OR PHOTOCOPY AVAILABLE. THEY MUST BE GIVEN KNOWN WRITING SAMPLES IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME WORDING AS THE QUESTIONED MATERIAL. CURSIVE HANDWRITING CANNOT BE COMPARED WITH HAND PRINTING. EMPLOYMENT APPLICATIONS IN PERSONNEL FILES ARE FREQUENTLY A FERTILE SOURCE OF COMPARISON STANDARDS FOR HANDWRITING. DOCUMENT EXAMINERS GENERALLY NEED RATHER LARGE SAMPLES OF KNOWN HANDWRITING OR HAND PRINTING TO DEVELOP A DEFINITE OPINION AS TO WHETHER A SUSPECT DID OR DID NOT WRITE THE QUESTIONED DOCUMENT. SENDING THE QUESTIONED DOCUMENT TO A DOCUMENT EXAMINER IS USUALLY LESS EXPENSIVE WHEN THERE ARE ONLY A FEW LOGICAL SUSPECTS WHOSE COMPARISON HANDWRITING OR HAND PRINTING STANDARDS CAN ALSO BE SENT BY REGISTERED OR CERTIFIED MAIL. IN SECURITY MATTERS, REQUESTED OR DICTATED HANDWRITING SAMPLES ARE SELDOM RECEIVED FOR COMPARISON WITH QUESTIONED WRITINGS. ALTHOUGH HANDWRITING AND HAND PRINTING IDENTIFICATIONS COMPRISE THE BULK OF WORK PERFORMED BY DOCUMENT EXAMINERS, OTHER EXAMINATIONS CAN BE MADE THAT ARE EQUALLY USEFUL. THESE EXAMINATIONS INVOLVE TYPEWRITING SAMPLES, THE RESTORATION OR DECIPHERING OF ALTERED OR OBLITERATED WRITING OR PRINTING, INK DETERMINATION, AND PRODUCTS OF OFFICE COPYING MACHINES THAT USUALLY CONTAIN CLASS CHARACTERISTICS INDICATIVE OF THE TYPE OF MACHINE ON WHICH COPIES WERE MADE. FIGURES AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE INCLUDED. (DEP)