NCJ Number
148366
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 21 Issue: 4 Dated: (April 1994) Pages: 54-57
Date Published
1994
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California is involved in designing and testing many high-technology devices for law enforcement agencies.
Abstract
For example, the gas chromatograph mass spectrophotometer (GCMS), which is portable in a large suitcase, can analyze virtually any substance and determine its molecular pattern. This instrument can be used at the sites of hazardous materials spills in order to identify the components of the spill as well as the relative amounts present. At a crime scene, the GCMS could analyze narcotics, trace evidence, and fire accelerants. Other device designed at the laboratory is a fiber-optic infrared laser tracking device. The laser, when activated, is visible only to someone wearing special infrared goggles. One of the systems developed at the laboratory, Hiprotect, is a monitoring and alarm system designed to protect archaeological and natural resources from vandalism and looting. The laboratory also offers to law enforcement one of the best equipped and most sophisticated forensic labs in the world. However, the facility only analyzes very unusual evidence, when the traces of evidence are small or difficult to extract, or when another method of analysis is not available.