4th Amendment:The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the

place to searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Questioned Documents

Questioned Documents

• “Any document about which some issue has been raised or that is the subject of an investigation.”– Paper – Writings or markings

found on walls, doors, or other object

– Currency, checks– Art

Handwriting Comparison

• What makes handwriting unique?

• As students learn to write, they practice copying standard examples.

• Eventually, individuals take on unique habitual shapes and patterns.

• Examiners focus on the shapes & patterns

Handwriting Examination Handwriting Examination Two writings are the product of one person if their similarities are unique and no unexplainable difference are found.

1. Examine the questionable document for detectable traits and record them.

2. Obtain some writing of the suspect’s (an exemplar) and compare the traits found in the questionable document with it.

3. Draw conclusions about the authorship of the questionable document based on the comparison.

Handwriting Comparison

• “Extremely unlikely” that 2 individuals would have identical:– Mechanical function– Physical function– Mental functions

• To overcome unconscious handwriting factors– Slope– Pressure– Angularity– Relative dimensions.

Introduction to Handwriting Introduction to Handwriting Everyone’s handwriting shows natural variations. Here are 6 of the 12 major, specific traits.

Introduction to Handwriting Introduction to Handwriting The traits are functions of formatting or of letter or line form. Here are the other 6 of the 12 major, specific traits.

Handwriting Comparison

• Must have questioned & known

• What is enough to identify?

• Based on the training & experience of the examiner– Similar to latent prints or

firearm & tool mark examinations

Handwriting Comparison Problems

• Few words• Intentional changes

– Crude– Unnatural form– Careful changes

• Influence of drugs/EtOHDifficult to maintain

changed handwriting

Collection of Handwriting Exemplars

• “An authentic sample used for comparison purposes, such as handwriting.”

• Must have several samples to show the range of natural variation.

Typescript Comparison

Typewriters:1. Can the make &

model be ID’d?2. Can a particular

typewriter be ID’d as the one used

Comparison of individual type characters must be done

Typescript Comparison

• Word processors, computers use daisy wheels, dot-matrix, ink-jet, and laser printers.

• Difficult because they have only inconspicuous defects

Alterations, Erasures, and Obliterations

• Erasures: most common way to alter

• “The removal of writings, typewriting, or printing from a document. Normally accomplished by either chemical or abrasive means.”

Alterations, Erasures, and Obliterations

• Obliteration• “The blotting out or

smearing over of a writing or printing to make the original unreadable”

• Sometimes UV or IR light can be used to see original

Alterations, Erasures, and Obliterations

• Infrared Luminescence– Some inks absorb

radiation & reradiate IR light

– Blue-green light

Alterations, Erasures, and Obliterations

• Heat damaged documents

• Can cause darkening• Can cause brittleness• IR photography can

help make writing/text visible

Alterations, Erasures, and Obliterations

• Digital image processing

• Improve or enhance the visual quality of an image

Indented Writing

• “Impressions left on papers positioned under a piece of paper that has been written on”

• Can be read– oblique or side lighting

– Visible light microspectrophotometer

– Toner powder to a charged film

Inks

• Test by TLC– Thin Layer

Chromatography– Ink removed with

hypodermic needle

• Ink tagging– Dates year ink was made

• Paper examination– Fiber ID– Additives– Fillers– Pigments present

Forgery

Forgery

• “Process to make, alter, or falsify a person’s signature or another aspect of a document with the intent to deceive.”– Checks

– Employment records

– Legal agreements

– Licenses

– Wills

• If process results in material gain it is called fraudulence.

Check Forgery

• Americans write 70 billion checks annually

• $27 million illegitimate checks are cashed every day

• Check altering:– Ordering someone else’s checks– Directly altering check– Intercepting and cashing someone else’s check– Creating forged check from scratch

Prevention of Check Fraud

• Chemically sensitive paper• Large font

– Uses more ink

– Makes alterations more difficult

• High resolution borders on checks• Print with multiple color patterns• Embedded fibers

– Glow under certain light sources

• Chemical wash detection systems – Change color when check is altered

Counterfeiting

• “False documents or other items copied for purpose of deception”

• Examples:– Traveler’s checks– Bonds– Currency– Food stamps– Postage stamps

• U.S. Secret Service investigates counterfeiting

• Felony = 15 years

Dollar Bill Facts• Dimensions:

– 2.61 inches wide and 6.14 inches long

• 0.0043 inches thick– Mass of 1 gram

• Composition: cloth, not paper – 25% Cotton, 75% Linen

– Red and blue synthetic fibers

• Printing: Bureau of Engraving & Printing. – Each bill costs 4.2 cents to make

– 16,650,000 $1 bills are printed each day

• Life span: 18-22 months ($1)

Issuing Federal Reserve District 2 = NYC

Seal of Issuing Federal Reserve District B = NYC

Seal of US Treasury

Engraving Plate Identifier and Bill Location Identifier

Signatures of Treasurer and Treasury Secretary

Engraving Plate Serial Number

Serial Number

Design Date

Great Seal of the US

“In God We Trust” added by Eisenhower in 1957

The Great Seal (Front)

• 13 leaves in the Olive Branch (Right Talon)

• 13 arrows in left talon• 13 stars overhead• 13 Stripes on Shield

(Blue Bar represents congress)

• E Pluribus Unum: “From Many Comes One”

The Great Seal (Back)

• The Pyramid had 13 steps

• MDCCLXXV1 = 1776

• The Pyramid is unfinished– US is an ongoing project

• The western face is dark– Western US had yet to be

explored

• The deity watches over us

• Annuit Coeptus – “God Has Favored our

Undertakings”

• Novus Ordo Seclorum– “A New Order Has Begun”

The US Dollar and the Freemasons?

• The Eagle’s left wing has 32 feathers– #degrees in Scottish Rite

Freemasonry

• The Eagle’s right wing has 33 feathers– A 33rd degree mason for

outstanding service

• 9 Tail Feathers – Degrees in York Rite

Freemasonry

• 13 Stars: a five pointed star – A Masonic symbol

The US Dollar as a calendar?

• The pyramid has 13 steps. Suppose each step counts for 13 years (169 years total)

• Starting at the base (1776) the top would represent 1945. (Roosevelt died in 1945)

• The “Gap” represents 1945 – 1974 (resignation of Nixon) – A period of upheaval

• The “Cap” contains an additional 2 levels (26 years) – the Peak is the year 2000.

The Owl and the Spider

Can you find the owl on the US Dollar?.....look closely!

The Owl and the Spider

By the Way, the owl is a Masonic symbol of knowledge! Want a closer look?

The Owl and the Spider

Some argue that its not an owl at all….its a spider!

Detecting Counterfeit Money

Comparison: Portrait

• Genuine portrait:– Lifelike– Stands out distinctly

from the background.

• Counterfeit portrait: – Lifeless and flat– Details merge into the

background– Often too dark or

mottled.

Comparison: Federal Reserve & Treasury Seals

• Genuine bill: – Saw-tooth points of the

seals are clear, distinct, and sharp.

• Counterfeit bill:– Seals may have uneven,

blunt, or broken saw-tooth points.

Comparison: Borders

• Genuine bill:– Border lines are clear

and unbroken.

• Counterfeit bill:– Lines in the outer margin

and scrollwork may be blurred and indistinct.