Austin Police Department’s Forensic Unit

By,

Jamie K White

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

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QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

The “Elevated Prairie” artwork in front of the unit

designed by R. Murray Legge, Andrea Legge, and Deborah Eve

Lewis. Additional pictures and design information is

available at:

http://www.andrealegge.com/freelancedesign/aldesignwebpdfs/

booksmaquettes/Elevated%20Prairie%20pitch.pdf.

The road to a career within the forensic sciences is a

long and tedious one. Plans have to be mapped out far in

advance to determine which area of forensics one would be

interested in focusing on and, which level of college

education will be required? “Forensic Science is a broad

term that embraces all of the scientific disciplines that

are utilized in investigations within the goal of bringing

criminals to justice,” (Nickell 1999:1). Every lab

utilizes the scientific method to come to their conclusion

about the evidence provided, but each examiner’s scientific

background is unique.

Within the Austin Police Department’s Forensics unit,

a bachelor’s degree is required for most positions.

However, if you would like to move up the ladder, a

master’s degree will be required. Due to the legality of

dealing with crime scene evidence, interns are unable to

process evidence. However, this does not stop the intern

from learning about the case and the procedures behind how

evidence is processed. Members of the firearms lab do

exceptionally well with the details they can release

regarding the evidence that they have received. Examples

are: was it related to an accidental shooting, homicide, or

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ballistics that were found or confiscated by an officer?

All weapons and projectiles (ammunition, etc.) that are

brought in by an APD officer make it to the firearms lab to

be processed. Sometimes the evidence is just test fired

and logged, and other evidence requires more detailed

handling and paperwork.

I chose the forensic unit within the Austin Police

Department for my internship. They are a diverse

organization with many labs working together to achieve a

common goal. I have had the privilege of being able to

shadow or work with someone in every lab. DNA analysis

requires extensive knowledge in microbiology, molecular

biology, chemistry, and other natural sciences. None of

which I have experience in, however, they allowed me to

witness the swabbing of a revolver for DNA evidence. The

remaining steps that are required to process those swabs

requires 100% of the technicians attention and therefore

individuals are not authorized to shadow the technician

during those steps. The individuals working within the DNA

lab all wear medical scrubs; the individuals in every other

lab are wearing jeans or slacks and a nice shirt. A

uniform is required for personnel within property crimes or

the crime scene unit. Closed toed shoes are required

throughout the labs. Dress code may be similar throughout

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the labs, but conversations and personalities are very

different between the labs. For example, the latent prints

lab is filled with older veterans of the field that are

more laid back than the kids over in the chemistry lab.

Most of the chemistry lab is under the age of 30, they are

all well versed in chemistry and the chemical breakdowns of

most of the popular illegal drugs on the streets.

Discussions in the latent prints office are predominantly

more serious than those heard within the chemistry lab.

Within the break room, minimum conversation is heard

between labs, unless it is new regulations or court cases

that concern multiple labs. The chemistry and the firearms

lab personnel seem to get together more often than any

other combination of labs.

During my internship I realized that there were a lot

of differences between Austin’s crime lab and crime labs

that you see on television. This misconception has been

written about since the days of Perry Mason. Although, it

is not always agreed upon whether it causes issues within

the court of law. The effects of the realistic looking

television shows are there and the expectations that go

with.

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Automated Fingerprint Identification System, AFIS

CSI Style

CSI Effect

According to “The CSI Effect”: Exposing the Media Myth

by Dr Kimberlianne Podlas the effect is fictional. The

media wants the public to believe that this effect is

steering verdicts toward guilty or not guilty based on the

unrealistic expectations of the jurors. The “CSI Effect”

is the side effect of the popularity of shows on

television, such as CSI, Forensic Files, NCIS and other

similar shows that refer to the capabilities of crime labs

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across the United States. The shows provide very

unrealistic expectations for very real situations. In

television, a homicide can be solved in forty minutes.

When in actuality, it can take weeks, even months, to prove

or solve. When picking through a pool of jurors, these

unrealistic expectations pose problems for both sides of

the case. Below I have displayed five examples of the

unrealistic examples that these television shows have

provided to the public.

Fiction Fact Gun Shot Residue (GSR) can be detected by an instant chemical test performed in the field by the crime scene technician.

Swabs are taken from potential suspects and passed on to the DPS crime lab for further investigation. GSR does not determine who fired the weapon. It spatters and is not consistent between weapon types and each discharge of the same weapon.

DNA results come instantly through a quick and easy process

The process of acquiring DNA takes at least two weeks.

Crime Labs are all above ground with large windows and all of the latest technology within their grasp to process the evidence

Most crime labs are within the basement floor of the police department’s headquarters. Austin has gained its own facility through grant money. Technology is acquired slowly through additional grant funding and is not always the latest available, but simplifies some of the processes.

National Integrated Ballistics Information Network, NIBIN and Automated Fingerprint Identification

Must be nice…the systems are actually black and white. The user has the joy of scrolling through every

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System, AFIS have bright multi-colored screens and alert the user to an exact match within the system

candidate and determining if there is a match among the candidates that the system found. The answer is typically not and sometimes the candidates do not even come close to what was inputted into the system. With NIBIN it at least only displays candidates within the same caliber of ammunition.

Blood continues to ooze out of the victim long after death.

1) Blood clots within minutes of leaving the body.

2) When an individual dies, their heart stops beating, therefore it stops circulating blood through the system. If blood is not circulating it clots.

3) Clotted blood does not move from the body or anywhere on the surface beneath the body.

Dr. Lyle, author of “Forensics for Dummies”, has several

other detailed examples of how “Hollywood gets it wrong,”

(Lyle 2004:323-328). His entire book lays out details on

various forensic analyses without getting overly detailed

for the non-scientific reader.

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APD Units

The Austin Police Department’s forensics unit is

divided into several units within the Central East

Substation. Property, Crime Scene, Latent Prints, and the

Evidence control room make up the bulk of the first floor

within the forensics half of the building. The second

floor hallway contains the DNA, Toxicology, Firearms, and

Chemistry labs and their office space, which is located

across the hall from their lab. DNA and chemistry will

type up their reports in the office space to remove

themselves from the restrictive nature of the lab. The

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Firearms examiners complete all of their paperwork within

their lab and are rarely in their office space.

The unit, as a whole, is a small-specialized society

that depends on each individual’s specialty to survive.

Each individual lab has specific protocols for what

evidence they will receive and how it will be processed.

For example, the chemistry lab will receive all drugs and

any other unknown compound to process. Whereas, the

firearms lab receives all of the knives, guns, and any

other weapons that are brought into the lab for processing.

Latent print examiners will receive cards of prints that

have been taken off of evidence that was brought in or

prints taken at the scene by either Property Crimes (PC)

technicians or Crime Scene Unit (CSU) technicians. Each

unit plays a specific role within the entire lab and they

have to be aware of the roles of the other units to make

sure that each unit receives the correct evidence to

process in order to adequately prosecute the guilty party.

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The chemistry lab has protocols that lead the chemists

down the proper path for processing of any unknown

compound. They begin with a spot test to eliminate what

the solution is not and to guide them toward other tests to

confirm the actual chemical composition of the solution.

Narcotic officers tend to run this initial spot test in the

field as well to determine if the mixture is worth sending

on to the chemistry lab for further investigation. A test

that the chemistry technicians have the option to run

involves ultra-violet light. Techs liquefy the unknown

solution, if it is not already, and based on the amount of

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light that does not get absorbed aids in the determination

of what the solution is made of. The mass spectrometer is

able to define each individual component within the

solution. This machine assists the chemist in finding

signature combinations of drugs.

The Toxicology unit processes the blood alcohol

samples and calibrates the intoxilizers (breathalyzer) for

the mobile unit as well as for the Travis county jail. The

blood alcohol machine is stored within the chemistry lab.

Every Monday, if blood was drawn during the last Thursday

to Sunday run by the mobile enforcement unit, blood vials

are brought into the lab for processing. The intoxilizer

determines the alcohol level based on the gases that are

produced by the alcohol in the individual’s system; it is

also brought in every Monday to be recalibrated. The

toxicologist will process the blood as well as create

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reports for the District Attorney’s office that shows based

on the height, weight, and gender of the individual how

much alcohol would they have to consume to get the readings

that were acquired after the individual was apprehended.

The latent print examiners work closely with the Crime

Scene Unit, CSU, and the Property Crimes Unit, PCU, to

process prints that were gathered at the scene or on

evidence that was brought back to the lab. The nature of

the crime that was committed determines which database

(local, state, or federal) the print will be processed

through for a possible match (hit). Murder grants entrance

into all 3 databases automatically. If a match is found

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within AFIS and the suspect is in custody the examiner is

able to compare the inked prints that were taken at the

time of processing with all of the latents from the scene.

If more information is needed major crime prints can be

acquired. These prints involve all friction areas of the

skin on the hand, which include the palm and the entire

finger.

The Firearms lab, also known as Ballistics, handles

all weapons that are brought into the Austin Police

Department. Within the lab, the examiners will inspect the

condition of all weapons that are brought into the

department. Any further inspection is at the District

Attorney’s discretion and will be processed accordingly.

Part of the inspection of the weapon includes test firing

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it to make sure it functions. The weapon is loaded with

ammunition from the labs reference collection and then

fired into the water tank within the range. The

projectiles are then inspected for signature rifling marks

from within the barrel. The cartridge case will also have

marks from the firing pin and could have marks from the

ejector and the extractor on its breech face (depending on

the type of weapon that fired the ammunition). These marks

can all be signatures from the weapon that fired the

projectile. The examiners will also process other weapons

and the marks that they make to hopefully match the weapon

with the evidence provided from the scene.

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The DNA lab typically receives the evidence first when

it reaches the unit from the field. This provides assurity

that evidence is not tampered with or damaged in any way.

When the serology technician receives the evidence they do

what they can to swab it for DNA information, while leaving

smooth areas where fingerprints could possibly be lifted

alone. The entire process can take a minimum of two weeks.

This is only if the technician is able to work on the one

case and ignore all others. Processing DNA requires 5

steps. All steps require 100% attention from the

technician. They have to extract the DNA from the sample,

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amplify the sample of DNA to make sure that there is enough

information for additional steps. They then have to

separate the fragment (double strand – single strand),

transfer the fragments to a nylon membrane and then finally

tag the information within the DNA strands to input into

CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) for a possible match.

Each unit has to bring their individual pieces to the

table to complete the entire puzzle. Depending on the case

that is presented, if one piece of the unit fails to follow

their protocols and process the evidence thoroughly, the

entire case could fail.

Regional Lab

During this latest budget crunch, the Austin Police

Department’s forensic lab director decided to start

investigating other fee for service labs across the country

for a project he is working on. The project is for a class

that he is taking at Texas State for management. He wanted

to know why these labs were created and what was their

affect on the community in which they serviced? Would it

be feasible for Austin’s crime lab to head in this

direction? The answers are not the same for every lab in

every community, but could it be a positive outcome for

Austin if this type of lab would be created for the area?

What type of fee schedule would have to be created in order

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to have the best possible outcome for the community and the

lab itself?

The economic structure of the past decade has caused

everyone to tighten their wallets. This includes all

government agencies including the local crime labs.

Forensic labs across the country are beginning to charge

fees for the services that they have always provided to

their communities free of charge. These fees are allowing

some labs to maintain and/or add on personnel to prevent

further backlog in cases. Fees vary anywhere from flat

fees of $50 - $100 per case or $45 for a simple blood

alcohol analysis kit to $325 per DNA specimen. In many

communities local agencies are now able to price shop

between private labs and the local government lab. Texas

labs are required to be fully accredited by The American

Society of Crime Laboratory Directors in order for the

evidence they process to be able to be used in court.

Therefore, there are not any private sector labs within the

state. Bexar County’s crime lab even charges for the time

the technician has to spend in court testifying for the

evidence they processed. For example, they charge $110 per

hour for a firearms examiner's testimony. Each lab has its

own fee schedule and has to determine the best manner in

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which to charge their customers so that it will be most

beneficial for everyone involved.

Charging fees for the services provided is not always

the answer to the problem, it could even make matters

worse. Mississippi began charging the local agencies that

they serviced, but were so backlogged with DNA evidence

that it took 6 plus months to process anything. So, the

local agencies decided to pay more to have the evidence

processed more rapidly. When the state’s lab caught up and

swore there would be no issue of backlog the local agencies

continued to use the private labs because they maintained

the turn around time that was needed to manage the cases.

Now, there is the argument of the inadequate use of tax

dollars. It is a sticky situation.

To meet the demands of the budget, lab directors could

fire several technicians so that they would not have to

charge for services. However, then there are the

possibilities that the lab will get backlogged again

because it no longer has the staff to handle the demands of

the local agencies. Most labs consider a case to be

backlogged if it is more than 30 – 60 days old. Labs are

hoping that by imposing fees they will be able to maintain

personnel and/or add on additional to assist with the

increased workload. Labs will have to make adjustments to

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their fee schedules annually to attempt to find the best

fit to the economy of the local market. At this moment due

to the budget crisis Austin’s forensic lab is unable to

replace personnel that leave. City officials have deemed

that the forensic unit is not a critical unit, therefore it

has enough of a budget to maintain only what is necessary

and every purchase is done under a magnifying glass to

determine how critical is that specific item to the unit.

This debate is becoming an issue here in Austin to

attempt to help DPS with their backlog of cases. The

future holds the answer and only time will tell. However,

a survey is going to be sent out to the agencies in the

area within the next month to test the feasibility of a

regional lab. All local agencies have been contacted and

said that they would participate in the survey; however, we

will have to see how many truly do and how they answer the

questions.

Mock Trial

Individuals within each unit are required to testify

in court at some point in time during their career.

Therefore, built into the ten week training course for the

Crime Scene Unit and the Property Crimes Unit is a mock

trial. During my internship I had the ability to witness

one of these trials. Becoming a Property Crimes (PC)

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Technician does not require a lot of previous experience.

All that is needed is a clean background and a bachelor’s

degree. The degree can be in anything from criminal

justice to psychology. The training to become a PC tech

comes to an end with the mock trial, providing the trainee

with an example of what they will go through on the stand

of a real trial. During their training, the technicians

are introduced to the new culture of the forensics unit.

They are provided with both classroom and field training to

learn their new skills and the protocols associated with

them. They learn how to arrive at a scene and then how to

photograph and process the scene. Evidence is to be

collected, organized, and processed in a clear and concise

manner. While processing the scene the technicians attempt

to acquire latent prints. Latent prints (typically finger)

are prints that are accidentally left behind and they

require some form of development.

As the training comes to a close the students have

written and practical testing to show off their newly

acquired skills. During their practical exams they are

given a mock crime scene to process. After processing the

scene, they have to put together all of the evidence and

then testify in court during their mock trial. The head of

the Property Crimes Unit (PCU) acquires other unit heads or

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senior level examiners from various units to assist in the

trial. He chooses individuals to serve as the judge,

defense, and prosecution for the trial. The students are

informed that this should be their toughest trial since the

defense attorney is harder on them than he legally can be

during a real court session.

Ten weeks of training now comes to a close as the

individual fights to stand their ground in front of a jury

of their peers. The jury consists of individuals from the

chemistry lab, firearms lab, and latent prints to name a

few who were invited to attend and critique the newest

members of the team. At the end of the trial the jury and

other members in the room critiques the PC technician’s

performance. Upon graduation the next day, the PC

technician is now officially acclimated and welcomed to the

new culture of the forensics unit. There is obviously

still a learning curve that was not fully achieved during

the ten weeks of training, but can and should be achieved

through experience over time in the field.

Applying for the internship position within Austin’s

Police department was done so with uncertain expectations.

I have attempted several jobs within my lifetime and have

yet to find something that suited me. I enjoy a good

challenge of having to put together the puzzle to see the

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big picture. There are not many career choices out there

that offer this. I have found this type of challenge

inside every lab within the forensics unit. Whether it was

finding unique identifying features within a fingerprint or

on a projectile or determining the components of a chemical

compound. Each lab has its own unique puzzle and the keys

to hopefully solve their piece. I was hoping to be able to

become a part of this inter-locking team permanently before

my internship was up, but thanks to the looming economy and

many budget shortfalls, there has been a hiring freeze for

every department of the city. I enjoyed working with the

entire team and learning something new from within every

lab.

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References

Lyle, Douglas P. 2004. Forensics For Dummies. Wiley Publishing Inc: Hoboken, NJ. Nickell, Joe and Fischer, John F. 1999. Crime Scene Methods of Forensic Detection. The University Press of Kentucky: Lexington, KY. Podlas, Kimberlianne 2006. “The CSI Effect”: Exposing the Media Myth.” Retrieved April 28, 2009 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ncjrs.gov/app/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=246022

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