QD-Exam 1

Document

any surface on which there are signs, markings, or symbols which convey some type of message or meaning to someone

Questioned document

any document for which the authenticity or source is in question

\-body, stamp, rock, letters, journals, checks; paper is most common

\-cow tongue, bathroom stall doors

Noteworthy QD cases

•Jack the Ripper (corresponded with newspaper)

•Zodiac Killer

•Lindberg Baby Kidnapping (ransom note)

•Hitler Diaries

•Bishop Case (Chicago bombing)

→ threats/ bombs via Mail

•Anthrax Mailings

•DC Sniper case

•Unabomber (ultimately linked to the mailings through typewriting examination of bomb mailing correspondence)

•JonBenet Ramsey

Why were the Hitler Diaries important?

demonstrates the importance of ensuring evidence is carefully and thoroughly examined, that known writing samples are truly known, and that examiners consulting on a case from all sides are examining the same evidence

Why were the Anthrax mailings important?

lots of work on the pre-printed envelopes and printing plate defects; other implications in the association of evidence and the tracking of printing defects

Why was the JonBenet Ramsey case important?

good lesson in understanding the writing ability of the people involved in a case

→ Mrs. Ramsey was a very skilled writer and ambidextrous so the collection of knowns was an ambitious undertaking

→ was very important to have normal course of business writing and requested

T/F: Typewriters are rarely examined anymore

false; used heavily by those that deal with stolen identities and checks; much easier to get a typed entry aligned on a check or form than it is to get your computer printer to print in the right spot

→ also used in the writing of manifestos and filling in forms

What information can you gather from a typewrittten text?

manual or electric machine, type of ribbon utilized, type size and general family of type (courier, sans serif/gothic, monotone, etc.)

The comparison of questioned typewritten text with known specimens contained in laboratory reference collections can help determine …..

the type of print mechanism utilized, the specific type design classification and the make and model of machine. 

→ may be very important to the investigator when executing a search warrant

If a known typewriter is identified and submitted or exemplars from the machine are submitted, a Forensic Document Analyst may be able to associate ….

questioned documents to the known typewriter

How is the ribbon of the typewriter examined?

Carbon ribbon: can be transcribed and a transcript can be provided for cross checking of entries on questioned documents

→ In some cases, a fracture match can be performed to conclusively link the ribbon to the document entries

How can printing processes be differentiated?

examining the substrate microscopically and looking at the characteristics of the ink

Examination of paper

performance of fracture match on torn, cut, or shredded documents may be essential to a case in order to source a document or reconstruct a document for further examination or investigative lead

How can a document be dated?

based on examination of watermarks or the presence of optical brighteners or other additives

Why might writing appear less opaque?

more light is coming through the paper fibers; has watermark

T/F: The examination of a document for indented writing is destructive

false; non-destructive

What instrumentation is used for indented writing examinations?

side or oblique lighting first and then the Electrostatic Detection Apparatus (ESDA)

What instrumentation is used for handwriting examinations?

light source, microscope (magnification)

What instrument is useful in seeing alterations on items such as checks?

Video Spectral Comparator (VSC)

→ can see things like 2 different inks on the same check (entries react differently to a certain combination of lights and filters)

How are you able to remove an obliteration and view the original entries?

by exploiting the differences in the inks reaction to light (first pen absorbs light while second pen transmits the light)

→ will NOT work in cases where the same pen that wrote the entries is used to obliterate them!!!

Handwriting analysis

comparison of __questioned__ writing with __known__ writing to determine whether the same person wrote both documents

→ most cases deal with handwriting in some way

Handwriting principle #1

No two writers share the same combination of handwriting characteristics

→ may have similar handwriting to mom or write certain letters the same as others, but your overall set of characteristics is unique to you

Handwriting principle #2

Everyone has natural variation in their writing; we are not robots

→ no person will write exactly the same way twice

→ However, a mature writer will develop a unique combination of handwriting features that will repeat from writing to writing

Handwriting principle #3

No one can write above their natural skill level

→ As more children do not receive formal handwriting instruction, this may be more fluid than in previous generations as people have never fully achieved their skill level at traditional graphic maturity age

T/F: When conducting a handwriting examination, it is important to compare like to like …..

true; always compare cursive to cursive writing and hand-printing to hand-printing

→ major differences in letter construction and connections which restrict the comparability of the writing samples

Characteristics of handwriting

Class characteristics and individual characteristics, formation, capitalization, cross strokes and dots, punctuation, legibility, slant, spacing, initial, connecting, and terminal strokes, etc.

→ untrained individuals tend to rely much more heavily on similarities between writings in determination of authorship while trained examiners tend to rely on and make note of the differences much more often because differences and divergence from copy book style handwriting really make handwriting unique

Known writing samples

Requested writing: writing done at the direction of someone, usually an officer, specifically for the case at hand

→ allows for potential to obtain verbatim writing

→ not always possible to obtain though; individual might not provide naturally written exemplars

\
Normal course of business writing: employment and school records, personal calendar, correspondence, banking records; everyday life writing that is probably written naturally

→ authorship must be confirmed!

Requested writing

duplicate the conditions of writing

\
→ ask that individuals “warm up” using standard forms (goal is to get the person writing, get them relaxed and comfortable). (person may not be as anxious when the content is not “linked” to the case-silly paragraphs) (3-5 pages)

→ the longer a person writes the harder it is to maintain disguise, if that is their inclination

→ the more writing the better for the examiner to review to establish the range of variation

→ After the “warm-up,” we ask for the conditions of the questioned document be duplicated and verbatim knowns be collected (questioned document= money order, get blank money orders for the requested knowns, blank unlined paper get unlined paper, a wall have the person write on paper taped to a wall, etc.)

What to be on alert for as the person taking the exemplars?

\-are they being slow and deliberate

\-are they writing with opposite hand than accustomed to

\-direction can be given to switch hands or write faster

Earliest known form of writing

pictographs (before alphabets or other letter symbols were developed)

→ stone tools typically utilized to scratch or draw on the surface of a cave/wall

→ Egypt, Mesopotamia (before 3000BC)

Development of writing systems

pictographs, memory aides (notches, sticks, pebbles, and beads were developed to represent a certain number of items which could not necessarily be accurately conveyed in pictographs), ideographs (putting together symbols to express ideas; still used today in symbols such as road signs), logographs (signs that stood for words in the language, not the ideas the words stood for), alphabets, phonetization (speech and writing linked)

Who had the most word signs in the world (the most sophisticated)?

Chinese; 1300 BC had 50,000 word signs

Who developed the first purely alphabetic system?

Phoenicians (2000 BC)

Greek alphabet

800 BC; adopted alphabet from the Phoenicians and added vowels and the left to right pattern of modern writing

→ also contributed to the body formation of writing and some letters such A, B, P, E, and K

Latin Roman alphabet

100 BC; developed the complete Roman Alphabet that is utilized today

Handwriting systems

•Round Hand: 1700’s (more rounded, ornate)

•Modified Round Hand: 1800’s

•Spencerian: 1860’s (more quickly prepared, but still visually appealing; Coca-Cola logo)

•Vertical: 1890’s (much less slanted, more upright)

•Palmer: 1900’s (solidified specific character formations that all students would replicate to create a more standard approach)

US handwriting systems today

•Zaner-Bloser, D’Nealian (much less ornate/complicated), Bowman-Noble, Sealey, Stack, Ecomony, Rinehart, Teacher made (teacher does not use a published copy book style but uses his/her own handwriting for the class to imitate; could be a combination of different, more popular styles, or one that the teacher has completely formulated by himself/herself)

Palmer

less ornate, more readability; not as much initial and terminal strokes; ending and beginning mostly on the baseline

Graphical maturity

you’ll have copy book style characteristics but also have advanced and individual characteristics; early 20s

Learning to write timeline

6-9 years: Imitation (of copybook style; print then cursive)

9-12 years: Adoption (adopt techniques to form the characters in a more fluid way)

12-20 years: Fixation (specific, reproducible characteristics that they will continue to do over the course of a lifetime)

20+ years: Graphic Maturity (handwriting will be mostly constant the rest of their life)

Old Age: Deterioration (also substance abuse, injury, mental health, medication, stress)

Copybook lessons

basic design of letters and numbers taught in school

→ student focuses on making letters

→ practice and use over time

Departure from copybook

writing becomes second nature; more skilled

→ focus on content over letter formation

→ writing becomes more individualized (true graphic maturity)

The act of writing

subconscious wedding of mind and muscle to physically express thought

→ series of subconscious habitual graphical patterns influenced by a writer’s mental picture of __copybook__ form, modified by individual taste, skill to imitate a mental picture

Physical process of writing: body systems

mind, nervous system, muscle

Physical process of writing: physical movement

arm, wrist, fingers; either individually or in combo

→ As a writer matures, these systems work more in sync to form a better output

Finger movement alone typically leads to a more …… style of writing

angular, pointy style

When the wrist and arm get in on the action with the fingers, a more …. style is typically produced

rounded style

→ When the fingers, hand, arm, and shoulder work together, the writing style is improved

T/F: Handwriting is an inherited trait

FALSE

→ coordination can be inherited and relate to handwriting skill

Factors affecting writing skill level

natural talent, practice, use, care, speed, health, physical state, artistic perception/ability (affects one’s ability to produce a visibly pleasing handwritten product)

Writing skill and letter formation: Unskilled writers

\-may have slow movement

\-heavy pen pressure

\-hesitation

\-retouches/overwriting of letters

\-irregularities in letter forms

Writing skill and letter formation: Skilled writers

\-more rapid movement

\-smooth, continuous strokes

\-rhythmic execution of writing lines

\-even shading

\-natural flow

Can a document examiner make a call on handedness?

NOPE

Class characteristics

writing traits common to a group (writing system, occupational requirements, educational demands, cultural influences)

Individual characteristics

less likely to be present in other specimens; more unique; deviate from copybook style of writing

Theory of Identification

combination of both class and individual characteristics used to produce a handwriting “profile”

Can a handwriting examiner make an identification on only one class or individual characteristic?

NOPE

What is the weight of a characteristic based on?

rarity of characteristics (examiner experience, some statistical studies)

Fundamental handwriting characteristics: Factors of Design

overall construction, strokes, slant, spacing, size, formatting

Overall construction

–“pictorial characteristics” (how does each character look and how was it formed; 1,2,3 strokes)

–variation of construction is very important

–serves as an means of recognizing a person’s handwriting

–people write similarly (legibility proves this)

–can be imitated by person of skill (but over time, imitating all the characters of a letter, probably not)

–separates lay person from expert in weight

Variation

handwriting feature that falls within the observed range of deviation

→ key element of natural writing, key factor in individualization of handwriting

→ adequate known is key to establishing range of variation (more variation= more known needed; no variation= unnaturalness)

Strokes

\-initial and ending (more flourish observed, often changed with disguise, ending considered more consistent feature)

\-connecting (depends on speed and what next letter is, very habitual, very important in hand printing and numerals)

Combination writing

Printed writing does not typically involve connecting strokes, but very frequently people that attempt to print will often connect only some characters and not others

Slant

•“slope” (left, right, vertical)

•very obvious feature

•not a conclusive indicator to handedness (people think left slant= left-handed writer)

•often changed with disguise

Spacing

between letters, between words, between punctuation marks; indented paragraphs

Overall formatting/placement of writing

margins, personal checks, personal letters, envelopes

Letter size

\-size ratio is key (height relationships-individualizing)

\-fairly constant (unless influenced by space of writing area-Post-It vs. larger document, size often changed with disguise, study found 65% people change size with disguise)

Alignment-baseline

real or imaginary line on which the writing rests; without it, writers may write with a slant

Writing quality-“line quality”

elements of the consistency/uniformity of writing; named by A. Osborn; *All the factors related to movement derived from the study of handwriting*

\-pen pressure, pen lifts, consistency/uniformity of writing, rhythm, speed, skill, slant, spacing

Pen pressure

weight, or pressure, unconsciously applied to the pen during the act of writing

\- highly individualized feature

\-difficult/impossible to imitate (usually heavy with unskilled writer; varies with skilled writer)

\-need to examine microscopically to assess

\-described in relative terms: heavy, medium, light

Pen lifts

writing instrument leaves the paper; interruption of stroke

\-often very habitual in signatures; very individualized choice

\-when repeated by writer is important characteristic

\-common after capital letters and with crossing strokes

\-greater occurrence in hand/finger writing

\-sometimes overlooked by forger/disguiser

Rhythm

recurring series of impulse movements in the written line

→ can be aesthetically assessed

→ higher skilled writer= write with more rhythm

Speed

relative rate of execution of written line

→ feature of natural writing

→ influenced by writing conditions

→ slow writing can be a sign of forgery or disguise

→ difference in speed can increase variation

Hand printing vs. handwriting

hand printing just as identifiable as handwriting

→ many people make no attempt to disguise hand printing (vs. cursive)

→ scrutinize the direction of the pen movement, speed, slant, size, etc. just as cursive (same methods of analysis and same factors studied)

What is there a greater emphasis on with hand printing?

letter formation

→ usually a hybrid of cursive and hand printed characters

Numerals

\-can be more difficult to identify particularly when only numbers are present

\-can be less individuality in numbers

\-same considerations: strokes, slant, height relationship, variation, etc

Calligraphy

decorative handwriting or handwritten lettering

\-not technically handwriting (more of a “drawn” or “artistic” style)

\-can be learned and developed over time; more focus on producing the characters in a certain way with little variation

Graphology

“examination” of handwriting characteristics to determine physiological state, gender, feeling, emotion, age…

\-NOT what trained Forensic Document Examiners do!!!

\-people have trouble knowing difference between real examiners and them

\-may find you write differently depending on what emotion you are experiencing

\-__Considerations__: great amount of pen pressure, overwriting, lack of line quality when the person normally doesn’t write this way, something may be going on

Can FDEs render opinions on graffiti?

YES; get them a large canvas on a wall and give them a can of spray paint when doing exemplars

Types of examinations

__Subject comparison__: comparison of __questioned__ writing with __known__ writing to determine whether the same person wrote both documents

→ ex. threat letters, “suicide” notes

\
__Writer association__: the comparison of __questioned__ writing with __questioned__ writing to associate documents

→ don’t have a specific suspect, but may in the future

→ ex. multiple drug package labels

Types of standards: Q-K examination

requested writing (exemplars); collected writing (normal course of business)-journals, DMV records, job applications, etc.

Handwriting collection

__Exemplar collection (requested writing)__

→ warm up sheets

→ documents similar to those in question

\
__Course of business writing__

→ originals are always better than copies

→ Examples: cancelled checks, journals, legal documents, and driver’s license, bank mortgage and rental applications

Why is the suspect always told to write with a ballpoint pen (along with the instrument used in the questioned)?

ballpoint pen is the easiest to see with a microscope to note the pen direction, pressure of the pen, stroke direction, and overall line quality

→ has to do with the way the instrument reacts with the thick, viscous ink that is in most ballpoint pens

Why is the pen always placed on the table for the suspect?

to see which hand they pick it up with (dominant hand); if they switch it to the other hand, they might be trying to disguise

When examining handwriting, it is important to remember that the comparison is always ….

the questioned document TO the known document.

Are printed samples good enough to compare to cursive Q?

not usually; sometimes people write in “combination style” which is closer to cursive

→ get as many exemplars as possible and then get as much course of business writing as you can as well

How many exemplars should you obtain?

15-20 signatures, 5-10 pages extended writing (3-5 for 1-2 page letter)

→ make sure to take away each page after they’re done (don’t want them to copy or mimic themselves) and number them (to see the progression of writing over the course of the collection)

What must case notes include?

drawing, highlighting, labeling with text (typically green=similarity, red= dissimilarity)

→ similarity: handwriting characteristic in common between two bodies of writing

→ dissimilarity: handwriting characteristic not in common between two bodies of writing

→ should have a key

Arch

curved upper portion of “m”

Ascender/descender

stroke that rises above/dips below the body of the letter

Connecting stroke

a line joining two adjacent characters

Crossbar

stroke that intersects character (e.g., t)

Hesitation

pause in writing without instrument being lifted

Initial/terminal stroke

beginning/ending of character

Theory of Identification

combo of both class and individual characteristics used to produce a handwriting “profile”

→ all characteristics are compared and considered in an examination

→ examiner makes determination based upon experience and training

7 or 9 point scale of conclusions (SWGDOC)

\-__Identification__: definitive conclusion that two or more handwritten items were written by the same person

\-__(Highly) Probably Did Write__: qualified conclusion in which the evidence supports with virtual certainty that two or more handwritten items were written by the same person

\-__Probably Did Write__: qualified conclusion in which the evidence points rather strongly toward two or more handwritten items having been written by the same person

\-__Indications May Have Written__: qualified conclusion in which the evidence suggests that two or more handwritten items may have been written by the same person

\-__No Conclusion__: no determination can be made as to whether or not two or more handwritten items were written by the same person

\-__Indications May Not Have Written__: qualified conclusion in which the evidence suggests that two or more handwritten items may not have been written by the same person

\-__Probably Did Not Write__: qualified conclusion in which the evidence points rather strongly against two or more handwritten items having been written by the same person

\-__(Highly) Probably Did Not Write__: qualified conclusion in which the evidence supports with virtual certainty that two or more handwritten items were not written by the same person

\-__Exclusion__: definitive conclusion that two or more handwritten items were not written by the same person

\
\*7-take out highly

\*5-take out indications

\*3-ID, no conclusion, elimination

\*3 and 5 not typically seen in accredited labs

What conclusion is the hardest to come to?

elimination (have to say that nothing is similar); don’t know for sure that we have all the writing that this person is capable of doing to say that there is no way this person has done this; only if it’s the exact same or much lower skill level (represented in a lot of known writings over the years)

3 reasons for a qualified opinion (not a full ID, elimination)

limited knowns, questioned document is very small or short, non-contemporaneous (knowns are 50 years removed from what is in questioned), non-original writing, unexplained characters

What NOT to say in court

“handwriting is consistent with”, “individual has the capability to produce”, “person could not be identified”, “strong reason to believe”

Points to determine handwriting match

not a particular number of points an FDE looks at to determine whether something was or was not written by a person

→ entirety of the writing that is provided, along with the limitations, as well as the FDEs training and experience, that can make that determination

Limitations of determining handwriting match

\-lack of comparable writing

\-low quantity of Q or K, low quality or non-original documents

\-prior processing that interferes with writing (FP)

\-contemporaneousness

\-different writing instrument

\-style differences

\-appearance of simulation/disguise