Forensics Questioned Documents

What is a questioned document?

Any document where doubt is raised or part of a investigation (ex. ransom check)

What are some examples of questioned documents?

Wills, checks, ransoms

What are some examples of direct and indirect in questioned documents?

Direct: you wrote it yourself
Indirect: fompany pronted by something (you didn't do it)

What tools are used to analyze documents?

Chromatography, infired lighting, UV lighting

How is handwriting a class characteristic and an individual characteristic?

Class: stays true to what you leaen when you were little
Individual: adapt and handwriting changes

What are the 12 characteristics used to analyze handwriting?

Baseline (write on line, up or down)
Slant (angle of writing)
Diacritics (dotting i and crossing t)

What is a letter angle template and how's it used?

Determines the slanr angle of the letters

What is the most common forgery?

Signature

What are the 3 types of forgery?

Simulated, trace, and blind

How can forgeries be spotted?

Pen lifts or separations in unusual places, pen pressure

What are the types of alterations?

Regular: adding something
Erasure: erase and take it away
Obliterature: someone wrote sometbinf and you try to erase (written on top/cross and scribble)

What is graphology? What are some characteristics used in graphology?

Applying handwriting and paring with psychology to determine character traits. Some characteristics are level size, level of writing, spacing, etc.

How can ink be identified in a questioned document?

Chromatography: used to see how solutes spread out from component

Chromatogram

The actual diagram were lefr wirb after ink moves up

What is the difference between counterfeit and forgery?

Counterfeit: creating/making something new that's totally fake
Forgery: taking documents and altering them for deception

What is fraudulence?

Financial gain accompanies forgery

Waterlogged forensic file...what happened?

Guy in Florida, mom and two daughters. He saw them, offered a boat ride: he attacked them, threw them overboard. They found him through his handwriting. Someone called in, they got handwriting of samples and matched it to him. Also found palm print on pamphlet. Relays to the unit because calls his handwriting into question.