Role of Forensic Sciences in Modern Law Enforcement and Homeland Security
Nasik Elahi, Ph.D.
What is Forensic Science: a systematic multi-disciplinary approach to solving crime, civil and other legal and homeland security issues. The evidence is collected, catalogued, analyzed, preserved and presented to investigative and legal authorities. Forensic science practice is multi-disciplinary and draws upon virtually every scientific discipline arranged alphabetically as follows:
• Anthropology : help to deduce race, sex, age, stature from skeletal remains; facial recognition : methodical reconstruction of facial features has progressed from painstaking physical reconstruction to laser scanning and digital technology.
• Archaeology : help to establish sequence of events and evidence by carefully digging and sifting of evidence particularly in war crimes and scenes of mass murder.
• Audio-Visual: voice pattern analysis; audio and video reconstruction; phone tracking; facial recognition in crowds and match; 3D crime scene visualization.
• Ballistics: analysis of powders and ammunition; test firing and analysis of bullet fragments; toolmarks matching
• Blood spatter analysis: help to recreate violent event sequence
• Botany : study of leaves, seeds, pollen (forensic polynology), algae and fungi to help establish timelines of death and whether the body was moved to different locations
• Chemistry : drugs, chemicals, fire debris analysis, explosive residues, artwork
• Criminalistics : techniques to examine hair, fibers, and other evidence using microscopy; VIN numbers, gun registrations, artwork, tire and skid marks, powder burns.
• DNA and forensic biology: the most profound and far reaching discipline of forensic science; DNA profiling utilizes blood, saliva, semen; PCR – denaturation into specific polynucleotides, hybridization of the PNAs, replication using Taq polymerase and testing for the STRs short tandem repeats loci; FBI runs CODIS 13 loci band system for identification on electrophoresis; the older testing methods such as Rh factor, blood grouping, enzymes.
• Electronics: monitoring, phone tapping and tracking, database analysis and reconstruction of activity, decryption hardware and software, cloud farms.
• Entomology : study of larvae, types of insects and their life cycles help establish timelines and sometimes even the causes of death; Louisiana body farm.
• Fingerprinting: techniques, comparison standards and methodology, local, regional and national databases; footprinting for mass casualty identifications.
• Forensic Accounting: tracking the complex trail of money.
• Forensic and Anatomic Pathology, Histology. Autopsies and related investigations.
• Forensic Toxicology : drugs of use and abuse in post mortem samples.
• Forensic Ornithology : bird feathers and droppings as markers or evidence.
• Forensic Odontology : dental remains, bite marks.
• Marine biology : testing lung fluid to determine modes of drowning.
• Physiology : lie detector test; Dr. Ahsen and his hot and cold physiology testing.
• Photography: audio visual, film and digital formats, holography, 2D and 3D.
How Accurate is Forensic Science
• Objective testing
• Subjective testing
• Complexity issues and Standardizations and how they impact on service
How is Forensic Science practiced in US and Pakistan
• US has 18000 police departments and 400 forensic labs. The departments vary in size from 2 man to NYC with 35,000 man force. The police all have the same uniform recruitment policy; every officer starts as a patrol rookie and works up to command levels while the managerial posts are appointed. The larger departments support their own labs while the smaller ones work through regional or state labs to provide the needed service. Training and results are quite variable.
• Pakistan is based on the colonial British model with 3 types of police –local, provincial and federal — working within the same infrastructure. The patrol force is local, the midlevel officials are a mix of provincial and federal while the top tiers are federal. At the federal level there is FIA and the paramilitary Rangers. In addition there are the investigative intelligence arms of the army, MI, ISI and the civilian IB. It is a mix filled with tension and inefficiency. The forensic science services are a direct victim of such interplay and little organized headway gets made even after immense financial expenditures. US has spent nearly $400 million while the ADB provided $450 million to improve police and judicial services over the decade with little to show for it.
Forensic Science Practice in Criminal and Homeland Security
In criminalistic terms forensic investigations are reactive. The investigative process takes place after the act or crime has taken place. There are additional safeguards built in by law to prevent abuse of authority and ensure the rights of the accused.
Homeland security shifts the focus into a proactive mode. The objective is to prevent the criminal or terrorist act. The safeguards built in by law are far more elastic and often defined by executive action, e.g., Awlaki case, surveillance by NYC PD of Muslim communities .
The investigative techniques are similar in both cases although homeland security are often more advanced and secretive. The FBI has launched a billion dollar Next Generation project that combine Voice Recognition, Retinal Scan, DNA to build individual identification provided by fingerprint analysis.
Historically in the US the criminal and national security agencies worked under entirely different mandates. Since 9/11 the lines have become blurred. At the federal level, the FBI has added security surveillance and interplay with CIA and NSA to its core mission of law enforcement. Several large police departments such as NYPD have greatly expanded their security related surveillance activities even in other jurisdictions. The melding of the two starkly different mandates is sparking both debate and concerns. It remains a pivotal issue that has forever transformed the traditional mission and nature of police agencies. One can only imagine how far the transformation can go in the face of future terrorist attacks.
Pakistan Law Enforcement and Security
The national security agencies like ISI, MI, IB play a paramount role in defining and conducting investigations and the police become a subservient agency to Rangers as in Karachi. Punjab in particular has taken the lead in reforming its law enforcement but it has managed to create pockets of highly expensive excellence that cannot be sustained over the long run. The creation of the Pakistan Security Act after the massacre of 140+ school children in Peshawar even empowers military courts beyond review by the civilian high courts. Add to that is the parallel religious courts and bodies like the Council on Islamic Ideology. The conflicting directions of military and religious authorities and poor governance by successive regimes that undermine any effective law enforcement and judicial structure to emerge.
Role of Forensic Sciences in Modern Law Enforcement and Homeland Security
Nasik Elahi, Ph.D.
What is Forensic Science: a systematic multi-disciplinary approach to solving crime, civil and other legal and homeland security issues. The evidence is collected, catalogued, analyzed, preserved and presented to investigative and legal authorities. Forensic science practice is multi-disciplinary and draws upon virtually every scientific discipline arranged alphabetically as follows:
• Anthropology : help to deduce race, sex, age, stature from skeletal remains; facial recognition : methodical reconstruction of facial features has progressed from painstaking physical reconstruction to laser scanning and digital technology.
• Archaeology : help to establish sequence of events and evidence by carefully digging and sifting of evidence particularly in war crimes and scenes of mass murder.
• Audio-Visual: voice pattern analysis; audio and video reconstruction; phone tracking; facial recognition in crowds and match; 3D crime scene visualization.
• Ballistics: analysis of powders and ammunition; test firing and analysis of bullet fragments; toolmarks matching
• Blood spatter analysis: help to recreate violent event sequence
• Botany : study of leaves, seeds, pollen (forensic polynology), algae and fungi to help establish timelines of death and whether the body was moved to different locations
• Chemistry : drugs, chemicals, fire debris analysis, explosive residues, artwork
• Criminalistics : techniques to examine hair, fibers, and other evidence using microscopy; VIN numbers, gun registrations, artwork, tire and skid marks, powder burns.
• DNA and forensic biology: the most profound and far reaching discipline of forensic science; DNA profiling utilizes blood, saliva, semen; PCR – denaturation into specific polynucleotides, hybridization of the PNAs, replication using Taq polymerase and testing for the STRs short tandem repeats loci; FBI runs CODIS 13 loci band system for identification on electrophoresis; the older testing methods such as Rh factor, blood grouping, enzymes.
• Electronics: monitoring, phone tapping and tracking, database analysis and reconstruction of activity, decryption hardware and software, cloud farms.
• Entomology : study of larvae, types of insects and their life cycles help establish timelines and sometimes even the causes of death; Louisiana body farm.
• Fingerprinting: techniques, comparison standards and methodology, local, regional and national databases; footprinting for mass casualty identifications.
• Forensic Accounting: tracking the complex trail of money.
• Forensic and Anatomic Pathology, Histology. Autopsies and related investigations.
• Forensic Toxicology : drugs of use and abuse in post mortem samples.
• Forensic Ornithology : bird feathers and droppings as markers or evidence.
• Forensic Odontology : dental remains, bite marks.
• Marine biology : testing lung fluid to determine modes of drowning.
• Physiology : lie detector test; Dr. Ahsen and his hot and cold physiology testing.
• Photography: audio visual, film and digital formats, holography, 2D and 3D.
How Accurate is Forensic Science
• Objective testing
• Subjective testing
• Complexity issues and Standardizations and how they impact on service
How is Forensic Science practiced in US and Pakistan
• US has 18000 police departments and 400 forensic labs. The departments vary in size from 2 man to NYC with 35,000 man force. The police all have the same uniform recruitment policy; every officer starts as a patrol rookie and works up to command levels while the managerial posts are appointed. The larger departments support their own labs while the smaller ones work through regional or state labs to provide the needed service. Training and results are quite variable.
• Pakistan is based on the colonial British model with 3 types of police –local, provincial and federal — working within the same infrastructure. The patrol force is local, the midlevel officials are a mix of provincial and federal while the top tiers are federal. At the federal level there is FIA and the paramilitary Rangers. In addition there are the investigative intelligence arms of the army, MI, ISI and the civilian IB. It is a mix filled with tension and inefficiency. The forensic science services are a direct victim of such interplay and little organized headway gets made even after immense financial expenditures. US has spent nearly $400 million while the ADB provided $450 million to improve police and judicial services over the decade with little to show for it.
Forensic Science Practice in Criminal and Homeland Security
In criminalistic terms forensic investigations are reactive. The investigative process takes place after the act or crime has taken place. There are additional safeguards built in by law to prevent abuse of authority and ensure the rights of the accused.
Homeland security shifts the focus into a proactive mode. The objective is to prevent the criminal or terrorist act. The safeguards built in by law are far more elastic and often defined by executive action, e.g., Awlaki case, surveillance by NYC PD of Muslim communities .
The investigative techniques are similar in both cases although homeland security are often more advanced and secretive. The FBI has launched a billion dollar Next Generation project that combine Voice Recognition, Retinal Scan, DNA to build individual identification provided by fingerprint analysis.
Historically in the US the criminal and national security agencies worked under entirely different mandates. Since 9/11 the lines have become blurred. At the federal level, the FBI has added security surveillance and interplay with CIA and NSA to its core mission of law enforcement. Several large police departments such as NYPD have greatly expanded their security related surveillance activities even in other jurisdictions. The melding of the two starkly different mandates is sparking both debate and concerns. It remains a pivotal issue that has forever transformed the traditional mission and nature of police agencies. One can only imagine how far the transformation can go in the face of future terrorist attacks.
Pakistan Law Enforcement and Security
The national security agencies like ISI, MI, IB play a paramount role in defining and conducting investigations and the police become a subservient agency to Rangers as in Karachi. Punjab in particular has taken the lead in reforming its law enforcement but it has managed to create pockets of highly expensive excellence that cannot be sustained over the long run. The creation of the Pakistan Security Act after the massacre of 140+ school children in Peshawar even empowers military courts beyond review by the civilian high courts. Add to that is the parallel religious courts and bodies like the Council on Islamic Ideology. The conflicting directions of military and religious authorities and poor governance by successive regimes that undermine any effective law enforcement and judicial structure to emerge.
Role of Forensic Sciences in Modern Law Enforcement and Homeland Security
Nasik Elahi, Ph.D.
What is Forensic Science: a systematic multi-disciplinary approach to solving crime, civil and other legal and homeland security issues. The evidence is collected, catalogued, analyzed, preserved and presented to investigative and legal authorities. Forensic science practice is multi-disciplinary and draws upon virtually every scientific discipline arranged alphabetically as follows:
• Anthropology : help to deduce race, sex, age, stature from skeletal remains; facial recognition : methodical reconstruction of facial features has progressed from painstaking physical reconstruction to laser scanning and digital technology.
• Archaeology : help to establish sequence of events and evidence by carefully digging and sifting of evidence particularly in war crimes and scenes of mass murder.
• Audio-Visual: voice pattern analysis; audio and video reconstruction; phone tracking; facial recognition in crowds and match; 3D crime scene visualization.
• Ballistics: analysis of powders and ammunition; test firing and analysis of bullet fragments; toolmarks matching
• Blood spatter analysis: help to recreate violent event sequence
• Botany : study of leaves, seeds, pollen (forensic polynology), algae and fungi to help establish timelines of death and whether the body was moved to different locations
• Chemistry : drugs, chemicals, fire debris analysis, explosive residues, artwork
• Criminalistics : techniques to examine hair, fibers, and other evidence using microscopy; VIN numbers, gun registrations, artwork, tire and skid marks, powder burns.
• DNA and forensic biology: the most profound and far reaching discipline of forensic science; DNA profiling utilizes blood, saliva, semen; PCR – denaturation into specific polynucleotides, hybridization of the PNAs, replication using Taq polymerase and testing for the STRs short tandem repeats loci; FBI runs CODIS 13 loci band system for identification on electrophoresis; the older testing methods such as Rh factor, blood grouping, enzymes.
• Electronics: monitoring, phone tapping and tracking, database analysis and reconstruction of activity, decryption hardware and software, cloud farms.
• Entomology : study of larvae, types of insects and their life cycles help establish timelines and sometimes even the causes of death; Louisiana body farm.
• Fingerprinting: techniques, comparison standards and methodology, local, regional and national databases; footprinting for mass casualty identifications.
• Forensic Accounting: tracking the complex trail of money.
• Forensic and Anatomic Pathology, Histology. Autopsies and related investigations.
• Forensic Toxicology : drugs of use and abuse in post mortem samples.
• Forensic Ornithology : bird feathers and droppings as markers or evidence.
• Forensic Odontology : dental remains, bite marks.
• Marine biology : testing lung fluid to determine modes of drowning.
• Physiology : lie detector test; Dr. Ahsen and his hot and cold physiology testing.
• Photography: audio visual, film and digital formats, holography, 2D and 3D.
How Accurate is Forensic Science
• Objective testing
• Subjective testing
• Complexity issues and Standardizations and how they impact on service
How is Forensic Science practiced in US and Pakistan
• US has 18000 police departments and 400 forensic labs. The departments vary in size from 2 man to NYC with 35,000 man force. The police all have the same uniform recruitment policy; every officer starts as a patrol rookie and works up to command levels while the managerial posts are appointed. The larger departments support their own labs while the smaller ones work through regional or state labs to provide the needed service. Training and results are quite variable.
• Pakistan is based on the colonial British model with 3 types of police –local, provincial and federal — working within the same infrastructure. The patrol force is local, the midlevel officials are a mix of provincial and federal while the top tiers are federal. At the federal level there is FIA and the paramilitary Rangers. In addition there are the investigative intelligence arms of the army, MI, ISI and the civilian IB. It is a mix filled with tension and inefficiency. The forensic science services are a direct victim of such interplay and little organized headway gets made even after immense financial expenditures. US has spent nearly $400 million while the ADB provided $450 million to improve police and judicial services over the decade with little to show for it.
Forensic Science Practice in Criminal and Homeland Security
In criminalistic terms forensic investigations are reactive. The investigative process takes place after the act or crime has taken place. There are additional safeguards built in by law to prevent abuse of authority and ensure the rights of the accused.
Homeland security shifts the focus into a proactive mode. The objective is to prevent the criminal or terrorist act. The safeguards built in by law are far more elastic and often defined by executive action, e.g., Awlaki case, surveillance by NYC PD of Muslim communities .
The investigative techniques are similar in both cases although homeland security are often more advanced and secretive. The FBI has launched a billion dollar Next Generation project that combine Voice Recognition, Retinal Scan, DNA to build individual identification provided by fingerprint analysis.
Historically in the US the criminal and national security agencies worked under entirely different mandates. Since 9/11 the lines have become blurred. At the federal level, the FBI has added security surveillance and interplay with CIA and NSA to its core mission of law enforcement. Several large police departments such as NYPD have greatly expanded their security related surveillance activities even in other jurisdictions. The melding of the two starkly different mandates is sparking both debate and concerns. It remains a pivotal issue that has forever transformed the traditional mission and nature of police agencies. One can only imagine how far the transformation can go in the face of future terrorist attacks.
Pakistan Law Enforcement and Security
The national security agencies like ISI, MI, IB play a paramount role in defining and conducting investigations and the police become a subservient agency to Rangers as in Karachi. Punjab in particular has taken the lead in reforming its law enforcement but it has managed to create pockets of highly expensive excellence that cannot be sustained over the long run. The creation of the Pakistan Security Act after the massacre of 140+ school children in Peshawar even empowers military courts beyond review by the civilian high courts. Add to that is the parallel religious courts and bodies like the Council on Islamic Ideology. The conflicting directions of military and religious authorities and poor governance by successive regimes that undermine any effective law enforcement and judicial structure to emerge.
Role of Forensic Sciences in Modern Law Enforcement and Homeland Security
Nasik Elahi, Ph.D.
What is Forensic Science: a systematic multi-disciplinary approach to solving crime, civil and other legal and homeland security issues. The evidence is collected, catalogued, analyzed, preserved and presented to investigative and legal authorities. Forensic science practice is multi-disciplinary and draws upon virtually every scientific discipline arranged alphabetically as follows:
• Anthropology : help to deduce race, sex, age, stature from skeletal remains; facial recognition : methodical reconstruction of facial features has progressed from painstaking physical reconstruction to laser scanning and digital technology.
• Archaeology : help to establish sequence of events and evidence by carefully digging and sifting of evidence particularly in war crimes and scenes of mass murder.
• Audio-Visual: voice pattern analysis; audio and video reconstruction; phone tracking; facial recognition in crowds and match; 3D crime scene visualization.
• Ballistics: analysis of powders and ammunition; test firing and analysis of bullet fragments; toolmarks matching
• Blood spatter analysis: help to recreate violent event sequence
• Botany : study of leaves, seeds, pollen (forensic polynology), algae and fungi to help establish timelines of death and whether the body was moved to different locations
• Chemistry : drugs, chemicals, fire debris analysis, explosive residues, artwork
• Criminalistics : techniques to examine hair, fibers, and other evidence using microscopy; VIN numbers, gun registrations, artwork, tire and skid marks, powder burns.
• DNA and forensic biology: the most profound and far reaching discipline of forensic science; DNA profiling utilizes blood, saliva, semen; PCR – denaturation into specific polynucleotides, hybridization of the PNAs, replication using Taq polymerase and testing for the STRs short tandem repeats loci; FBI runs CODIS 13 loci band system for identification on electrophoresis; the older testing methods such as Rh factor, blood grouping, enzymes.
• Electronics: monitoring, phone tapping and tracking, database analysis and reconstruction of activity, decryption hardware and software, cloud farms.
• Entomology : study of larvae, types of insects and their life cycles help establish timelines and sometimes even the causes of death; Louisiana body farm.
• Fingerprinting: techniques, comparison standards and methodology, local, regional and national databases; footprinting for mass casualty identifications.
• Forensic Accounting: tracking the complex trail of money.
• Forensic and Anatomic Pathology, Histology. Autopsies and related investigations.
• Forensic Toxicology : drugs of use and abuse in post mortem samples.
• Forensic Ornithology : bird feathers and droppings as markers or evidence.
• Forensic Odontology : dental remains, bite marks.
• Marine biology : testing lung fluid to determine modes of drowning.
• Physiology : lie detector test; Dr. Ahsen and his hot and cold physiology testing.
• Photography: audio visual, film and digital formats, holography, 2D and 3D.
How Accurate is Forensic Science
• Objective testing
• Subjective testing
• Complexity issues and Standardizations and how they impact on service
How is Forensic Science practiced in US and Pakistan
• US has 18000 police departments and 400 forensic labs. The departments vary in size from 2 man to NYC with 35,000 man force. The police all have the same uniform recruitment policy; every officer starts as a patrol rookie and works up to command levels while the managerial posts are appointed. The larger departments support their own labs while the smaller ones work through regional or state labs to provide the needed service. Training and results are quite variable.
• Pakistan is based on the colonial British model with 3 types of police –local, provincial and federal — working within the same infrastructure. The patrol force is local, the midlevel officials are a mix of provincial and federal while the top tiers are federal. At the federal level there is FIA and the paramilitary Rangers. In addition there are the investigative intelligence arms of the army, MI, ISI and the civilian IB. It is a mix filled with tension and inefficiency. The forensic science services are a direct victim of such interplay and little organized headway gets made even after immense financial expenditures. US has spent nearly $400 million while the ADB provided $450 million to improve police and judicial services over the decade with little to show for it.
Forensic Science Practice in Criminal and Homeland Security
In criminalistic terms forensic investigations are reactive. The investigative process takes place after the act or crime has taken place. There are additional safeguards built in by law to prevent abuse of authority and ensure the rights of the accused.
Homeland security shifts the focus into a proactive mode. The objective is to prevent the criminal or terrorist act. The safeguards built in by law are far more elastic and often defined by executive action, e.g., Awlaki case, surveillance by NYC PD of Muslim communities .
The investigative techniques are similar in both cases although homeland security are often more advanced and secretive. The FBI has launched a billion dollar Next Generation project that combine Voice Recognition, Retinal Scan, DNA to build individual identification provided by fingerprint analysis.
Historically in the US the criminal and national security agencies worked under entirely different mandates. Since 9/11 the lines have become blurred. At the federal level, the FBI has added security surveillance and interplay with CIA and NSA to its core mission of law enforcement. Several large police departments such as NYPD have greatly expanded their security related surveillance activities even in other jurisdictions. The melding of the two starkly different mandates is sparking both debate and concerns. It remains a pivotal issue that has forever transformed the traditional mission and nature of police agencies. One can only imagine how far the transformation can go in the face of future terrorist attacks.
Pakistan Law Enforcement and Security
The national security agencies like ISI, MI, IB play a paramount role in defining and conducting investigations and the police become a subservient agency to Rangers as in Karachi. Punjab in particular has taken the lead in reforming its law enforcement but it has managed to create pockets of highly expensive excellence that cannot be sustained over the long run. The creation of the Pakistan Security Act after the massacre of 140+ school children in Peshawar even empowers military courts beyond review by the civilian high courts. Add to that is the parallel religious courts and bodies like the Council on Islamic Ideology. The conflicting directions of military and religious authorities and poor governance by successive regimes that undermine any effective law enforcement and judicial structure to emerge.
