News

October 31, 2009

Work in crime lab explained

Director of regional facility in Wyoming speaks as part of Citizens’ Police Academy.

FORTY FORT – In the 20 years Sandra Singer has spent analyzing crime scene evidence sent to the state police crime lab, she has found her job to be anything but boring.

“Everything we analyze, everything we see comes into the lab,” said Singer, director of the Wyoming regional crime laboratory.

Singer spoke to an interested audience in the second part of an informational program on crime scene investigation at Thursday’s Pennsylvania State Police Citizens’ Police Academy. The program is held weekly at the organization’s training facility in Forty Fort.

Last Thursday, Cpl. Chris Wilson, supervisor of the Forensics Services Unit, talked about gathering and preserving crime scene evidence.

Unlike on a television show, forensic scientists are not going to find DNA in every case, Singer said.

In a child-abuse case or ongoing sexual assault cases, Singer pointed out there might not be forensic evidence because the crime may not be reported in time to collect the evidence.

“Some cases are just based on witness statements and photographs or testimony,” she said.

DNA was not used in the state until 1992, Singer said.

The crime lab in Luzerne County examines evidence from 13 counties. It is one of six regional state police laboratories in the state.

Singer said the lab also identifies drugs, determines blood-alcohol content and examines hair.

Forensic scientists attempt to tie an item to a crime by comparing known samples to questioned samples, Singer said.

The regional laboratory provides services such as Automated Fingerprint Identification System, latent prints, ballistics, blood-alcohol concentration, drug identification and biology and trace analysis.

Over 5 million fingerprint and palm prints are in the AFIS database, Singer said. Comparisons also can be done between shoe and tire prints.

Before AFIS, latent prints – those found at crime scenes – would be sent to the state police headquarters in Harrisburg, where examiners would go through all prints looking to find a match – a process that could take months.

“With AFIS, if the print is in the system you’re looking at 20 to 25 minutes to come up with an analysis,” Singer said.

Once a print is placed into AFIS, the database will show possible matches and an examiner must look at those prints and make line-by-line, point-by-point comparisons.

Ballistic examiners look at lines and grooves inside the barrel of a gun like fingerprints, Singer said.

Caseload Statistics 2008

Evidence from about 46,000 cases were received statewide involving over 200,000 items, including drugs, blood-alcohol, fingerprints, latent prints, ballistics and trace cases.

Of those, 2,000 were DNA samples;

28% of cases were submitted by state police;

72% were submitted by other law enforcement agencies.

Jen Marckini, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7210.

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