Lifting Fingerprints: It’s Not All Black And White

Electrochemiluminescence

There are three basic types of fingerprints—latent, patent, and impressed. The prints we see with the naked eye are called patent prints. These visible fingerprints are left in some sort of medium, such as dust, ink, and even blood.

Impressed prints are actual fingerprint indentations left in substances such as, putty, paint, and wax.

Finally, latent prints are the invisible prints formed by sweat, amino acids, and oils in the skin.

Latent prints are the ones most associated with crime scenes, because they’re the ones we see TV CSI folks going after like they’re applying a coat of Sears Weatherbeater paint. There’s a technique to dusting and lifting a latent fingerprint, and vigorously mopping on the powder as seen on TV is not it. Gently is the keyword when it comes to dusting for prints. Gentle brush strokes (preferably from a camel hair brush) and swirls. Those of you attending the Writers’ Police Academy will get chance to learn and perform the proper techniques.

Common fingerprint powders are fairly easy to use since they stick to water, oils, and fat deposits. Most of you are aware that the most common fingerprint powders are black (for use on lighter surfaces) and white (for use on darker surfaces). But how about a surface that’s wallpapered in some sort of wacky pattern? Well, then it’s time to bring out florescent powders. The process the same—dusting—but the developed prints must be viewed with an alternate light source.

Portable MicroBlue Alternate Light Source (fits in shirt pocket)

Magnetic powders can be used when investigators are worried about the possibility of damaging a print by using the normal brushing techniques. These powders contain very small bits of metal. A magnetic wand/applicator is used to pick up the powder, and is then released onto the print by touching the tip on the opposite end of the wand.

Sudan black – Great for locating and lifting prints from greasy items, such as fast food wrappers, and in fast food restaurants.

Dawn dish detergent

works great when developing prints on tape (Christmas wrapping tape, etc.). Mix 20 drops of the detergent, 20 drops of water, and .5 grams of black fingerprint powder. Mix the ingredients together until they become foamy, like shaving cream (sort of), and then use a camel hair brush to apply to the surface you want to print (you can paint the surface this time). Wait until the foam has completely dried and then rinse. Presto! There’s your print. By the way, this works well on latex gloves, too.


Detective’s cabinet containing various powders, lifting tapes, and brushes

/by

An Eclectic Weekend Road Trip

An Eclectic Weekend Road Trip

Sunset on San Jose, Ca. street facing the Santa Cruz Mountains.

An abandoned water tower.

Traffic stop in Yellow Springs, Ohio (while researching my book).

Statue in front of Hamilton Ohio Police Department.

Running radar with the South Charleston, Ohio police chief (more research for the book).

Las Vegas RV park during our migration from California to the east coast.

/by

Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

The Graveyard Shift extends its condolences to the family of each of this brave police officer.

Deputy Sheriff Jacob Rene Rayos, 32

Reeves County Texas Sheriff’s Department

April 11, 2010 – Deputy Jacob Rayos was killed in a rollover accident while attempting to locate a criminal suspect. Deputy Rayos began his career in 1998 as a corrections officer with the department, and then moved into patrol in 2004. He leaves behind five children.

/by

Wayne Merry: Mall Amber Alert…Because I Care!

Once in a while I meet someone who really stands out in a crowd, and inventor Wayne Merry is one of those people. Wayne’s recent creation is a really unique and worthwhile project, so I asked him to share it with the readers of The Graveyard Shift.


Wayne Merry
Founder of Amber Alert

It will likely come as a big surprise that the founder of the “Amber Alert Systems” has no children. The name “Wayne” means “builder” and as having started many diversified businesses, this one came from watching the show “Ocean Force” on TruTV and wanting to help people!

Born in Canada (adopted with his twin brother, Warren), he started working when he was 16 for A&P Food Stores. He began by mopping floors and gradually developed his marketing skills and sales experience. He later started a sewing factory for custom dolls and plush animals. This led to licensing with Trivial Pursuit, international travel, and importing from Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Taiwan. Then, came the big break. Wayne patented a packaging process for finished textiles which he licensed to the Newell Rubbermaid Corporation. If you see a “slippery when wet” yellow triangle with the Rubbermaid logo on it, in all probability, the wet mops were packaged using his patents. Those patents have resulted in business travel to more than nine countries, plus several prestigious awards.

Wayne’s natural entrepreneurial flair for business and blessing from God has brought us to this great idea to find lost children.
Because I Care!

One cold and dreary February day I found myself surfing…. that is channel surfing and thought I would cheer myself up by watching a True Channel marathon of “Beach Patrol”. Awwwww… warm beaches from all over the world, sun, sea, beautiful people and LOST CHILDREN?! And more Lost children and again and again. I not only was shocked by the reoccurring situating but just how tragic and fun for family and friends turned to PANIC and sorrow within minutes! I also noted the “old school way” of communicating to the beach goers that there was a 10-57 in process that could lead to a 311, 207 or the worst 10-54!

As the family member in an uncontrolled crying jag with a lot of panic was trying to give the details to the authorities TIME was the biggest enemy. Yes the lifeguards had 2 way radios for themselves but how could they convey this urgent 10-57 to thousands of beach goers enjoying THEIR day at the beach. Well there was loud speaker announcements that some heard and there was the lifeguards with their flag signals …. that many thought there was a shark sighting but no instant messaging.

And this is when I got the idea for my Amber Alert Kiosks combined with text messaging and mobilweb viewing. I could reach a lot of people in a geo-targeted area very fast and efficiently with actual pictures of the child. And just maybe a picture of that child within the last hour in their current clothes they were wearing scanned from the love one’s cell phone or camera. From watching the Beach Patrol show it was noted that most lost children are actually found by our neighbors at the beach! Yes we still have a few good people out there! The problem was they found the lost child but did not know how to tell anybody. As the municipalities close school and run out of funding the beaches have less and less staffing. Some beaches rely on local police departments which in turn spreads their time and effort even thinner. As a side note I noted that all lifeguards and most beach goers HAD CELLPHONES!

Well after researching the net I found that a 10-57 happens a lot and sometimes resulting in a death! I approached the Volusia County commissioner’s office in Daytona Beach Florida and they loved the idea! They want safer beaches and families to come back year after year.

As staying at the Hilton Towers in Daytona and wearing my new Beach Amber Alert “t” shirt, I was questioned by the hotel check in clerk, bartender and finally the manager about this alerting system. Not only was the beach patrol interested but also the hotels! Why? Well I come to find out that a lot of the hotels are beach front and actually responsible for the safety of their quests and families! In the words of the manager “You don’t understand, we can have a missing child on the beach, in the pool area, in the lobby, in the stairwells, in the parking lot, in the elevators, in a room” well he started to paint a bigger pictures and more so a more dangerous scenario.

Here are some statistics;
Over 2000 children get lost a day in the USA.
45% in a shopping environment 27% in an amusement park area.

There are nearly 1,000 kidnappings of children a day in the USA.

Almost 500 a day involve the concealment of a child, transporting out of state, or intent to keep the child permanently

If a child is taken unlawfully, they are usually harmed or killed with the FIRST 3 hours. TIME IS NOT ON ANYONE”S SIDE.

95% remember the situation all of their lives.

Mothers flee with children in 54% of the cases

Fathers flee with children in 46% of the cases

Most are blessed and returned to their love ones but for the 3% not returned it does not have a happy ending.

Knowing that shopping malls are a social living center by design and attraction to the younger people as well as predators, I decided to scope in on malls. So why is there a poor rate of success for the Justice and states Amber Alerting Systems? Here is what I found out.

Amber Alert vary by state, but this is the general criteria and requirements before an Alert will be issued:

1. The child must be under 18 years of age.
2. There must be a clear indication of an abduction.
3. The law enforcement agency’s investigation must conclude that the child’s life is in danger.
4. There must be a detailed description of child and/or abductor/vehicle to broadcast to the public.
5. The activation must be recommended by the law enforcement agency of jurisdiction.
6. The missing person must be missing for 24-48 hours! This is slowly changing but still the greatest enemy of the systems. TIME is not on any one’s side!

Therefore this is what I designed and patented in my kiosks:
1. When a child is lost, the parent or guardian alerts an employee or security personnel at the deploying venue and supplies as much pertinent information as possible and a photograph, if available.

2. The deployer logs into Amber Alert Systems’ Web-based content-management program to upload the child’s information in the form of a lost-child alert.

3. Sponsor advertisements running on the kiosks are interrupted to display the lost-child alert. Yes we sell advertising on the monitors to off-set the cost of the kiosks!

4. The information also is distributed via Amber Alert Systems’ SMS text-alert service, which visitors to the deploying location can subscribe to and unsubscribe from at any time.

5. Total lapsed time less than 10 minutes to blast the area.

I then approached CBL properties the owner of large malls in the USA. I met with the regional marketing manager and she had one question. “When can you do 87 of our malls”. I said one at a time.

On July 18th we installed our first kiosk at the Daytona Florida Mall with the press conference commencing Monday July 20th 2009. From the delivery on Friday night we were excitably met by the mall’s Security team On Sat we installed the unit early in the morning and I had to run interference for the installers as the shoppers warmly greeted the idea and extended their appreciation. A local police officer approached me on Sunday and wanted to speak with me for a moment. For a moment all of the bad things that I had done since childhood and the driving actions to the mall that day pasted my mind. He wanted to know if we could feed his police department and officers my Amber Alerts in real-time. He conveyed to me that this mall had “issues” in the past that warranted his prompt attention to avert further situations. Later on Monday it was also conveyed to me by several other local authorities that they were on board with my idea. Chief of Security said this will help us do our job faster!

One shopper approached me after the press conference and thanked me for this great idea and said she would look forward to all public areas having this great product and community service.

As I speak to the public more about my company everyone has a story of loosing a child at some time or being lost. I know I am on the right track.

The future!
We are exploring camera implantation in the kiosks. Face scanning for personal recognition. Finger print matching via our touch screen monitors and even potential Bio-metric retention of shoppers.

Now we have learned that the FCC with Home Land Security is requiring all public areas to have an Alerting system. We will be able to direct the public to safety in the event of severe weather, natural disaster and even a terrorist attach.

I get inquiries from all over the world for my systems… who knows, someday I will be able to take a day off … and go back to the beach.
Sincerely,

Wayne M. Merry, Founder
Because We Care!
Amber Alert Systems
follow us on FACEBOOK – http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Amber-Alert-Kiosk-Systems/216932051753?ref=ts
www.amberalertsystems.com

/by

Castle: The Late Shaft – A Review of the Police Procedure

Hear that? Yep, it’s me breathing a sigh of relief that Castle is finally back on track. The chemistry was all right, the humor returned, and Beckett was back on her game. So HOORAY!

The Late Shaft was written by David Grae (Gilmore Girls, Without A Trace, and Joan of Arcadia), who did a wonderful job of incorporating the recent “Late Night Wars” into this episode. You think Conan is brewing up a balsamic vinegar and cranberry juice cocktail for Jay this morning? Hmm… Letterman’s wife might be sending one to him as well after the reference to the affair with the intern. But more on the vinegar in a moment…No, let’s address it now. NO! Enought said about that nonsense. After all, Lanie botched that one all by herself. Not to mention her comment about running the contents of the victim’s intestines to see what was there. Do I need to tell you guys what can be found in the intestines? Yep, and it ain’t cranberry juice and balsamic vinegar.

Lanie did say something right for a change. She said she ran every tox screen she could think of outside of the standard one looking for various poisons. This was actually good. Normally, she magically discovers everything from curare to the lipophilic alkaloid found in poisonous dart frogs in her standard tox screens, which cannot happen. The lab needs to know what to look for before running tests outside the norm.

The killer in this show used balsamic vinegar mixed in cranberry juice (who wouldn’t notice the taste of vinegar in their cranberry juice?) to trigger a fatal reaction to the MAOI inhibitor taken by his victim. This was really a stretch, even for this show. Just because someone is taking a MAOI inhibitor doesn’t mean that swallowing a bit of vinegar would kill him. Not at all. More than likely, if anything, they’d get a headache, or maybe an elevated blood pressure. However, according to a 1988 Brown and Bryant report… On rare occasions, cardiac arrhythmias, cardiac failure, and intracerebral hemorrhage have developed in patients receiving MAOI therapy that did not observe dietary restrictions. ( (c)1974-1994 Micromedex Inc. – All rights reserved – Vol. 82 Exp. 12/94):

Foods to Avoid

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES – avoid Chianti wine and vermouth. Consumption of red, white, and port WINE in quantities less than 120 mL present little risk (Anon, 1989; Da Prada et al, 1988; McCabe, 1986). BEER and ALE should also be avoided (McCabe, 1986), however other investigators feel major domestic (US) brands of beer is safe in small quantities (1/2 cup or less than 120 mL) (Anon, 1989; Da Prada, 1988),
but imported beer should not be consumed unless a specific brand is known to be safe. WHISKEY and LIQUEURS such as Drambuie(R) and Chartreuse(R) have caused reactions. NONALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES (alcohol- free beer and wines) may contain tyramine (basically, anything fermented) and should be avoided (Anon, 1989; Stockley, 1993).

 

BANANA PEELS – a single case report implicates a BANANA as the causative agent, which involved the consumption of whole stewed green banana, including the peel. Ripe banana pulp contains 7 mcg/gram of tyramine compared to a peel which contains 65 mcg/gram and 700 mcg of tyramine and dopamine, respectively (McCabe, 1986).

BEAN CURD – fermented bean curd, fermented soya bean, soya bean pastes contain a significant amount of tyramine (Anon, 1989).

BROAD (FAVA) BEAN PODS – these beans contain dopa, not tyramine, which is metabolized to dopamine and may cause a pressor reaction and therefore should not be eaten particularly if overripe (McCabe, 1986; Anon, 1989; Brown & Bryant, 1988).

CHEESE – tyramine content cannot be predicted based on appearance, flavor, or variety and therefore should be avoided. CREAM CHEESE and COTTAGE CHEESE have no detectable level of tyramine (McCabe, 1986; Anon, 1989, Brown & Bryant, 1988).

FISH – fresh fish (Anon, 1989; McCabe, 1986) and vacuum- packed pickled fish or CAVIAR contain only small amounts of tyramine and are safe if consumed promptly or refrigerated for short periods; longer storage may be dangerous (Anon, 1989). Smoked, fermented, pickled (Herring) and otherwise aged fish, meat, or any spoiled food may contain high levels of tyramine and should be avoided (Anon, 1989; Brown & Bryant, 1988).

GINSENG – some preparations have resulted in a headache, tremulousness, and manic-like symptoms (Anon, 1989).

PROTEIN EXTRACTS – three brands of meat extract contained 95, 206, and 304 mcg/gram of tyramine and therefore meat extracts should be avoided (McCabe, 1986). Avoid liquid and powdered PROTEIN DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS (Anon, 1989).

MEAT, nonfresh or liver – no detectable levels identified in fresh chicken livers; high tyramine content found in spoiled or unfresh livers (McCabe, 1986). Fresh meat is safe, caution suggested in restaurants (Anon, 1989; Da Prada et al, 1988).

SAUSAGE, BOLOGNA, PEPPERONI and SALAMI contain large amounts of tyramine (Anon, 1989; Da Prada et al, 1988; McCabe, 1986). No detectable tyramine levels were identified in country CURED HAM (McCabe, 1986).

SAUERKRAUT – tyramine content has varied from 20 to 95 mcg/gram and should be avoided (McCabe, 1986).

SHRIMP PASTE – contain a large amount of tyramine (Anon, 1989).

SOUPS – should be avoided as protein extracts may be present; miso soup is prepared from fermented bean curd and contain tyramine in large amounts and should not be consumed (Anon, 1989).

YEAST, Brewer’s or extracts – yeast extracts (Marmite) which are spread on bread or mixed with water, Brewer’s yeast, or yeast vitamin supplements should not be consumed. Yeast used in baking is safe (Anon, 1989; Da Prada et al, 1988; McCabe, 1986).

The foods to use with caution list categorizes foods that have been reported to cause a hypertensive crisis if foods were consumed in large quantities, stored for prolong periods, or if contamination occurred. Small servings (1/2 cup, or less than 120 mL) of the following foods are not expected to pose a risk for patients on MAOI therapy (McCabe, 1986).

FOODS TO USE WITH CAUTION
(1/2 cup or less than 120 mL)

Alcoholic beverages – see under foods to avoid.

AVOCADOS – contain tyramine, particularly overripe (Anon, 1989) but may be used in small amounts if not overripened (McCabe, 1986).

CAFFEINE – contains a weak pressor agent, large amounts may cause a reaction (Anon, 1989).

CHOCOLATE – is safe to ingest for most patients, unless consumed in large amounts (Anon, 1989; McCabe, 1986).

DAIRY PRODUCTS – CREAM, SOUR CREAM, cottage cheese, cream cheese, YOGURT, or MILK should pose little risk unless prolonged storage or lack of sanitation standards exists (Anon, 1989; McCabe, 1986). Products should not be used if close to the expiration date (McCabe, 1986).

NUTS – large quantities of PEANUTS were implicated in a hypertensive reaction and headache. COCONUTS and BRAZIL NUTS have also been implicated, however no analysis of the tyramine content was performed (McCabe, 1986).

RASPBERRIES – contain tyramine and small amounts are expected to be safe (McCabe, 1986).

SOY SAUCE – has been reported to contain large amounts of tyramine and reactions have been reported with teriyaki (Anon, 1989), however analysis of soy sauce reveals a tyramine level of 1.76 mcg/mL and fermented meat may have contributed to the previously reported reactions (McCabe, 1986).

SPINACH, New Zealand prickly or hot weather – large amounts have resulted in a reaction (Anon, 1989; McCabe, 1986).

More than 200 foods contain tyramine in small quantities and have been implicated in reactions with MAOI therapy, however the majority of the previous reactions were due to the consumption of spoiled food. Evidence does not support the restriction of the following foods listed if the food is fresh (McCabe, 1986).

FOODS WITH INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE FOR RESTRICTION (McCabe, 1986)

anchovies – cream cheese – raisins
beetroot – cucumbers – salad dressings
chips with vinegar – egg, boiled – snails
Coca Cola (R) – figs, canned – tomato juice
cockles – fish, canned – wild game
coffee – junket – worcestershire sauce
corn, sweet – mushrooms – yeast-leavened bread
cottage cheese – pineapple, fresh

Okay, enough rambling. Back to show.

Did everyone count the number of guest stars this week? They even dug up Don Cortese and Bill Bellamy from early MTV. Bill Bellamy was also in Buying the Cow with Allissa Milano, who also made a recent appearance on Castle.

Bill Bellamy

The sleazy knockoff of real-life sleazy PI Anthony Pellicano was a nice jab.

Beckett was back. She was strong and she was in charge (please do not bring back that horrid FBI character).

Beckett’s jealousy of Castle’s fling with the movie star was cute, and so were Castle’s attempts to bring out that jealousy.

I’m not going to ding the police procedure this week, because there wasn’t enough of it to judge. Basically, the show was back to its roots, finally. But balsamic vinegar as a murder weapon…puleeze. I think this was the absolute worst instrument of death in the history of fictional murder.

*ABC photos

Save

/by

Dr. Katherine Ramsland: Neurobiology and the Psychic

A Century of Female Cops

Dr. Katherine Ramsland has published 37 books, 16 short stories, and over 900 articles. She is professor of forensic psychology and criminal justice at DeSales University, and her latest books are Inside the Minds of Sexual Predators and The Forensic Psychology of Criminal Minds.

Neurobiology and the Psychic

On April 9, 2005, the Appalachian News-Express reported that a psychic had located a missing person in a surprising way. Lynn Ann Maker, a “psychometrist” and “psychic detective,” was contacted by the family of Greg Wallace, who’d gone missing while commuting to his job in March. His car was found near a pond, with the keys inside and the hood raised. The police had searched the pond but found nothing. The man’s whereabouts remained unknown and the family was frantic.

At her own expense, Maker visited the place from which Wallace had disappeared. She held one of his shirts and said that she sensed he was submerged. Just then, she “felt the need” to go into the pond. After taking a few steps, she stopped. A body floated to the surface. She recognized the deceased from photos as Wallace and called 911. The Georgia Bureau of Identification affirmed that the dead man was Wallace and said that Maker’s “find” was a coincidence.

She said to reporters that she did not know how Wallace had died. It’s a common misperception, she added, that psychics know everything. She just takes whatever she gets. “It comes to me and I relay it.”

Other psychics have made similar comments, and one person who claims to possess second sight (and did not wish to be named) offered a description:

“From what I’ve experienced the images are quite often too fleeting. Sometimes I will get an image that is strong and sometimes only a hint of what happened. It’s like when you first walk into a building with an unusual smell and as your body becomes attuned to the smell you can no longer smell it. It requires walking away, then coming back to revive the senses. I find this is the same with me when I get to an area where the senses start to work over something that happened… I have to let go and try again sometimes. It’s not always the case that a person gets anything, either, if the aura energy left over isn’t strong enough.

“For instance, a person may be rendered unconscious before the stabbing and cutting began, therefore lessening the impact of what the aura energy could have told a person. The greater the fear and pain experienced while conscious, the greater the amounts of aura energy left behind. If a [psychic] person was to stand or sit on the spot where someone was actually murdered, they might see some fleeting images of faces but more likely the battle itself. When one knows they are dying, they are more intent on the survival aspect and not the person’s face who is killing them.”

While psychic “flashes” may be helpful in some cases, there is no way to determine in the midst of an investigation if one will be fruitful, so investigators are justifiably cautious. (In fact, aside from this “find” for Maker, she had logged no other success stories on her now-defunct website.) Police who have used psychics know there are both hits and misses, with more of the latter, generally, than the former. Still, if abilities like Maker’s are genuine, one would think that today’s precision brain research could prove it. That is, as she stepped into the water in response to her impression, some measurable brain process should have activated.

Psychologists Stanley Krippner and Harris Friedman apparently think this idea is worth checking out. They have edited an anthology, Mysterious Minds, which is dedicated to neurobiological studies of psychics, mediums, and “other extraordinary people.” Krippner is professor of psychology at Saybrook University, and among his interests are the dreaming brain, identifying deception in paranormal investigations, hypnosis and healing, and shamanism. Morris Friedman, a research psychologist, has focused on cognitive impairment and behavioral neurology. As a team with solid credentials, they’re open to anomalous experiences while also alert to fraud, spurious claims, and the need to corroborate statements with evidence.

Among the book’s topics are laboratory evidence for ESP, electrical activity in the brains of “sensitives” during a trance, and psychokinesis. Some of the articles require scientific or medical background to fully understand, but the editors provide a readable introduction and postscript. This is serious stuff, not for fans of mindless entertainment shows who believe everything they see or hear about ghost hunters and mediums. The authors take nothing at face value. Instead, they seek to verify subjective reports of psychic impressions with brain research methods (although they admit that the correlation of EEG and fMRI readings with psychic experiences does not necessarily prove anything).

The first article presents an overview of the research to date in psi phenomena, and several others confirm that brain activity associated with ESP and similar experiences appears to be centered in the temporal and occipital lobes. Some researchers believe we need “more adventurous” designs, since current research results are only “suggestive” at best. In fact, little in this book lives up to the enticing title, unless you take the advice of one pair of scientists who advocate the use of psychedelic drugs. The brain’s own DMT chemical certainly offers possibilities, as people who’ve taken laboratory samples of it have reported seeing angels, demons, aliens, and dead people. This may open some interesting doors.

Unfortunately, no one in this book discussed the intriguing experiment in Switzerland in 2006, in which an area stimulated in the brain of a female patient induced the sensation of a ghost standing near her. “His” position mirrored hers and she was able to discern his intentions. This was the sort of research I’d hoped for in this volume, but it leaned instead toward mapping brain correlates of psychic impressions. Yet I was glad to see that among the “extraordinary people” were Brazilian healers with their remarkable trances, and the chapter devoted to them is quite provocative. However, my hope for revelations was dashed.

To the editors’ credit, they include an article that covers the areas and methodologies that researchers of paranormal phenomena must address if they expect to mainstream science to take them seriously. However, that same article pretty much demonstrated that psychic research in a scientific venue has a long way to go.

In the end, this compendium offers little to investigators who want to scientifically affirm the use of a psychic. At best, it’s just a start, so the nature of what psychics usually provide will continue to be controversial. Even the case of Maker finding Wallace had less fanfare than one might expect. Skeptics dismissed it as logic and luck, while psi believers claimed it as an example of psychic success. If it is truly the latter, you’d think it would have garnered headlines far beyond the Appalachian News-Express. As the researchers in Mysterious Minds admit, proof just isn’t there yet.

/by

Weekend Road Trip: The Land Down Under

Land Down Under

/by

Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

The Graveyard Shift extends its condolences to the families of each of these brave police officers.

Officer Hector Ayala, 31

Montgomery County Maryland Police Department

April 4, 2010 –  Officer Ayala was killed in an automobile accident while responding to assist another officer with a fight call. He is survived by his wife, 14-month old son, and unborn triplets.

Deputy Sheriff Chad Pritchard, 26

Overton County Tennessee Sheriff’s Office

April 6, 2010 – Deputy Chad Pritchard, along with other officers, was investigating a cold case homicide just outside Standing Stone State Park, when the area where he was standing gave way. Deputy Pritchard fell 160 feet to his death inside the sinkhole. He leaves behind his wife and parents.

*Thanks to ODMP and WATE.

/by

Read A Good Bloodstain Lately?

Since not all blood deposited at crime scenes is spatter, investigators now call this extremely valuable evidence, “bloodstain.” Detectives can learn a lot from studying bloodstain patterns, such as what type weapon was used to deliver the fatal blow, the manner in which the victim was killed, where the assault took place, and where the attacker stood when he committed the act. They learn these things by studying the shapes of the blood drops and droplets, the location of the blood evidence, the patterns made by the spatter and stain—generally, what happened to the blood when it was released from the victim.

A good bloodstain training class uses actual human blood, because nothing else accurately mimics the real stuff. Although, a decent substitute is a mixture of Karo syrup and red food coloring. During training classes students are exposed to nearly every type real-life scenario imaginable, but the first order of business is to learn the basics—characteristics of a blood drop.

– blood drops are formed by gravity

– blood drops cannot break apart unless contacted by an outside force

– larger drops travel further than smaller drops (due to mass, not size)

– blood drops always travel in an arcing path

– size ranges from a few millimeters to few centimeters

– volume of a drop of blood is in direct proportion to whatever it’s dropping from (ax, stick, arm, leg, etc)

Crime scene investigators only measure bloodstains that hit surfaces on the way up, never stains made by blood that’s on its way back down. Stains made when traveling upward are much more accurate for use as evidence, because gravity is not as much of a factor in the pattern’s formation.

Types of Bloodstain Patterns

Impact – caused by high-velocity or medium-velocity wounds—gun shots or blows by an object such as a baseball bat or hammer.

Swipes (Wipes) – Caused by a bloody object being wiped across another surface (these stains are the reason from changing the name from bloodspatter to bloodstain).

Cast-Off – Caused by slinging blood off objects in motion (a swing of a bloody hammer, or arm).

Drip and Flow – Caused when blood drops off one object onto another.

Projected – Caused by arterial spurts. Often seen in stabbings and cuttings.

*Images provided by HemoSpat.

/by

Southland: Maximum Deployment – A Review of the Police Procedure

Southland: Butch and Sundance

 

Last night was the end of our ride-a-long program with the crew from Southland, and what a ride it was. The season finale proved to be one of the best episodes to date. The action was nonstop. Secrets were uncovered. And the acting was so doggone realistic it almost made me radio for back up a couple of times.

These guys are comfortable playing their parts, which adds to the realism. So many actors try to wear a police uniform, but their feeble attempts come off as clumsy and sometimes even clownish. There’s a huge amount of pride that goes into putting on a police uniform, and that pride exudes from each of the actors on this show. No one had to tell me that these guys have spent some time hanging out with real LAPD officers. It shows. And that extra effort, along with the wonderfully layered individual plots and stories, is what makes this show a cut above the rest.

Last night’s show opened with a statement that was very powerful. It went something like this…”On this night, Officer Ben Sherman would learn that a cop is only as strong as his partner.”

My early days as a police officer were spent working for a county sheriff’s office. The department was small with a very tight budget, which often meant working an entire county alone, or with only one other deputy. Many times we weren’t afforded the luxury of calling for back up to get us out of tight jams, and believe me, I’ve got the scars to prove it. So we learned to be creative. We also learned the strengths and weaknesses of our individual coworkers. For example, we knew not to wade into a mob of knife-wielding drunks when working with one of the smaller statured, less aggressive deputies. If we did, we’d spend a good portion of our much-needed energy protecting our partner, which was like tying one hand behind your back before jumping into the melee.

However, when teamed up with someone like…

Well, the sky was the limit.

So, the voice-over was absolutely correct…A cop is only as strong as his partner.

 

This episode was crammed full of action and individual stories, so we’re only going to hit the high points, starting with…

Cooper, Sherman, and Chickie find themselves crammed into a single patrol car, and there’s nothing worse than being the low officer on the totem pole, because that’s the officer who gets the back seat. Remember, this is the seat that’s been occupied by puking, urinating, sweaty drunks with greasy, lice-infested hair. And, the rear door locks and windows are normally inoperable, or they’re controlled by the driver. Not to mention that you’re riding in a cage with little or no visibility. Oh, and the leg room is worse than that of coach seating on a commercial airline.

 

The three officers are riding together as part of a maximum deployment operation, hoping to nab a serial rapists posing as a police officer. The idea of a maximum deployment is to flood the streets with as many officers as possible. We, too, did this when special problems arose. It can be very effective. Costly, but effective.

Lydia is pleasantly surprised to find her old partner, Russell, back on the job, and the reunited duo quickly take on a double murder case. The crime scene is messy (shotgun blasts) and Russell soon learns he’s still physical incapable of helping his partner with the investigation.

 

Lydia asks someone—a person from the M.E.’s office, I guess—if they know the time of death. The person glances at one of the victims and says, “Lividity puts it between 1 and 2.” This was a bit disappointing to hear, especially from a show that puts so much emphasis on getting it right. Why? Because lividity (the draining of blood to the lowest portions of the body due to gravity) isn’t really used to tell time of death. It’s just not an accurate indicator. Sure, lividity has its own medico-legal purpose, but that’s normally to tell investigators if a body has been moved after death occurs.

The process of lividity begins immediately after death, but we normally begin to see its effects, the reddish/purple staining of tissue, within 1-2 hours after death and becomes fixed between 6-12 hours after death.

Here’s a chart depicting the important changes in a body that take place after death.

Time since death…..Change observed
1-2 hours: ………Early signs of lividity.
2-5 hours: ………Clear signs of lividity throughout body.
5-7 hours: ………Rigor mortis begins in face.
8-12 hours: …….Rigor mortis established throughout the body, extending to arms and legs.
12 hours: ……….Body has cooled to about 250C internally. Lividity is fixed.
20-24 hours: …..Body has cooled to surrounding temperature.
24 hours: ……….Rigor mortis begins to disappear from the body in roughly the same order as it appeared.
36 hours: ……….Rigor mortis has completely disappeared.
48 hours: ……….Body discoloration shows that decomposition has begun.

 

We see John Cooper and Chickie arguing again. Cooper tries to convince Chickie that she’s unfit for work on the street, and unfortunately for her, she proves him right when the trio (Ben, John, and Chickie) approach a car owned by a man they believe may be the rapist. Chickie gives the guy the command, “Could you shut off your engine and get out of the car, please?”

Remember, the rapist is a dangerous man.

The man (who, by the way, was making out with a woman in the front seat when the officers showed up), asks the question they all ask, “Why?”

Chickie responds, “Why?”

This was not the time to lose control, allow the guy to stall, and give the suspect time to grab a weapon.

Ben, sensing Chickie’s loss of command presence, immediately took control, ordering the guy out of the car. He then went through the textbook commands of, “Walk backwards toward me, hands behind your head, interlock your fingers, etc.”

Cooper then stepped up to order the woman out of the car…”Passenger, step out of the car…”

Great scene. Shows how it’s really done. It was just the wrong guy.

The trio (John, Ben, and Chickie) hear what sounds like an automobile crash. They immediately call it in and report to the scene. The vehicle is overturned with the injured driver trapped beneath. What happened next was very realistic. I’ve seen things similar to this done more than once over the years. Cooper tells other officers to push down on the rear of the car while he and Sherman lift the front. The weight is lifted from the victim, which allows Chickie to pull the guy free. Then, the three officers continue about their business. Unfortunately, part of that business is dealing with Cooper’s injured back—an injury that could take him off the streets for good. But he deals with it in his own way, through his addiction to pain killers.

 

In the final scene, Chickie is on her way home from work, in plainclothes, and runs across the rapists’ faux police car. He’d stopped a woman and was in the process of sexually assaulting her when Chickie found him. After a brief struggle (actually, she pounded the guy’s head quite nicely) Chickie cuffed the rapist. Her final words of the season, “I’m the cop. I’m a cop.”

Looks like she just regained her confidence.

What a great show! I certainly hope TNT treats us to another season.

/by