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Renowned Toxicologist Dr. M. Fredric Rieders Joins 2021 MurderCon Lineup!

We are pleased to announce that renowned toxicologist Dr. M. Fredric Rieders has joined the 2021 MurderCon stellar lineup. This is an unbelievable opportunity to learn from one of the world’s leading toxicology experts! His session, “Forensic Toxicology: Homicidal Poisoning,” is an entertaining and educational discussion of the history of homicidal poisoning with case discussions of real poisoners and elaborate M.O.’s.

There’s still time to sign up, so hurry!

https://writerspoliceacademy.com

 

About Dr. Rieders

Dr. M. Fredric Rieders serves as Treasurer and a Director at NMS Labs in Horsham, Pennsylvania.

NMS Labs, Inc. is a US and internationally (ISO) accredited private, independent clinical diagnostic toxicology and forensic science laboratory serving justice and public health since 1970. Dr. Rieders was CEO from 1988 – 2008 and interim CEO from January – July 2020.

Dr. Rieders is a Fellow of The American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) where he was Chairman of the AAFS Opioids and Emerging Drugs Crisis Committee from 2017 – 2019. He remains active as Chair of the Information Sharing Sub-Committee and as a member of the Toxicology Section.

He is a Member of the American Public Health Association (APHA) where he participates in the following Sections: Alcohol/Tobacco and Other Drugs; Environment; Aging and Public Health.

Dr. Rieders is a member of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists (SOFT), The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (IAFT), the World Association of Medical Law (WAML), and The National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) where he serves on their Strategic Planning Committee, Foundation Board and Advocacy Committee. He served on Pennsylvania’s Commission on Wrongful Convictions where he worked with the Forensic Science Subcommittee on recommendations to improve the forensic science investigation system. Dr. Rieders has qualified as an Expert in Forensic Toxicology and testified in numerous criminal, civil and arbitration proceedings.

He earned a Chemistry degree from Arcadia University (formerly Beaver College) in 1980, and a PhD in Pharmacology/Toxicology from Thomas Jefferson University in 1985 where he was active as volunteer faculty and lectured in Toxicology. He is past President of the Jefferson College of Graduate Studies Alumni Association where he was honored as Distinguished Alumnus. Dr. Michael F. Rieders was the 2015 honoree of the Jefferson President’s Award which is given to Jefferson’s strongest supporters, truest servants and closest friends. He continues to serve on Jefferson’s Institutional Advancement Pillar Board.

Dr. Rieders served as a Term Trustee on the Arcadia University Board from 2009 – 2012, and as a volunteer faculty member serving as a course director and lecturer in Toxicology at Arcadia’s Master of Science in Forensic Science (M.S.F.S) program. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Advisors and Fellows at The Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Sciences at New Haven University and is on the Board of Trustees of the Fredric Rieders Family Foundation in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, as a Director and Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Rieders is a member of The Vidocq Society, the premier US cold murder case investigation organization which examines cases and assist law enforcement agencies in identifying leads that may help solve homicides. He was awarded the Dr. Halbert E. Fillinger, Jr. Medal and Lifetime Achievement Award by The Vidocq Society in 2013.

He was an editor of the Pennsylvania Academy of Sciences publication Science Technology and National Security, and wrote a chapter in Forensic Aspects of Chemical Terrorism and recently published an article on his work with NASA: “Management of a Potentially Toxic Accidental Trialkylamine Ingestion during Spaceflight” in Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine.

Dr. Rieders was featured as a Forensic Scientist in the BBC film, “How Sherlock Holmes Changed the World of Forensic Science” and Smithsonian Channel’s “Forensic Firsts: Proving Poison”. He is a frequent guest speaker and presenter at numerous conferences and seminars. Dr. Rieders is an avid advanced open water scuba diver, a sushi chef and enjoys gardening, photography and international travel.

WELCOME TO MURDERCON

MurderCon is a killer event that features renowned experts who train top homicide investigators from around the world.

Writers, please take advantage of this opportunity to learn from those who are the best in the business of crime scene investigation. I say this because this incredible event may not come your way again.

Sign up today while there’s still time.

*2021 Guest of Honor – Andrew Grant

Register here

 

 

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Here’s Your Street Slang, “Shorty”

Cop, crook

The world of cops and robbers is an entity all its own. It’s a culture that lives and breathes in every neighborhood of every city. And, within each individual subgroup comes a separate set of traditions, rules, regulations, and even their own language(s).

To survive in these various social orders, members and visitors must walk the walk and talk the talk that’s associated with each group. For example, to you the word cop might conjure up images of a burly police officer. However, to many criminals cop means to take plea agreement offered by the DA. “I’m not going to take a chance with a jury trial. I’m going to cop a plea.”

Let’s take a peek at a few more of the slang terms used by cops and robbers.

1. Sagging/Jailing (jailin”) – Wearing pants with the waistband so low that the underwear/boxer shorts are exposed. This style actually began in prisons and jails because inmates are often issued ill-fitting clothing. Their jail-issued pants are sometimes much too big which causes them to ride low on the hips.

Some say inmates who wear their pants “low” (saggers) are advertising that they’re available for sex.

2. Chicken head – Someone who gives oral sex in exchange for drugs.

3. Shorty – a nickname for girls/women. “Shorty sure looked fine last night.”

4. Bullet – A one year prison sentence.

5. Ink – Tattoo

6. Pruno – Alcohol made in jail or prison by inmates. Also known as hooch.

7. Five-O – The police. AKA: Po-Po, Barney, Bacon, Bear, Laws, Pig.

8. Lot Lizard – Prostitute who works the parking lots at truck stops.

9.. Catch a ride – Share someone’s drugs. “Hey, Dude. Can I catch a ride?”

10. Lampin’ – Hanging out under a street light. Those who do consider that spot as their turf.

Now, what are some of your favorite slang terms?

WELCOME TO MURDERCON

It’s a killer event that features renowned experts who train top homicide investigators from around the world.

Writers, please take advantage of this opportunity to learn from those who are the best in the business of crime scene investigation. I say this because this incredible event may not come your way again.

Sign up today while there’s still time.

*2021 Guest of Honor – Andrew Grant

Register here.

Click the play button below to view the video.

2021 MurderCon Video Teaser

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Nanoarchitectured Materials: The New Kevlar

Scientists at the U.S. Army’s Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Caltech, and ETH Zürich fabricated a revolutionary new material that’s stronger, more durable, and far lighter than Kevlar.

To begin the process, researchers decided to first test nanoarchitected materials during high-velocity impacts. To do so, they used a high-powered laser to harden microscopic structures within a light-sensitive resin. Then, those patterns were repeated (a tetrakaidecahedron) which constructed a lattice-like structure made up of microscopic struts (sort of like the crisscrossed steel structure of the base of the Eiffel Tower, but in miniature).

Knowing that a similar geometric pattern of the tiny “latticework” already regularly appears in energy-mitigating foams, these clever scientists replicated the pattern and combined it with typically brittle carbon. The result was a rubbery, flexible structure. Then the scientists removed all leftover resin and placed the substance in a high-temperature vacuum furnace to transform the polymer into a super-light nanoarchitected carbon material.

This nanoarchitectured material that’s thinner than the width of a human hair, is made of the aforementioned nanometer-scale carbon struts, and has been successfully tested by blasting it with microparticles at supersonic speeds (anything above 340 meters per second, or so—the speed of sound in air at sea level). When tested, the material successfully stopped penetration of projectiles.

Since the newly-discovered material is better-equipped to stop projectiles than currently available products, and that it weighs substantially less than its counterparts, well, this is big news for law enforcement officers and soldiers.

Yes, someday soon police and the military may have the opportunity to wear bullet-stopping armor that doesn’t weigh a ton, and is comprised of a heat-retaining clay-like density that bakes their torsos like loaves of bread in a hot oven.

HUURY! Only a few days remain to sign up for MURDERCON.

It’s a KILLER event!

 

Featuring renowned experts who train top homicide investigators from around the world.

Writers, please take advantage of this opportunity to learn from those who are the best in the business of crime scene investigation. I say this because this incredible event may not come your way again.

Sign up today while there’s still time.

*2021 Guest of Honor – Andrew Grant

Register here.

Click the play button below to view the video.

2021 MurderCon Video Teaser

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Inside The Four Corners: Search Warrants

Our law demands that searches and seizures of property and people must be reasonable and based on probable cause, not mere suspicion. Actually, the 4th Amendment is pretty specific, stating that no warrant shall issue without probable cause. Therefore, when the police need to cross the line to invade a person’s reasonable expectation of privacy they must have a properly signed search warrant in hand.

A search warrant is actually the combination of three documents—an affidavit, the warrant itself, and a return of service.

The affidavit for a search warrant is the portion of the warrant stating the facts (probable cause) as to why permission to search a particular place, or person, should be allowed.

Affidavit for search warrant

In other words, the affidavit sets the grounds for issuing the warrant portion of the document. An officer must state (under oath) that the facts provided in an affidavit are the truth.

The four corners of a warrant refer to the actual paper itself and to everything written within the physical “4 corners” of the document. If a statement, fact, etc. is not included within the affidavit, the information may not be considered as part of the probable cause for issuing the warrant.

The search warrant is basically a court order to search a specific place for a specific item(s).

Search warrant

The “return” is simply the portion of the document—copies of the affidavit, the search warrant, the inventory list of items seized, and the official portion of the document stating the time and place of service and the signature of the serving officer.

Inventory and return

Probable cause is present “where the facts and circumstances presented would warrant a man of reasonable caution to believe that the items sought to be seized were in the stated place.”

To determine whether or not to issue a search warrant, a magistrate/judge only needs to ask himself/herself one question. Would a reasonably cautious person conclude that there was a “substantial basis” for the finding of probable cause? If the answer to the question is “yes,” then he/she may issue the warrant.

Information presented as probable cause must be current information that exists at the time the request is made for the warrant. For example, an officer may not request a search warrant based on activity she observed 30 days in the past.

Say NO to Those Anonymous Tips!!

Hearsay evidence may not be used to obtain a search warrant. I see this used all the time in books—the officer receives an anonymous tip regarding evidence hidden in a car or home, so the cop drives over and starts searching based on the tip. Doing so would definitely be an illegal search.

In addition, a search warrant would not, nor could it be issued based on “anonymous tip” we so often read about in some novels. Even when using information provided by an informant, officers must first establish the informant’s credibility. Has he supplied reliable information in the past? If so, how many times? Have the details of his information been verified by reliable sources, such as another police officer or person in good standing?

What information is needed within the 4 corners of the documents?

1. Place to be searched. The description of a location must be so precise that it would rule out any other place.

2. Person to be searched. Again, the warrant must be specific as to which persons are to be searched. Having a search warrant in hand does not allow a “search everyone” free-for-all for officers. However, officers may, for their safety, “pat down” everyone in the area. This is a search for weapons only.

3. Property to be seized. Once again, the warrant must be specific, and an officer’s search must be limited to searching for the items listed within the 4 corners of the warrant.

For example, if the warrant directs officers to search for a stolen refrigerator, then he may not search dresser drawers in the bedroom. Obviously, something as large as a refrigerator could not be concealed in a small drawer. However, if the officers are looking for a stolen diamond ring, then they may search anywhere within the house where a tiny ring could be hidden. Officers may seize any other illegal items found during the search, such as illegal narcotics.

In most instances, officers are required to “knock and announce” their presence when serving a search warrant. This means they don’t kick in the doors like you see on TV. Not at first, anyway. If the suspect does not answer the door within a reasonable amount of time (there is no set timeline, merely what the officer feels is reasonable at the time), then the door may be breached by whatever means is necessary to ensure the safety of the officers and to protect and preserve the evidence. Also, warrants are normally required to be served during daytime hours unless otherwise stated on the warrant (day or night).

When safety is at risk, officers may ask the judge/magistrate to issue a “No Knock” warrant, which allows them to break and enter the residence, hoping to catch the suspect(s) off guard.

No knock entries are normally executed when it’s suspected that the crooks are armed, or that they may destroy evidence before the officers could gain entry by first knocking and announcing their presence.

Welcome to MurderCon

It’s a killer event that features renowned experts who train top homicide investigators from around the world.

Writers, please take advantage of this opportunity to learn from those who are the best in the business of crime scene investigation. I say this because this incredible event may not come your way again.

Sign up today while there’s still time.

*2021 Guest of Honor – Andrew Grant

Register here.

Click the play button below to view the video.

2021 MurderCon Video Teaser

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Forensic Terminology, Illustrated

It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, so this is me with too much time on my hands.

Forensic Terminology

External Ballistics – characteristics and behavior of a bullet after it leaves the muzzle of a firearm, but before it strikes an object/its target.

External Ballistics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jacketed bullets – lead bullets that are encased either partially or completely in copper or a similar alloy. The term “full metal jacket” refers to complete jacketing of a bullet.

Jacketed bullets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Negative Impression – Impression evidence created when contact between two objects results in the removal of material where the contact took place.
A handprint impression made in wet beach sand is a positive impression. A handprint, however, made on a freshly-painted surface is a Negative Impression because the hand removed paint to create the impression.

Negative Impression

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cast-off – occurs when an object is swung in an arc, tossing blood onto nearby surfaces. For example, when a killer swings a bloodstained hammer back and forth above his head while delivering blow after blow to the body of his victim. The blood sent airborne as a result of the hammer’s motion is “Cast-off.”

Cast-off

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barefoot Morphology Comparison – A forensic application that uses the impressions of the weight-bearing areas of footprints left at crime scenes to include or exclude suspects in an investigation.

Barefoot Morphology Comparison

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forensic Musicologist – experts in music theory who compare pieces of music to determine if something is a copy.
For example, a court determined that former Beatle George Harrison was liable of subconscious (unintentional) plagiarism for the song “My Sweet Lord.” The decision was a no-brainer because the tune was practically a note-for-note copy of the 1962 hit “He’s So Fine” by The Chiffons. Forensic musicologists were called upon to examine and compare the two songs for similarities.
Forensic musicology also helped determine that Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams plagiarized Marvin Gaye’s 1977 hit “Got to Give It Up” when they wrote and recorded “Blurred Lines.” The court awarded a hefty sum of over $7 million in damages to be paid by Thicke and Williams to the heirs of Marvin Gaye.

Forensic Musicologist

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Equivocal Death – “Situations in which the manner of death (i.e. accidental, natural causes, suicide, and homicide) is uncertain or not immediately clear” ~ Knoll 2008
Psychological autopsy, analyzing the psychosocial aspects of a victim’s life leading up to and at the time of their death, can be extremely helpful in equivocal death investigations.

Equivocal Death

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to MurderCon

It’s a killer event that features renowned experts who train top homicide investigators from around the world.

Writers, please take advantage of this opportunity to learn from those who are the best in the business of crime scene investigation. I say this because this incredible event may not come your way again.

Sign up today while there’s still time.

*2021 Guest of Honor – Andrew Grant

Register here.

Click the play button below to view the video.

2021 MurderCon Video Teaser

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MurderCon: It’s a Killer Event!

Welcome to MurderCon. It’s a killer event that features renowned experts who train top homicide investigators from around the world.

Writers, please take advantage of this opportunity to learn from those who are the best in the business of crime scene investigation. I say this because this incredible event may not come your way again.

Sign up today while there’s still time.

*2021 Guest of Honor – Andrew Grant

Register here.

Click the play button below to view the video.

2021 MurderCon Video Teaser from Sirchie on Vimeo.

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Independence Day: The Right to Life, Liberty, and Happiness

Today, July 4th, is a celebration of national independence, and our freedom to barbecue.

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Too Stupid to be True; However … 911, What’s Your Emergency?

How many times have we all heard that truth is much more difficult to believe than actual events? Well, let me be the next person in line to confirm that statement.

Just when you think you’ve seen and heard it all, these folks picked up the phone and dialed 911. And yes, I was the unfortunate officer who responded to these “emergency” calls.

“911, what is your emergency?”

“Help me, please!”

“Ma’am, calm down and tell me what’s wrong.”

“My house is on fire. I just moved in today and turned on the heat and, and, and, that big metal thing in my living room caught on fire, please huuurrrrryyy! There are flames inside and it’s getting hot! Huuurrrryyy!!! Oh, God, oh God, oh God … MY CAT’S GONNA DIE!”

Okay, so she’s standing there on the front porch with the front door wide open. It’s 20 degrees outside and all she’s wearing  was a t-shirt. Nothing but a t-shirt. And she’s crying and screaming and begging me to go inside to rescue her cat, a cat that was trapped inside the inferno.

I step inside.

“See, it’s on fire. Look through that little glass and you can see the flames.”

“Ma’am, that’s your heater. It uses fire to warm your home. It’s perfectly safe.”

That’s when she realized she was wearing nothing “butt” a t-shirt.

I blushed and departed … quickly.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“I think my house is on fire.”

“You think your house is on fire? Do you see flames or smoke?”

“No, but my wall’s hot. Would you please send someone over to check it out?”

I go to the door, peek inside, and see the gentleman sitting on his couch watching Jeopardy.

I knock.

“Thanks for coming officer. My house may be on fire. The wall is hot. See. Feel right here.”

“Sir, you have a roaring fire going in the fireplace. Naturally, the wall above it may get a little warm.”

“Thank you, officer. That never occurred to me.”

“911, what is your emergency?”

“Please help me! I’ve been locked inside my bedroom for several hours and can’t get out. I’m getting really hungry, too. And I’m pregnant. Please help me!”

I break a small glass beside the front door and turn the deadbolt latch (see how easy it would be for burglars. Please use/ install a keyed deadbolt for better security, but remove the key from the lock). I open the front door and go inside. Sure enough, she’s locked inside the master bedroom.

She’s crying.

“I think I’m going to lose my baby because I’m so upset.”

More sobbing.

“Ma’am, did you try turning the little button in the center of the knob?”

Silence.

Click.

“I think I have it now. Thank you for coming by.”

“911, what is your emergency?”

“Yeah, um … could you send a cop over here right away, please. I just moved into this apartment and can’t figure out how to turn up the cold water temperature on my kitchen sink. It’s too cold and the landlord won’t help. He just hangs up on me.”

I politely explain to the gentleman that water temperatures are not a true emergency and that cold water temperatures occur naturally. They are what they are because tap water is piped directly from the city. He responds by telling me that I’m a waste of taxpayer money and that I’m part of the reason the country is going down the toilet, another place where the water temperature is non-adjustable.

Finally, my once or twice monthly 911 call.

“911, what’s your—“

“You gotta send someone over right away. Elvis is back inside my refrigerator and he won’t stop singing. He keeps up that wild racket all night long.”

And, while working in plainclothes, I sometimes heard …

“Are you a cop? Because if you are you have to tell me now that I’ve asked. You’re not 5-0? Cool. Now we can do business. You say you want two kilos … hey, wait a minute, you can’t arrest me because you lied about being a cop. This isn’t legal.”

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