Investigations, intelligence, and forensic science technology

Idea in Brief

  • Recent developments in forensic technology have shown promise in helping forensic laboratories and workflows operate more efficiently and streamlining previously heavily human-involved processes.
  • Developments range from automation of latent fingerprint processing to Rapid DNA profiling technology that allows for in-field analysis of DNA.
  • A growing body of research shows that the integration of forensic data into intelligence processes may better-assist police to proactively detect and prevent crime.
Introduction

Advances in forensic technology and their adoption within policing show significant potential for improving the efficiency of police responses and optimising investigative processes.

Case study: Lights out fingerprint processing

Historically, the process of linking an offender to a crime scene via their fingerprints required significant human effort and time. This process was drawn out further still for cases where multiple fingerprints were recovered.

Increasing the speed of this process, while still ensuring accuracy and the minimisation of error, is crucial to police investigators and for providing rapid and reliable intelligence. An opportunity for streamlining the process of fingerprint examination involves the adoption of ‘lights-out’ technology. Lights-out technology is an automated methodology that can be applied to the traditional 10-print fingerprint processing framework. The technology’s automation of functions speeds up the processing of latent images and delivers more timely fingerprint identifications to investigators in a process with minimal human intervention. This may greatly assist with the early identification of persons of interest, with flow on effects for the gathering of evidence and the investigation process.

Queensland Police Service (QPS) has recently undertaken a development, trial and validation process of lights-out technology. A review noted that the technology been received well by QPS investigators and had proved highly accurate, while delivering a significant reduction in human processing time. 

Traditional approaches to forensic science have tended to focus on the discipline’s ability to provide evidence in a court setting. Recently, some forensic scientists have begun to highlight the benefits of a more futures-focused discipline.

This Emerging Technology Brief highlights several innovative uses of emergent technology within forensic science and explores the discipline’s emerging focus on crime prevention and disruption.

Optimising police investigations

Long established forensic science techniques have been making a difference in criminal courts for decades. As society continues to evolve further into the digital age, forensic science has seen corresponding changes and advances.

Increasing sophistication and successes in forensic technology demonstrate considerable promise for aiding and optimising police investigations. Notable advances in technology range from latent fingerprint technology to portable devices that use machine learning to provide real time analysis of drug samples.

The automation of critical processes within an investigation and the growing sophistication of forensic technology have demonstrated capacity to make police investigations more efficient. Changes to processes that previously took considerably longer can help labs operate more efficiently by freeing up lab resources and personnel from high volume cases. As police continue to be called upon as the primary responders for a growing range of matters while becoming increasingly time poor, these developments have significant potential.

In addition to streamlining workflows, advances in technology which no longer require human intervention can also make processes suitable for operation by non-expert personnel. If implemented for high volume, lower impact crime types, this may allow experienced forensic practitioners to assist with more complex or important duties. The application of automated technology would still need to be subject to appropriate risk analysis, depending on the intended use. Other areas of forensic science traditionally considered the domain of human experts, such as DNA analysis, have also seen the emergence of process automation.

As forensic technology capabilities continue to evolve, police may wish to stay abreast of developments and consider strategies for procurement and adoption. Once technology and its capabilities have been subject to appropriate testing and safeguards, adoption of new technology may help to expedite key processes during investigations and provide significant benefits for police.

Case study: Rapid DNA Technology

Rapid DNA is a long-awaited emerging technology that can vastly speed up the time-consuming traditional DNA analysis process. Rapid DNA portable devices essentially recreate and modify the entire DNA processing workflow in a fully automated process, allowing non-forensic experts to conduct testing in around 90 minutes and allowing for in-field analysis.

Rapid DNA is useful for operational police as it can provide DNA profiling data at the time of arrest, and allow DNA databases to be searched by police while suspects are still in custody. More efficient DNA profiling technologies such as Rapid DNA may also provide more timely assistance in other policing contexts including providing leads in criminal investigations or missing persons investigations.

Recent research has also focused on the technology’s application to disaster victim identification (DVI) scenarios. DVI is a critical task undertaken to identify victims of mass casualty events in a process that involves comparing DNA from deceased persons with that of living relatives. Use of Rapid DNA in responding to large-scale DVI scenarios holds significant potential, as the technology can expedite the identification process and provide answers to grieving families sooner.

While there are commercially available Rapid DNA devices on the market, the decision to deploy them is not always straightforward compared to traditional lab-based DNA profiling. For example, there are greater complexities when dealing with compromised samples, and a court of law may not be willing to accept DNA results generated outside of an accredited lab. With further testing and development, Rapid DNA may prove a powerful tool in bringing timely closure  
Forensics for the future: forensic intelligence and crime prevention

Occurring alongside emergent technology assisting with in-field investigations is a shift towards a forensic science approach with a greater focus on intelligence and crime prevention. Specialised forensic data analytics tools which can significantly aid investigation processes may also have broader applications for general policing intelligence activities, including the detection of criminal activity and crime disruption and prevention.

At University of Technology Sydney’s (UTS) Centre for Forensic Science, researchers are exploring a new approach to forensic data. Using novel methodology, the research team uses forensic science techniques for intelligence purposes against illicit drug trade and other organised crime. By using data more proactively to learn about patterns and trends in criminal activity, the team aims to leverage forensic science to have a more direct impact on crime prevention and disruption. For example, one UTS researcher compared data collected from different drug seizures, to systematically identify links in the chemical profiles. The resulting analysis had the potential to uncover information about the origins of the drug seizures and identify possible connections to dealers.

Advances in technology and increasing digitisation of processes allows for vast amounts of forensic data to be more easily stored, indexed, searched and cross-referenced. Tools that allow forensic data to be catalogued and linked across cases can be helpful for correlating links, patterns and trends. These links can result in actionable intelligence that can be used to disrupt and prevent serial and organised crime, including human trafficking, sexual assault, and robbery.

An increased focus on a forensic intelligence approach centred around prevention and detection, as facilitated by advances in forensic technology, may prove particularly beneficial for enhancing policing’s broader criminal intelligence capabilities and disruption activities.

Considerations for police

The new and emerging forensic technologies explored in this briefing may benefit police by:

  • expediting police responses and the provision of key intelligence during investigations
  • enhancing prevention, disruption and responses to forms of serial and organised crime, such as illicit drug trade and sexual assault.

However, police may wish to consider:

  • how to manage public perceptions and expectations around adoption of emergent technology given its status of relative infancy and ongoing testing and development
  • which policy and training packages may need to be developed to facilitate the use of this technology by non-forensic and/or general duties police.

ANZPAA’s Police Horizons video interview series recently interviewed Dr Michael Taylor (Australian Federal Police) on the topic of forensic intelligence as a tool for police investigations.

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