NCJ Number
44885
Journal
Assets Protection Volume: 2 Issue: 3 Dated: (FALL 1977) Pages: 6-11
Date Published
1977
Length
6 pages
Annotation
PART 2 OF A SERIES ON FORENSIC APPROACHES TO COMPUTER CRIME INVESTIGATION COVERS THE ANALYSIS OF DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE IN COMPUTER-RELATED CRIMES.
Abstract
THE DISCUSSION OPENS WITH A REVIEW OF PHOTOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT AND TECHNIQUES AVAILABLE TO THE DOCUMENT EXAMINER FOR USE IN DECIPHERING CHARRED OR BURNED PAPER, BLOCKED WRITING, ERASURES, FORGERIES, AND INVISIBLE WRITING. THESE INCLUDE PHOTOMACROGRAPHY, PHOTOMICROGRAPHY, TRANSPARENCIES, FILTER PHOTOGRAPHY, ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION, INFRARED PHOTOGRAPHY, X-RAYS, AND ELECTRON RADIOGRAPHY. TECHNIQUES FOR EXAMINING INDENTATIONS PRODUCED ON UNDER-SHEETS AND FOR DETERMINING WHETHER THE CONTENT OF AN ORIGINAL DOCUMENT HAS BEEN ALTERED ARE NOTED. THE LIMITED APPLICATIONS OF HANDWRITING ANALYSIS IN CRIMES INVOLVING DATA-PROCESSING MATERIALS ARE POINTED OUT, AS ARE METHODS OF RECOVERING LATENT FINGERPRINTS FROM INPUT DOCUMENTS AND FROM COMPUTER-PRINTED OUTPUT REPORTS. APPROACHES TO TRACING SOURCE DOCUMENTS BACK TO A SPECIFIC TYPEWRITER (E.G., INSURANCE CLAIMS, HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS AND BILLING, LICENSE REGISTRATIONS, CREDIT APPLICATIONS) ARE DISCUSSED. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE IMAGES PRODUCED BY VARIOUS KINDS OF COMPUTER PRINTERS (TYPEWRITER, NONIMPACT, AND LINE) ARE DESCRIBED. INVESTIGATIVE TECHNIQUES OF USE IN IDENTIFYING COMPUTER PRINTERS ARE ENUMERATED. METHODS OF EXAMINING PRINTER RIBBONS, PAPER AND INK, AND TEETHMARKS (ON PENCILS, CARDS, CODING SHEETS, ETC.) ARE NOTED, AS ARE METHODS OF PHYSICALLY MATCHING TORN PIECES OF QUESTIONED CARDS, SOURCE DOCUMENTS, OR PRINTOUTS. FOR PARTS 1 AND 3, SEE NCJ 41264 AND 45026.