NCJ Number
201564
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 48 Issue: 4 Dated: July 2003 Pages: 869-873
Date Published
July 2003
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article reports on a case in which indented impressions in plastic led to a connection between a criminal suspect and a stolen credit card.
Abstract
Writings that have been erased, obliterated, or that has faded can often be deciphered due to the technology available in a forensic questioned document laboratory. In the case under consideration here, an empty plastic envelope credit card holder was confiscated from a suspect in a credit card theft investigation. The empty plastic credit card holder contained impressions on the inside surface of the clear plastic that could possibly indicate a connection between the stolen credit card and the suspect. Using methods involving various illumination sources and methods usually used in the toolmarks and materials laboratory and the photography laboratory of the Israel police, the authors were able to decipher most of the indented impressions. Methods included the use of ESDA examination, silver powder usually used for fingerprint development, photographic techniques designed to contrast sharpness, computer scanning techniques, and treatment with silicon rubber. The findings established a connection between the suspect and the stolen credit card. The case underscores the utility of applying different types of forensic methods to the investigation of various exhibits. References