NCJ Number
195093
Date Published
2002
Length
77 pages
Annotation
This is a complete guide on how to effectively implement digital photography in the field of law enforcement and government.
Abstract
The introductory chapter describes the features of the ideal digital photography/videography work station. It also contains discussions of forensic video analysis, the digital mug photo, networking, and the ideal lap-top computer for digital photography/videography. A chapter on legal ramifications explains the chain of custody rule for the admission of evidence at court; this also applies to digital photography. A chapter on "implementation for long-term compatibility" provides guidelines for system purchase, the staffing of a digital photographic work station, and management responsibility. This is followed by a chapter that compares the cost benefits of digital photography with traditional photography. It advises that although the cost to produce an individual image could be more with digital photography than with traditional photography, the courts, investigators, and business meetings are changing the way they view and present photographic images, such that digital photography is favored. The author advises the use of the best of both systems, while preparing for a totally digital photographic environment by setting up the necessary protocols for digital photography at the start of the conversion process. The next chapter discusses digital equipment suitable for photographic imaging use, with attention to platform, device interfaces, and RAM; digital cameras; flat bed linear scanners; 35 mm film scanners; storage devices; hard drives; compact disc; DVD; and other computer hardware and software. A chapter on video and surveillance addresses editing and editing software, as well as surveillance techniques. The concluding chapter provides a comparative analysis of photographic enhancement, alteration, and manipulation. A glossary and 10 references