This ninth episode of the Identification season of the National Institute of Justice's (NIJ's) Just Science podcast series consists of an audio interview with Heidi Eldridge, of RTI International, along with Eric Ray and Glenn Langenburg, the co-hosts of the Double Loop Podcast, who discuss the features, history, inspiration, and challenges facing their respective podcasts.
The Double Loop podcast has been operating for just over 5 years and has a large following among forensic professionals. Eric Ray and Glenn Langenburg use their podcast to educate listeners about latent print topics. Podcast listeners include latent print examiners, researchers, students, vendors of latent-print technology, and laypersons interested in how latent-print examinations are used in various cases. The Double Loop podcast includes case studies that focus on how latent-print examination has contributed to an investigation, as well as how court testimony by a latent-print examiner succeeded or failed to obtain a conviction. The Double Loop podcast also provides feedback and critiques of research related to latent print examination. Attention is given to research methodology and the appropriate or inappropriate uses for the research findings. One of the challenges mentioned in managing podcast proceedings is critiques of latent-print research or practice by forensic scientists who specialize in fields other than latent-print examination and identification. The Double Loop podcast respects such input, but is also challenged to note differences in the approaches of forensic scientists whose experience is in different forensic specialties. In discussing issues that require discussion in future podcasts, the interview focuses on the determination of qualifying characteristics when hiring or certifying latent print examiners and the development of screening tests that capture essential professional characteristics for a latent-print examiner.