NCJ Number
63101
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 48 Issue: 10 Dated: (OCTOBER 1979) Pages: 5-8
Date Published
1979
Length
4 pages
Annotation
ADEQUATE AND SUFFICIENT KNOWN SAMPLES OF AN INDIVIDUAL'S HANDWRITING ARE NECESSARY FOR A DOCUMENT EXAMINER TO DETERMINE WHETHER A SIGNATURE ON A DOCUMENT IN QUESTION IS VALID.
Abstract
HANDWRITING ANALYSIS PROCEDURES, HANDWRITING SAMPLE COLLECTION, AND PROBLEMS FACED BY A DOCUMENT EXAMINER IN REACHING AN OPINION ON THE VALIDITY OF A SIGNATURE ARE DISCUSSED. THE DOCUMENT EXAMINER'S OPINION IS BASED ON NUMEROUS DOCUMENT COMPARISONS, REASONABLE JUDGMENT, AND EXPERIENCE. DOCUMENT EXAMINATION CAN BE AN INVESTIGATIVE TOOL AND SHOULD BE USED TO DEVELOP OR ELIMINATE SUSPECTS. THE EXAMINER MUST EVALUATE IMPORTANT DETAILS AND SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES, SUBTLETIES, AND SIMILARITIES IN THE COMPARISON OF ANY TWO OR MORE SPECIMENS. HE MUST DETERMINE ALSO THE GENUINE HANDWRITING OF THE SUSPECT AND OBTAIN A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF EXEMPLARS OF A SUSPECT'S WRITING EXECUTED UNDER CONDITIONS SIMILAR TO THOSE IN WHICH THE QUESTIONED WRITING WAS PRODUCED. SUGGESTIONS FOR DOING THIS INCLUDE COMPARING CURSIVE WRITING STYLES, COMPARING WRITING SAMPLES MADE WITH A PERSON'S RIGHT AND LEFT HANDS, AND CHECKING STYLE AND PUNCTUATION. PHOTOGRAPHS AND SAMPLES OF HANDWRITING ACCOMPANY THE ARTICLE. (RFC)