Exam 18: Document Examination

A small piece of paper from a hotel notepad is found in the pocket of a potential "hit man" as he attempted to kill his "mark." The paper shows writing in various pen colors, some of which is obliterated and some of which was erased. The top corner of the paper also appears to possess intended writing. Discuss the methods investigators should employ to visualize the writing if possible.

Some inks, when exposed to blue-green light, absorb ________ radiation and emit light.

An adequate number of exemplars is critical for determining the outcome of a comparison.

Which are important characteristics of a printer, photocopier, or fax machine?

The two general categories of printers are impact and nonimpact printers.

Margins, spacing, crowding, insertions, alignment, spelling, punctuation, phraseology, and grammar cannot impart individual variations.

Match the word in Column 1 to its definition in Column 2. Each answer can only be used once. A)Any document that has become darkened and brittle through exposure to fire or excessive heat B)The removal of writing, typewriting, or printing from a document, normally accomplished by either chemical means or an abrasive instrument C)A property exhibited by some dyes that emit infrared light when exposed to blue-green light D)Blotting out or smearing over writing or printing to make the original unreadable E)A header that fax machines print F)The process by which an image is stored in memory G)Any document about which some issue has been raised or that is the subject of an investigation H)An authentic sample used for comparison purposes, such as handwriting I)Impressions left on paper positioned under a piece of paper that has been written on J)Normal deviations found between repeated specimens of an individual's handwriting -Erasure

The most common features associated with a paper examination are general appearance, color, weight, and watermarks.

A threatening letter is received by a company CEO via fax. What characteristics can be examined to gain information about the sending machine, the sending individual, and fraudulent source information?

When comparing sample writing to a suspect document, the age difference between the documents should be no more than six to twelve months.

Fax machines print a header known as the ________ at the top of each fax page, which may become a very important point of comparison.

The ease with which a child's handwriting can be individualized is ________ the ease with which one can individualize an adult's handwriting.

________ printers include inkjet and laser printers.

Describe two situations in which a document examiner may be prevented from coming to a positive conclusion about a questioned document.

Infrared luminescence is used to:

A(n)________ document is any object that contains handwritten or typewritten markings whose source or authenticity is in doubt.

The TTI is a characteristic used to distinguish:

A warranted search of a victim's apartment yields three pages of exemplar handwriting samples written on ruled notebook paper with blue ballpoint pen. The investigators would like to compare the handwriting on these exemplars to a potential suicide note found with the dead victim written on unruled paper in pencil. Based on this information, which characteristics of the handwriting can be used to compare the exemplar documents and questioned document? Which characteristics cannot be used, and why?

The possibility of recognizing known writing habits in samples produced when a writer is under the influence of drugs or alcohol is ________ the possibility of recognizing known writing habits produced when the writer of a sample is not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

A questioned document would not include any markings or writing on doors, walls, or other objects.