IPRT Scientists Lend Helping Hand to Iowa Crime Lab

Cooperative effort part of a proposal to establish forensics research facility at ISU

AMES, Iowa -- Scientists at Iowa State University's Institute for Physical Research and Technology are investigating equipment and new techniques to help crime labs assess evidence more quickly and reliably.

IPRT researchers are concentrating on technologies suggested by forensic investigators at the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation's crime laboratory, which analyzes crime-scene evidence for law-enforcement agencies throughout the state. IPRT's work with the Iowa crime lab is part of its broader goal of establishing a regional forensics support and research facility at the university.

"Our scientists work with a variety of analytical techniques and equipment, and we can use that expertise to develop new methods of analyzing forensic evidence," said Shelley Coldiron, one of three IPRT scientists spearheading the effort to develop the partnerships needed to launch a forensics facility. IPRT is a network of 11 research and technology-transfer centers that includes the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory.

In their first project with the Iowa crime lab, IPRT researchers are developing an improved fingerprint development chamber that would provide greater control in detecting and receiving fingerprints from crime-scene evidence. A piece of evidence is placed inside the chamber along with a quarter-sized amount of volatile glue (i.e., Super Glue). The glue is rapidly heated on a hot plate inside the chamber until it vaporizes. The vapors then condense on the surface of the evidence, forming a white deposit that exposes latent fingerprints. Once the thin coat of glue dries, the evidence is photographed. A fluorescent dye is applied to make the fingerprints more visible, and the evidence is photographed a second time.

During the fuming process, however, criminalists need to determine whether enough glue has been applied -- a difficulty because the Iowa crime lab's fingerprint chamber doesn't have a window that provides a view of what's happening inside. Because of the fumes, the chamber must be vented for at least 15 minutes before an examiner can open it. This slows down the fingerprint detection process and adds to the time demands on the criminalists.

"It currently takes anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes to process items in the glue chamber, and there is a considerable amount of guesswork involved regarding how much glue should be used and how long the items need to be fumed," said Carl Bessman, a criminalist with the Iowa crime laboratory. "We know that temperature, humidity and the surface texture of the item affect the rate of glue deposition, but we have no way of monitoring the process to achieve maximum visualization for each run."

Bob Lipert, an associate chemist at IPRT's Microanalytical Instrumentation Center, is adapting a piece of donated lab equipment to work as a fingerprint fuming chamber. The modified chamber will allow the criminalists to view and handle the evidence during the fuming process and enable them to control the pressure, humidity, temperature and other factors inside the box. The equipment modifications are being made by Ames Laboratory's Engineering Services Group, and the chamber should be ready by June.

Lipert is also working on a fingerprint chamber that uses a vacuum system to apply the glue. In the vacuum system, air is drawn out of the chamber causing the glue to vaporize without being heated. The heating process can decompose the glue. Lipert said a vacuum system would speed up the glue-vapor process, but additional tests are needed to determine the final design of a chamber that would meet the Iowa crime lab's needs. He hopes to finish the vacuum-system chamber by late September.

Lipert has also been asked to study the feasibility of adding fluorescent dye to the glue so that the substances can be applied in one step rather than two. But he said that could be a long-term project because unwanted reactions between the glue and the dye could interfere with fingerprint development.

Bessman said the research assistance from IPRT meets needs that cannot be addressed by the Iowa crime lab because of current limitations of space, personnel and funding. "We network with other forensic scientists around the U.S. and Canada on a regular basis, but no one I have talked to can afford to do the kinds of research that we need because of the demands of casework," Bessman said. "Ultimately, applying good science to the casework is our most important responsibility."

Coldiron said IPRT's initial work with the Iowa crime lab reinforces her belief that Iowa and surrounding states would benefit from the establishment of a forensics research and support facility that could develop new techniques and equipment. The proposal to establish a forensics center received $44,000 in seed funding this year from IPRT. The seed-funding program, now in its second year, supports novel research projects that hold potential to stimulate economic development.

Coldiron said the proposed facility would draw on expertise within IPRT and ISU -- organizations with a broad base of specialized disciplinary research and a history of multidisciplinary technology-development programs. Two IPRT centers -- Ames Laboratory and the Microanalytical Instrumentation Center -- are already involved in efforts to assist the Iowa crime lab.

In addition to developing new equipment and techniques, Coldiron said the proposed forensics center could provide hands-on training for ISU students. If courses were developed for these students, they could apply their training by working at the research facility. By the time they graduated, they would possess highly prized laboratory and investigation skills, she said.

"By developing new analytical instrumentation and techniques to enhance forensic investigations and by training students to work in this growing field, we think we would create a win-win situation for the people of Iowa," Coldiron said.

# # #

Last updated September 6, 2006 rbm