Exemplary service has always been the primary goal of the FBI Laboratory, and in 2006, FBI Laboratory 

Division employees recommitted themselves to providing the highest quality forensic response and 

analysis services to our “customers”—the local, state, and federal intelligence and law enforcement 

agencies that use FBI Laboratory services. 

The FBI Laboratory supports local, state, and federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies in 

terrorism and criminal investigations. Much of our work occurs off-site: Laboratory employees respond 

to crime scenes to perform such tasks as searching for victims, gathering evidence, taking photographs, or 

providing much-needed support and assistance at the scene. The backbone of the Laboratory, however, is 

a cadre of educated, experienced, and qualified forensic examiners who assist investigators in their efforts 

to bring criminals to justice while providing closure to victims and their families.

At the same time, in keeping with the FBI’s primary mission of preventing terrorist attacks, the FBI 

Laboratory examines literally hundreds of thousands of pieces of evidence through the Terrorist 

Explosive Device Analytical Center (TEDAC). The TEDAC is a multiagency effort that employs 

personnel from law enforcement, military, and civilian agencies and whose work touches numerous units 

in the Laboratory, including the Evidence Control, Explosives, Latent Print, DNA, Firearms-Toolmarks, 

and Trace Evidence Units. The analyses performed on TEDAC evidence now represent the Laboratory’s 

primary and most demanding caseload. 

In 2006 the Laboratory implemented a new quality management system and is working toward renewing 

its accreditation through the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation 

Board (ASCLD/LAB). Under the new quality system, the FBI Laboratory will seek accreditation under 

the ASCLD/LAB-International Program, which is based on internationally recognized standards. The 

International Program contains more stringent criteria than the original accreditation program and places 

a greater emphasis on customer service. 

The American people expect their intelligence and law enforcement agencies to protect and to serve 

them. The FBI Laboratory remains committed to the highest quality service for its intelligence and law 

enforcement agency customers in order to support their ongoing efforts to keep America safe.

Dr. Joseph A. DiZinno

Director

FBI Laboratory

Quantico, Virginia

Dr. Joseph A. DiZinno

Message from the

FBI Laboratory Director
FBI Laboratory 2006 

The FBI Laboratory 2006 Report

may also be viewed online at

http://www.fbi.gov/hq/lab/labannual06.pdf

U.S. Department of Justice

Federal Bureau of Investigation

2501 Investigation Parkway

Quantico, VA 22135
 FBI Laboratory 2006

Message from the FBI Laboratory Director

Investigative Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 

Chemical-Biological Sciences Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Chemistry Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Combined DNA Index System Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

DNA Analysis Unit I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

DNA Analysis Unit II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

 Automated Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

 National Missing Person DNA Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

 Regional Mitochondrial DNA Laboratory Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Firearms-Toolmarks Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Latent Print Operations Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Latent Print Support Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Photographic Operations and Imaging Services Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Questioned Documents Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

 SoleSearcher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Special Projects Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Trace Evidence Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Response Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Explosives Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 

Evidence Response Team Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

 Human Scent Evidence Team. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Hazardous Materials Response Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Research and Development Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Counterterrorism and Forensic Science Research Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Administrative and Support Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Administrative Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Evidence Control Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Facility Services Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Planning and Budget Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Security Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

INNOVARi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Quality Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Quality Assurance and Training Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Community Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Table of Contents
FBI Laboratory 2006 

Investigative Services

The units described in this section have a primary mission of supporting FBI investigations. Most of 

the units analyze evidence obtained from crime scenes and major incidents, including plane crashes 

and natural disasters. Other units support FBI casework by providing photographic services or creating 

models and exhibits that can be used to conduct an investigation, support courtroom testimony, or plan 

an event. Some of the units maintain databases that help the FBI and other law enforcement agencies 

solve crimes, identify missing persons, and exonerate the innocent.

Chemical-Biological Sciences Unit

The Chemical-Biological Sciences Unit (CBSU) was created to enhance the FBI’s ability to conduct 

and direct forensic analyses of hazardous chemical, biological, and radiological evidentiary materials 

resulting from terrorist acts involving the use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Critical to the 

success of this mission are the development and validation of methods to analyze threat agents and 

establish a thoroughly vetted supporting laboratory network that provides a wide range of analytical 

capability and expertise.

CBSU’s Biology, Chemistry, and Nuclear Programs have developed analytical methods that identify 

and characterize biological pathogens and toxins, hazardous chemicals, and radiological and nuclear 

materials. CBSU’s research and development efforts focus on the validation of existing pathogen 

identification assays, the development and evaluation of novel molecular and genetic methods for 

characterizing biological agents, and the identification of trace compounds in evidentiary samples.

CBSU has formalized partnerships with a variety of government, academic, and private laboratories to 

conduct very specific examinations of FBI evidence. These partner agencies include:

 • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California.

 • Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

 • The Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, Maryland.

 • The Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina.

 • The U.S. Air Force Technical Applications Center, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida.

 • The U.S. Army’s Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, 

 Maryland.

 • The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland.

 • The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, 

 Riverdale, Maryland.
 FBI Laboratory 2006

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Inspection Service, Office of Public 

 Health Science, Eastern, Midwestern, and Western Laboratories.

 • The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Bioforensic Analysis Center, 

 Fort Detrick, Maryland. 

 • The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Enforcement Investigations Center, 

 Lakewood, Colorado.

 • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Forensic Chemistry Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.

CBSU also has developed a Hazardous Evidence Analysis Team (HEAT), a group of experienced FBI 

Laboratory examiners and technicians who receive advanced training to work with hazardous evidence 

(chemical, biological, and radiological evidentiary materials too hazardous to be handled at the FBI 

Laboratory in Quantico). The HEAT has more than 60 active members from 12 separate units within 

the FBI Laboratory, including CBSU, the Chemistry Unit, both DNA Analysis Units, the Explosives 

Unit, the Firearms-Toolmarks Unit, the Hazardous Materials Response Unit, both Latent Print Units, 

the Photographic Operations and Imaging Services Unit, the Questioned Documents Unit, and the Trace 

Evidence Unit.

Examinations of hazardous evidence are conducted at FBI 

partner laboratories. The HEAT has designated laboratory 

space at the Savannah River National Laboratory and 

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to work 

with radioactive evidence. Infectious or biologically 

contaminated evidence analysis is conducted at the 

National Bioforensic Analysis Center. Chemical weapons 

analysis is conducted at the Edgewood Chemical Biological 

Center.

CBSU continues to coordinate with the FBI’s partner 

laboratories to secure additional laboratory facilities 

to use for the forensic analysis of WMD materials. In 

November 2006 the FBI Laboratory and the Savannah 

River National Laboratory held a ribbon-cutting ceremony 

for the Radiological Evidence Analysis Laboratory Suite 

(REALS). The suite provides forensic laboratory space 

where radiologically contaminated items can be examined 

by the HEAT. The preparation and deployment of dedicated 

space at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory also has 

been completed. 

Construction has begun on the Sample Receipt Facility at the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center. 

The facility—which is funded jointly by the Department of Homeland Security, the Army, and the 

FBI—will provide facilities for the safe handling of chemical and biological weapons materials, forensic 

examination of contaminated evidence, and analysis of chemical weapons compounds. Completion is 

scheduled for summer 2008. 

Hazardous evidence analysis of radiological material at the 

Savannah River National Laboratory
FBI Laboratory 2006 

In 2006 CBSU’s Chemistry Program 

developed and validated an analytical method 

for the attribution of spore-related material. 

A novel procedure was created using stateof-the-art instrumentation and appropriate 

recommendations from the Scientific Working 

Group on the Forensic Analysis of Chemical 

Terrorism (SWGFACT). Evidentiary material 

was analyzed by CBSU personnel in direct 

support of the FBI’s investigation into the 2001 

anthrax mailings.

Personnel in the Biology Program oversaw 

the forensic analysis in several FBI cases 

involving the extraction of the toxin ricin from castor 

beans. Samples were sent to partner laboratories 

to characterize the ricin present in the samples. In 

support of the FBI’s anthrax investigation, the Biology 

Program continued to develop and validate a number 

of molecular assays designed to detect specific 

differences within the DNA of anthrax that could 

be used as a comparison to other collected samples. 

These assays were then applied to evidentiary 

samples, which have provided useful information to 

field investigators in their quest to find the source of 

the material.

CBSU’s Nuclear Program coordinated the forensic analysis of radiological evidence in several FBI 

cases, which included collaboration with international law enforcement agencies. The partnerships 

CBSU establishes with other agencies have a far-reaching effect in the communities they serve. As the 

FBI and its partner agencies increase their knowledge of hazardous materials, these substances pose less 

of a threat to the world around us.

Chemistry Unit

The Chemistry Unit may be one of the most diverse units in the FBI Laboratory. The unit is composed of 

five subunits: the General Chemistry Subunit, the Paints and Polymers Subunit, the Toxicology Subunit, 

the Metallurgy Subunit, and the Instrument Operation and Support Subunit. Each subunit is staffed 

with personnel who have specialized, formal education and training. The staff examines a wide array 

of substances, including writing inks, lubricants, self-defense sprays, paint, adhesives, tapes, dyes from 

bank security devices, drugs and poisons in biological specimens, metals for elemental composition, 

and structural materials for failure analysis. The unit also identifies unknown substances and conducts 

investigations involving commercial product tampering. The unit maintains approximately $6 million 

worth of analytical instrumentation in order to offer these vast services to its customers. The diversity of 

the Chemistry Unit is reflected in the variety of cases worked in 2006.

Anthrax powder from letter mailed to the New York Post

Whole beans, shells, and husks from castor beans
 FBI Laboratory 2006

Caribbean Cartel

A long-running investigation of a Caribbean-based drug-trafficking organization resulted in the arrest 

of several individuals in the Washington, D.C., area over the past few years. Various items of evidence 

seized from the subjects were submitted to the Laboratory for analysis. In response 

to a series of submissions made during the period 2004–2005, the Chemistry Unit 

examined numerous items (including digital scales, 

coffee grinders, microwave ovens, and trash) for 

the presence of drug residues. Testimony regarding 

the identification of cocaine and heroin residues on 

the seized items was presented at trial in district 

court in Washington, D.C., in March 2006. The 

defendants in the case were found guilty and 

sentenced to life in prison.

Murder in Baton Rouge

Michelle Sparks, 17, disappeared from her Erwinville, Louisiana, home on October 22, 2004, while 

doing chores. The local FBI field office helped West Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s deputies search for the 

teen. Her body was found two weeks later in a nearby canal, wrapped in carpet and badly decomposed. 

The cause of death was blunt-force trauma to the head. An anthropologist at Louisiana State University 

recovered black material from fractured areas of the victim’s skull. This black material was submitted to 

the Laboratory’s Chemistry Unit for examination, along with paint from the suspected murder weapon—

the head of a shovel. The black material was examined and identified as paint. It was also visually and 

chemically consistent with paint from the head of the shovel submitted for comparison. In March 2006 a 

Chemistry Unit forensic examiner testified to these results in the subject’s murder trial. The subject was 

convicted of second-degree murder with the mandatory penalty of life without the possibility of parole, 

probation, or suspended sentence. 

Mivacurium Murders

In February 2001 several unexplained deaths occurred at Nocona Regional Hospital in Nocona, Texas. 

In that same time frame the hospital noticed that several vials of mivacurium chloride, a strong paralytic 

drug, were missing. The local FBI field office immediately assisted in this investigation, and a suspect 

was developed. The Chemistry Unit was contacted to aid in the mivacurium analysis. At the time the 

Laboratory did not have a method to analyze this drug or its metabolites.

The Chemistry Unit quickly developed and validated a method for mivacurium analysis. Initial work 

on the evidence was directed toward identifying residues of the drug in syringes, intravenous tubing, 

and empty vials. When this evidence was found to be positive for the drug, the task turned toward 

the analysis of 10 exhumed bodies submitted in the investigation. When traces of mivacurium were 

identified in all 10 bodies, the deaths were reclassified from natural causes to homicide. A nurse 

suspected of injecting the victims with mivacurium eventually pleaded guilty to the charges. In October 

2006 she was sentenced to life in prison.

Carjacking Case

In May 2006 an attorney in Birmingham, Alabama, reported that she had been kidnapped, forced to 

withdraw funds from her bank account, and then taken to a crack house by the suspect so that he could 

buy crack cocaine. She further reported that she had been bound and raped while at the crack house. The 

victim also said that the suspect had blown crack cocaine smoke in her face at least five times to force 

her to inhale the drug. The suspect in turn claimed that the sexual contact was consensual and that he and 

A coffee grinder and digital scale used by the defendants in their drug 

operation
FBI Laboratory 2006 

the attorney had smoked crack cocaine together on several occasions prior to the incident in question. 

The Chemistry Unit was asked to analyze hair from the victim to determine if she was a habitual drug 

user, as suggested by the suspect. 

The FBI Laboratory continues to strive to improve its analytical methods. Even though the Chemistry 

Unit has analyzed samples for cocaine for almost two decades, the unit viewed this request as an 

opportunity to improve its method in order to find even lower amounts of cocaine in hair than it 

previously had been able to find. After a thorough validation of the improved method, the Chemistry 

Unit tested the victim’s hair sample. The results indicated that the attorney did not have a history of 

long-term cocaine use. Because of these findings, the suspect was federally charged and found guilty on 

three counts, including carjacking and possession of a deadly weapon while committing a felony.

Phoenix Metals U.S.A. II

As the price of gold and other precious metals increases, a 

dramatic increase typically occurs in the number of fraudulent 

schemes developed to defraud investors. Accordingly, the FBI 

has been increasingly focused on these types of crimes. 

In one such case, a shell company doing business as Phoenix 

Metals U.S.A. II began offering investors the opportunity to 

invest in a proprietary process the company claimed could 

economically extract precious metals from volcanic ash. The 

company set up a sham mining operation at an extinct volcanic 

site in the Nevada desert and began to convince people to 

invest in its schemes. Investors were further convinced after 

being shown metal bars reputed to be dore metal. Commonly 

obtained as a by-product of copper refining, dore is a mixture of silver, gold, and other precious metals. 

Ultimately, those misled into investing in the project lost millions of dollars. 

The FBI Laboratory was asked to assist in this investigation and a number of other related preciousmetal scams. Alleged dore bars were provided for analysis of their precious-metal content. The 

Chemistry Unit analyzed the bars and determined that they contained only trivial amounts of silver with 

little to no other precious-metal content. Interestingly, the analysis showed that the base-metal content 

of copper and iron in the bars exceeded the value of any precious metals present. Similarly, it was 

established through an independent expert that volcanic ash does not contain economically useful levels 

of precious metals. 

The principal subject of the investigation was convicted in a federal trial in Las Vegas in May 2006 and 

is now serving a lengthy prison term. In addition, the government seized assets from the company worth 

more than $5.5 million. 

Flash Act

In the course of an investigation in the New York area, the FBI excavated the concrete foundation of a 

Brooklyn parking garage. The remains of an individual were found buried under the garage floor. The 

individual was believed to be Israel Greenwald, a jeweler who had been reported missing two decades 

earlier. The excavation also revealed a number of small corroded lumps of metal. At the request of 

investigators, these items were forwarded to the Laboratory for identification.

Typical examples of the “precious metal” samples seen 

in such investigations. The objects are actually brass 

and other base metals.
 FBI Laboratory 2006

The Chemistry Unit analyzed the metallic lumps to reveal that they were the remains of a wristwatch, 

pocket change, and a New York City subway token. Restoration of the subway token determined that 

it was a type last accepted by the New York City subway system on January 1, 1986. The brand and 

manufacturer of the watch were also established at the investigator’s request.

In April 2006 two retired New York City police detectives were convicted in a federal trial on numerous 

charges stemming from the investigation, which determined that the detectives were working for a New 

York organized crime family.

Combined DNA Index System Unit

In September 2006 Timothy William Brown, an inmate at the Corcoran State Prison 

in San Jose, California, was literally hours away from being paroled when DNA 

testing linked him to the 1979 rape and murder of Virginia Correa. Twenty-seven 

years after Correa’s murder, her family may finally have closure on this case, thanks 

to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).

The FBI Laboratory’s CODIS Unit directs both the CODIS Program and the National DNA Index 

System (NDIS). The CODIS Program allows forensic DNA laboratories to store, maintain, and search 

DNA profiles from crime scenes, offenders, and missing persons. The CODIS Unit provides to partner 

agencies the CODIS software as well as enhancements, support, training, help-desk services, and a 

yearly national meeting for all CODIS administrators. International law enforcement laboratories also 

may receive CODIS software to help them establish a DNA database program. Forty law enforcement 

laboratories in 26 countries now have the CODIS software.

CODIS’s three-tiered hierarchy of databases includes the NDIS, which is the highest, followed by the 

State DNA Index System (SDIS) and the Local DNA Index System (LDIS). There are currently 178 

NDIS-participating sites consisting of 126 local laboratories and 52 state laboratories, including the FBI 

Laboratory and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory. The NDIS contains DNA profiles 

contributed by participating federal, state, and local forensic DNA laboratories and currently contains 

more than 4 million profiles of offenders, crime scenes, and missing persons. 

Corroded subway token 

a) as recovered

 b) partially restored

 c) exemplar token
FBI Laboratory 2006 

The success of CODIS depends on maintaining a database of a state’s convicted offender profiles and 

using it to solve crimes for which there are no suspects. Today all 50 states have laws requiring that 

offenders convicted of sexual offenses and other violent crimes provide DNA samples. These DNA 

samples are analyzed and entered into the state and national DNA databases.

CODIS uses several indexes to generate investigative leads in cases where biological evidence is 

recovered from the crime scene. The Offender Index contains profiles of individuals convicted of 

felony offenses and other crimes and also includes profiles of arrested persons if state law permits such 

collection. The Forensic Index contains DNA profiles developed from crime scene evidence, such as 

semen stains and blood. There are also three missing-person-related indexes. The Relatives of Missing 

Persons Index contains DNA samples voluntarily contributed from the relatives of missing persons and 

is searched against the Unidentified Human Remains Index and the Missing Persons Index. 

When a DNA profile of a suspect is developed from crime scene evidence, the laboratory searches the 

DNA profile against the Forensic and Offender Indexes. If a match occurs in the Offender Index, the 

laboratory will confirm the sample and release the identity of the suspected perpetrator. If a match 

occurs in the Forensic Index, the laboratory has linked two or more crimes, and the law enforcement 

agencies involved in the cases can pool investigative information and resources. The chart below depicts 

how the CODIS system works.

The charts below depict the statistics tallied by CODIS through the 2006 calendar year.

Forensic to Forensic Convicted Offender 

to Forensic Missing Persons

Matches between samples in the Forensic 

Index can link crime scenes together, 

possibly identifying serial offenders. Based 

on a match, agencies in multiple jurisdictions 

can coordinate their respective investigations 

and share leads developed independently.

Matches between a forensic sample and 

the Offender Index provide investigators 

with the identity of a perpetrator. After 

CODIS identifies a potential match, 

qualified DNA analysts in the laboratories 

contact each other to validate or refute the 

match.

Combines the use of nuclear DNA 

with mitochondrial DNA to identify or 

match biological specimens in cases of 

missing persons.

NDIS Statistics Through 2006

Category Total Samples

Offender Index 3,977,433

Forensic Index 160,582

CODIS Statistics Through 2006

Category Total Number

Investigations Aided 43,156

Forensic Index Hits 9,529

Offender Index Hits 32,439 (28,163 at SDIS and 4,276 at NDIS)

Participants

Domestic Laboratories 178 state and local laboratories plus NDIS

International Laboratories 40 laboratories in 26 countries

Training 1,173 individuals in more than 220 laboratories 

have received CODIS training.
10 FBI Laboratory 2006

CODIS Facts

• CODIS began as a pilot project in 1990.

• The DNA Identification Act of 1994 formalized the FBI’s authority to establish a 

 national DNA index for law enforcement.

• NDIS became operational in October 1998.

• The CODIS database originally was used to collect only the DNA of convicted sex offenders.

• The primary purpose of CODIS is to help solve crimes in which there are no suspects.

• CODIS contains only information necessary for making matches; it does not contain 

 any personal identifying information—including names, dates of birth, Social Security 

 numbers, criminal history, or case-related information.

• A CODIS profile consists of a specimen identifier, an identifier for the laboratory 

responsible for the profile, a DNA personnel identifier associated with the analysis, and 

the actual DNA characteristics (DNA profile).

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Offender Profiles 750,929 1,247,163 1,493,536 2,038,514 2,826,505 3,977,433

Forensic Profiles 27,897 46,177 70,931 93,956 126,315 160,582

Investigations Aided 3,635 6,670 11,220 20,792 30,455 43,156

Forensic Hits 1,031 1,832 3,004 5,147 7,071 9,529

Offender Hits Total 2,371 5,032 8,269 13,855 21,519 32,439

----National 167 638 1,151 1,864 2,855 4,276

----State 2,204 4,394 7,118 11,991 18,664 28,163

0

5,000 

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

2001 3,635

6,670

11,200

20,792

30,455

43,156

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Investigations Aided
FBI Laboratory 2006 11

• Only noncoding regions of a person’s DNA are used to develop a profile because those regions 

 give absolutely no genetic information about race, medical history, or predisposition to disease.

• A “hit” is a match that provides law enforcement with an investigative lead that would 

 not otherwise have been developed.

• CODIS is designed so that forensic laboratories have control over their own data.

• State law governs which specific crimes are eligible for CODIS.

• All 50 states have passed DNA legislation authorizing the collection of a DNA profile 

 from convicted offenders for submission to CODIS.

• Identical twins have the same DNA profile.

• DNA is present in white blood cells, not red blood cells, which lack nuclei.

• Saliva itself does not contain DNA, but cells that line the inner cheek and contain 

 DNA are almost always found in saliva.

Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit

A drug dealer codes the list of his best customers; a member of a terrorist cell hoping to strike in the 

United States sends an encrypted e-mail to his cohorts; a prison inmate sends a coded message to his 

brother on the outside, confessing to a crime. All of these possible scenarios involve the work of the 

Laboratory’s Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit (CRRU). The CRRU supports all FBI 

investigative programs by examining manually encrypted records and communications from a variety of 

sources. The case described below illustrates some of the unit’s work.

400-Year-Old Cipher Used to Send Murder Hit

On August 26, 1997, an innocent-looking letter announcing the birth of a grandson was mailed from 

the Federal Bureau of Prisons Supermax facility in Florence, Colorado, to an address in California. 

However, the writer of the letter was not a new grandpa, and the letter was anything but innocent. 

The letter was written by a senior member of the Aryan Brotherhood (AB) prison gang, and secretly 

imbedded within the characters of the letter was an AB declaration of war against black inmates 

throughout the federal prison system. Shortly after the letter was sent, AB operatives in a federal prison 

in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, executed a carefully coordinated, simultaneous attack on black inmates, 

killing two and severely wounding four.

Eight years after the Lewisburg murders, 40 members of the Aryan Brotherhood were caught up in a 

sweeping federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) indictment in California. 

The 1997 letter containing the enciphered declaration of war was recognized as a key piece of evidence 

and submitted to the CRRU for analysis and decryption. 

In May 2006 a cryptanalyst/forensic examiner from the CRRU explained the complex encipherment 

process to a federal jury in Southern California. The message was enciphered using a double encryption 

method developed by Sir Francis Bacon (1562–1626). The Baconian cipher was designed as a method of 

concealing a secret message within a larger body of text referred to as “covertext.” The first step of the 
12 FBI Laboratory 2006

encipherment involved replacing each character of the secret message with a unique string of “A” 

and “B” values from the chart below. For example, to encipher the word “BACON,” each character is 

replaced with five A’s and B’s as follows:

 “Plaintext”: B A C O N

 “Ciphertext”: BABBB BBABB BBBAA AAABB ABAAA

In the second step, the string of A and B values is matched to each letter of the covertext and is used to 

determine the style of writing used for each letter. Covertext characters assigned an A value will appear 

in one style, and the covertext characters assigned a B value appear in a different style. In the submitted 

document, plaintext was recovered by assigning an A to covertext letters appearing as Roman type and 

assigning a B to the covertext letters appearing as italicized or cursive writing. 

The ciphertext string of A and B values was then parsed into groups of five and deciphered as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 BBBAA AAABB ABAAA BABAB BABAA ABABA AABAA

 C O N F I R M

 AABAA BABBA ABBAA ABBAA BBABB BAABB BABBA

 M E S S A G E 

The complete message was a confirmation of an order to coordinate the murder of black inmates from 

the District of Columbia:

 CONFIRM MESSAGE FROM CHRIS TO MOVE ON DC 

The CRRU decryption was a key piece of evidence 

linking the Aryan Brotherhood leadership in Colorado 

with the murders in Pennsylvania, and the jury found 

the four defendants guilty on multiple charges of murder, 

extortion, and racketeering. 

Plaintext Ciphertext Plaintext Ciphertext

A BBABB N ABAAA

B BABBB O AAABB

C BBBAA P AABAB

D BBABA Q ABAAB

E BABBA R ABABA

F BABAB S ABBAA

G BAABB T AABBB

H BBAAA U ABABB

I BABAA V ABBAB

J BAAAA W ABBBA

K AAAAB X ABBBB

L AAABA Y BBBBA

Baconian Cipher Key M AABAA Z BBBAB
FBI Laboratory 2006 13

DNA Analysis Unit I

The DNA Analysis Unit I (DNAUI) performs serological and nuclear DNA analyses on biological 

evidence collected from crime scenes. Serological analysis involves examining evidence for the 

presence of biological materials such as blood and semen. Nuclear DNA analysis involves further 

characterizing biological material through DNA typing in an effort to determine if a particular individual 

is or is not the source of the DNA present within a biological material. Nuclear DNA analysis is also 

performed on evidentiary materials that may not require serological testing, such as cigarette butts, cans, 

bottles, and envelopes. 

DNAUI also maintains the Federal Convicted Offender (FCO) Program. The FCO Program oversees 

the collection and processing of samples from any individual convicted of a federal felony. The DNAtyping results from these samples are entered and uploaded into the National DNA Index System (NDIS) 

for nationwide database searches. The FCO Program began in mid-2001. During the first four years 

of its existence, the FCO Program received approximately 100,000 samples. New legislation passed 

by Congress in November 2004 increased the number of samples received the following year by an 

additional 100,000, bringing the total to more than 200,000. The FCO 

Program is currently using robotics and automation to process the high 

volume of samples required by the new legislation.

DNAUI personnel often provide training on the science behind serology 

and nuclear DNA analysis as well as on the collection and preservation 

of evidence to be submitted for serological and nuclear DNA 

examinations. Other instruction given involves the quality assurance 

measures required for laboratories that perform DNA analysis. More 

than 2700 court officials and law enforcement and forensic laboratory 

personnel were trained by DNAUI personnel in 2006 through separate 

in-services, schools, seminars, and conferences.

Several DNAUI personnel are also involved in the administration of two 

of the scientific working groups: the Scientific Working Group on DNA 

Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) and the Scientific Working Group on 

Bloodstain Pattern Analysis (SWGSTAIN). DNAUI personnel serve as 

chair, vice chair, or members of various committees of the two working 

groups, where technical information and potential improvements to the 

disciplines are discussed among experts in the related fields.

Homicide, Assault, and Arson in the Virgin Islands

Renell Lettsom was charged with homicide, assault, and arson in 

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. The victims in this case were a father, 

David Geiger, and his son, Nathan, who was 14. David died as a result 

of a brutal assault. Nathan survived his injuries; however, he now suffers 

from memory loss and seizures as a result of the incident. Nuclear DNA testing was performed on blood 

evidence recovered from the Geiger household, as well as from the mouth area of a water jug found 

at the scene. Nuclear DNA profiles developed from both sets of evidence samples matched the DNA 

profile from the suspect charged with the offense. In August 2006 the defendant was convicted of all 

charges and sentenced to life in prison without parole. 

A DNAUI biologist cuts a bloodstain from 

a shirt to be further characterized by 

nuclear DNA analysis. 

A DNAUI biologist uses a phenolphthalein 

chemical test to examine a knife for the 

presence of blood.
14 FBI Laboratory 2006

DNA Analysis Unit II

The FBI Laboratory’s DNA Analysis Unit II (DNAUII) examines a different type of DNA than the 

DNAUI. While the DNAUI examines nuclear DNA, the DNAUII examines mitochondrial DNA 

(mtDNA). Mitochondrial DNA is inherited only from the mother, and the cells may contain thousands 

of copies of mtDNA. For this reason, even old items of evidence and small pieces—such as hair, bones, 

and teeth—may be analyzed for their mtDNA content. Mitochondrial DNA analysis also makes it 

possible to identify missing persons through their maternal relatives.

Because mtDNA can link missing persons to their relatives, the DNAUII participates in the National 

Missing Person DNA Database. The unit also has program responsibility for the Regional Mitochondrial 

DNA Laboratory Program and the SWGDAM mtDNA Population Database. 

Serial Suspect Stopped 

On the morning of March 25, 2004, Garland Hall broke into the apartment of a University of Michigan 

student. He attempted to rape her, but she fought him off. Before fleeing the victim’s residence, Hall 

stole her laptop computer. Soon after the attack, police arrested Hall driving with his car lights off. 

He was in possession of the student’s laptop, as well as the cell phone of a victim of a previous home 

invasion. After Hall’s arrest, the police discovered that he was wanted on a warrant for window peeping. 

He was also the prime suspect in a series of home invasions and sexual assaults involving University of 

Michigan and Eastern Michigan University students.

A judge ruled that the search of the vehicle was illegal, making the laptop inadmissible as evidence. Hall 

pleaded guilty to lesser charges and served several months in jail. 

Hours before the attack on the University of Michigan student, an Eastern Michigan University student 

had been attacked and sexually assaulted in her home. The suspect left near the crime scene a knit hat 

that the victim was later able to identify. A hair was found on the hat and analyzed by the DNAUII. 

The mtDNA sequence from the hat matched that of Garland Hall. After several trial delays, Hall finally 

went to trial in October 2006 on charges of first- and third-degree sexual assault and first-degree home 

invasion. An examiner from the DNAUII testified to the mtDNA results, and Hall was subsequently 

convicted on all charges. This suspected serial sexual assaulter will now serve many years in prison.

Automated Analysis

The DNAUII validated two robotic platforms that automate the analysis of the entire control region 

of mtDNA. Two Biomek 2000 robotic workstations perform DNA extraction and preparation for 

polymerase chain reaction amplification. Amplification and 

mtDNA sequencing are accomplished using the TECAN 

Genesis Freedom robot. These robotic systems have greatly 

decreased the time required to perform mtDNA analysis on 

population database samples in the DNAUII. The robotic 

platforms are able to expeditiously process bloodstains and 

buccal swabs to enter into the SWGDAM mtDNA Population 

Database. In the future, automated analysis also will benefit 

the National Missing Person DNA Database by allowing 

the processing of samples from relatives of missing persons 

submitted for entry into the database. The DNAUII uses the Biomek 2000 robotic workstation 

to process samples.
FBI Laboratory 2006 15

The National Missing Person DNA Database

Established in 2000, the National Missing Person DNA Database (NMPDD) Program provides 

investigators with an opportunity to identify missing and unidentified persons on a national level. It 

contains three indexes in which DNA profiles can be entered: Biological Relatives of Missing Persons, 

Unidentified Human Remains, and Missing Persons. Both of the FBI Laboratory’s DNA Analysis Units 

perform DNA analysis on samples for these indexes. 

Since the program’s inception, the DNAUII has completed 1058 missing-person cases submitted by 

local, state, and federal agencies. These have resulted in 130 mtDNA associations for samples from the 

Unidentified Human Remains and Biological Relatives of Missing Persons Indexes. In 2006, 340 cases 

were submitted to the NMPDD for analysis, and the DNAUII processed 370 cases for mtDNA analysis. 

In addition to processing cases, members of the NMPDD have been active in educating the forensic and 

law enforcement communities about the value of this program to investigators of missing-person cases. 

Presentations detailing the purpose of the program and submission guidelines were provided to various 

agencies and organizations, including the National Association of Medical Examiners, International 

Homicide Investigators, and the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Teams. NMPDD examiners 

also participated in a series of conferences sponsored by the National Institute of Justice concerning 

the identification of missing persons. The conferences targeted a diverse audience, ranging from 

law enforcement officers, forensic scientists, coroners, medical examiners, and family members of 

individuals who have been missing a long time.

Regional Mitochondrial DNA Laboratory Program

To enhance the nation’s capacity to perform mtDNA analysis in forensic and missing-person cases, 

the FBI Laboratory partners with four regional crime laboratories in Phoenix, Arizona; Meriden, 

Connecticut; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Hamilton, New Jersey. Prior to the regional laboratories’ inception 

in 2003, the FBI Laboratory was the only crime laboratory in the United States providing no-cost 

mtDNA examinations to state and local law enforcement agencies. 

Since the program began accepting casework in late 2005, more than 285 cases have been assigned to 

the four regional laboratories. The work provided by the regional laboratories has produced investigative 

leads for local law enforcement and aided in the identification of unidentified human remains. The first 

testimony by a regional laboratory analyst took place in New Hampshire in 2006, and several subpoenas 

have been received for testimony across the United States. Each of the four laboratories underwent 

external audits in 2006 to gain approval to upload mtDNA profiles into the National Missing Person 

DNA Database. 

Firearms-Toolmarks Unit

When a subject uses a weapon or a tool to commit a crime, personnel in the Firearms-Toolmarks Unit 

(FTU) examine the evidence. Evidence in a typical case may include weapons such as rifles, pistols, 

and shotguns; silencers and other muzzle attachments; magazines; holsters; and both fired and unfired 

cartridges. Firearms-related evidence—including lead and other metal fragments, shot wads, shot cups, 

and bullets—also may be removed from bodies at autopsy and submitted to the unit. Toolmark evidence 

includes everything from screwdrivers and crowbars to sheet metal, safety-deposit boxes, and pieces of 

human bone and cartilage. 
16 FBI Laboratory 2006

Forensic firearms examinations involve determining whether a 

bullet, cartridge case, or other ammunition component was fired 

using a particular firearm. Bullets and ammunition components are 

microscopically compared with each other and with any number of 

firearms to determine whether an association exists between the items 

submitted as evidence and items whose origins are known. Forensic 

toolmark identifications involve determining whether a particular 

tool produced a particular mark. Micro- and macroscopic features of 

toolmarked items are compared with known and questioned tools that 

may have produced them.

FTU personnel also perform other examinations, including triggerpull tests, function tests, full-auto conversion tests, shot-pattern 

examinations, gunshot residue examinations on victims’ clothing, 

ejection-pattern testing, trajectory analysis examinations, silencer testing, and serial-number restorations.

To help achieve its mission, the 

FTU maintains two reference 

collections: the Reference 

Firearms Collection and the 

Reference Ammunition File. 

The unit’s firearms collection 

contains more than 5600 

handguns and shoulder firearms. 

The ammunition file includes 

more than 16,000 military 

and commercial ammunition 

specimens from both domestic 

and international manufacturers.

In addition to examining evidence in the Laboratory, FTU 

examiners also assist field agents and other federal, state, 

local, and international law enforcement agencies. FTU 

personnel support FBI investigations and administrative 

inquiries, providing crime scene trajectory reconstruction 

and analyses. Training and liaison with national and 

international forensic laboratories and law enforcement 

agencies also represent important components of the FTU’s 

mission. 

Latent Print Operations Unit

The Latent Print Operations Unit (LPOU) comprises six teams of forensic examiners, an Administrative 

Review Program, and a Case Flow Management Program. Forensic examiners conduct friction ridge 

examinations, produce written reports of their findings, present expert testimony in legal proceedings, 

and provide training and field support to national and international law enforcement personnel. The 

Administrative Review Program Manager reviews all reports issued by the LPOU. The Case Flow 

FTU comparison microscope makes it 

possible to observe two specimens 

simultaneously. The monitor next to the 

microscope displays the image.

FTU toolmarks: impression toolmarks present on 

the primer of a cartridge case, as seen when 

looking through a comparison microscope

FTU serial-number restoration: On steel firearm 

frames/receivers, the serial number is restored 

using a mixture of magnetic shavings and oil. 

FTU bullet trajectory: bullet trajectory analysis of a shooting 

incident showing the location and the angles from which the 

automobile was shot
FBI Laboratory 2006 17

Management Program Manager ensures efficient work flow by coordinating case assignments. The Case 

Flow Manager also handles questions from the field regarding evidence submissions. 

Identifying a Serial Rapist

Local law enforcement officers and FBI investigators formed a task force in Mobile, Alabama, to 

investigate the activities of a serial rapist. In February 2005 the Evidence Response Team (ERT) from 

the FBI’s Mobile Field Office was called to process a crime scene for evidence. The ERT found a latent 

palm print on the wall over the victim’s bed. In March 2005 the print was submitted to the LPOU for 

comparison. 

Johnny Moffett had been arrested in previous assaults, but there had never been any physical evidence 

linking him to the crimes. Moffett’s prints were submitted to the LPOU for comparison with the palm 

print from the victim’s bedroom. The LPOU examiner identified the palm print from the crime scene 

with the submitted palm prints of Moffett and reported the identification the same week. In September 

2006 the examiner testified in the trial. The palm print was the most important piece of physical evidence 

linking Moffett to the crime. He was given four life sentences for first-degree rape, sodomy, sexual 

abuse, and burglary. 

Latent Print Support Unit

The Latent Print Support Unit (LPSU) covers five program areas. The Integrated Automated Fingerprint 

Identification System (IAFIS) Program coordinates, tests, evaluates, and implements new IAFIS 

hardware and software from the latent print perspective and coordinates with the FBI’s Criminal 

Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division and the criminal justice community on all latent-printrelated IAFIS issues. The IAFIS Program is currently working with the CJIS Division on a number 

of joint issues, most notably, the design of the next generation of IAFIS, known as Next Generation 

Identification. 

The Major Incident Management Program serves as the point of contact to deploy the Disaster Squad 

and other special operations teams. The Standards and Practices Program manages the quality assurance 

program for the LPOU and LPSU. This includes drafting, implementing, and maintaining the Latent 

Print Quality Assurance Manual and the Latent Print Operations Manual. The Technology Development 

Program operates the Latent Print Digital Imaging System and coordinates, tests, evaluates, and 

implements advances in biometric technology to improve friction ridge analysis. 

The Training Program manages all aspects of training for both the LPOU and the LPSU. This 

comprehensive training program covers training for latent print physical scientists/forensic examiners; 

in-service training for both FBI employees and law enforcement personnel from outside agencies; 

continuing education training for latent print employees; latent print training for Indian Country 

Evidence Task Force and Evidence Response Team personnel; and training for new agents at the FBI 

and DEA academies. 

The LPSU’s five programs ensure the continued high quality of friction ridge examinations, as well as 

compliance with FBI, Laboratory Division, and accreditation board policies, procedures, and guidelines. 

Disaster Squad Deployments: Iraq and Afghanistan

The bodies of service members killed in combat are shipped to Dover Air Force Base Mortuary for 

identification and burial preparation. In 2006, 52 examiners from the LPOU and LPSU were deployed to 
18 FBI Laboratory 2006

Dover for 216 days. Along with other members of the Disaster Squad, they examined the bodies or body 

parts of approximately 1000 soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, identifying 813 victims by their 

fingerprints. In addition to identifying soldiers, the Disaster Squad also identifies the bodies of civilians 

killed in the war.

Photographic Operations and Imaging Services Unit

The Photographic Operations and Imaging Services Unit (POISU) 

coordinates and manages photographic services for the FBI. These services 

include operational, investigative, and forensic photography; technical 

assistance; camera and darkroom equipment procurement and repair; and 

forensic imaging training. Although digital imaging techniques have become 

standard practice, POISU also uses traditional silver-based methods to 

capture, process, and produce photographic images. 

Managing both the FBI Photographic Program and the Field Photographic 

Program involves overseeing more than 125 full-time and backup 

photographers in the FBI’s 56 field offices. In addition, POISU provides 

investigative and forensic photography, imaging, and photographicprocessing support for federal, state, local, and international law 

enforcement investigations. 

POISU is divided into three separate 

subunits with very distinct and specific 

responsibilities.

The Operations and Training 

Subunit provides photographic support 

and services to the Laboratory, FBI 

Headquarters divisions, and all FBI 

field offices. Scientific and technical 

photographers in this subunit deploy 

to major crime scenes, agent-involved 

shootings, and other operational or investigative events. The increase 

in terrorism-related investigations means that scientific and technical 

photographers must deploy to document scenes involving chemical, 

biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive devices. This subunit also 

provides a large percentage of the photographic training conducted in the 

FBI. These classes include new agents, field photographers, and outside 

agencies and cover virtually every aspect of forensic imaging.

The Photographic Equipment and Support Subunit has many 

responsibilities. Personnel assigned to this subunit design and install 

photographic camera concealments; procure, disseminate, and repair 

photographic equipment, including digital darkrooms with video 

workstations; manage field-office equipment transitions and upgrades; and 

manage all photographic production for the FBI. This subunit annually 

POISU photographers documenting evidence 

in the field

FBI field photographer

POISU photographers documenting 

evidence in the FBI Laboratory’s 

photographic studio
FBI Laboratory 2006 19

produces more than 1.5 million images in both hard copy (photographic prints in sizes ranging from 4 by 

6 inches to 4 by 8 feet) and in digital form (CDs and DVDs). This subunit also oversees three regional 

photographic minilabs, in Atlanta, Chicago, and San Francisco.

The Photographic Services Subunit oversees the Portrait and Events Studio at FBI Headquarters, the 

Tactical Site Survey Program, the Aerial Photography Program, and the Technical Imaging Group. The 

Portrait and Events Studio photographs special events and official portraits for executive management 

and documents the anniversaries and retirements of FBI personnel. Personnel assigned to the Tactical 

Site Survey Program work directly with the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team, Special Weapons and Tactics 

Teams, and other government agencies, such as the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, to create 

virtual walk-throughs of special-event venues or high-risk locations. The Aerial Photography Program 

provides vertical images of infrastructure, crime scenes, special-event venues, and other areas for 

investigative and tactical planning. The eight photographers assigned to the Technical Imaging Group 

(TIG) use digital and conventional forensic photographic techniques to capture, process, and print highquality images of latent fingerprints for the Laboratory’s Latent Print Units. In addition to conducting 

criminal casework, TIG photographers also capture a high volume of latent impressions in support of the 

Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center.

Questioned Documents Unit

The Questioned Documents Unit (QDU) serves the law enforcement community by providing 

forensic support to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The QDU conducts a variety 

of examinations on crime scene evidence submitted to the Laboratory. These include analysis of 

handwriting, typewriting, shoe prints, tire treads, alterations, obliterations, rubber stamps, plastic bags, 

and shredded documents.

 

Combating Identity Theft

The QDU was integral in the successful prosecution of a major theft ring that operated out of Cleveland, 

Ohio, and surrounding states. The case, United States v. Richard Tisdale et al., involved an organized 

ring of shoplifters who used the stolen identities of children to conceal their true identities and launder 

nearly $1 million in proceeds through federally insured financial institutions in Ohio. Tisdale and 

members of his group stole computer merchandise from stores throughout Ohio and surrounding states, 

then sold the merchandise to a Cleveland-based, Russian-born computer store owner, Gregory Khabner. 

Khabner repackaged the stolen merchandise and sold it at discounted prices to other Russian store 

POISU photographers recording tactical site survey images at Dolphin Stadium for Super Bowl XLI
20 FBI Laboratory 2006

owners and the general public. Tisdale, whose extensive criminal history dates back more than 40 years, 

manufactured drivers’ licenses, Social Security cards, and other identity documents for himself and 

members of his theft ring using the identities of children and, in one case, a kidney dialysis patient at the 

Cleveland Clinic.

The QDU examined a laminated Social Security card and 13 copies of Social Security cards that were 

found in a hotel room where Tisdale manufactured his fraudulent documents. Through microscopic 

examination of the laminated card and the 13 copies, the QDU determined that the cards originated from 

a color ink-jet office machine. The questioned Social Security card was compared side by side with 

genuine Social Security cards from the QDU standards file. 

The QDU determined that the questioned card was a counterfeit. The 13 copies appeared to be at various 

stages of manipulation in an effort to counterfeit Social Security cards. On one copy, the Social Security 

number and cardholder’s name were obliterated with correction fluid. Using special lighting techniques, 

the QDU was able to decipher the obliterated name and Social Security number, which were later 

revealed to be those of the suspect’s brother, Jon Tisdale. The QDU compared this manipulated copy to 

the counterfeit card and was able to positively identify it as the model for the counterfeit. 

A QDU examiner testified at Tisdale’s trial in Akron, Ohio. This testimony was crucial in supporting the 

identity-theft charges.

Richard Tisdale was sentenced to 15 years’ incarceration, to be followed by 3 years’ supervised release. 

In addition to Tisdale’s conviction, the investigation resulted in guilty pleas from Tisdale’s brother, Jon 

Tisdale, and Gregory Khabner, both of whom are currently serving prison time for their roles in the 

scheme. The Government also obtained a conviction against Tisdale’s girlfriend, Andrea Dent, who 

participated in the identity thefts and shoplifting and refused to cooperate during the investigation.

SoleSearcher

SoleSearcher is an innovative investigative tool the QDU uses 

to help determine the brand name or manufacturer of footwear 

from questioned footwear impressions left behind at crime 

scenes. Hundreds of these database searches are requested 

annually by law enforcement agencies in cases that range from 

burglary to terrorism. The database contains more than 11,000 

different shoe outsole designs from more than 370 different 

footwear manufacturers from around the world. New outsole 

images are added to the database daily. With so many different 

Genuine Social Security card from the QDU 

standards file

Counterfeit Social Security card Manipulated “model” for counterfeit Social 

Security card

The SoleSearcher database uses different design 

icons commonly found on the outsole of shoes.
FBI Laboratory 2006 21

manufacturers and a majority of shoes being manufactured overseas, keeping up with all of these shoes 

is a monumental task. 

SoleSearcher was designed using different design icons commonly found on the outsole of shoes. 

These different design icons are placed on a blank shoe canvas to resemble the questioned footwear 

impressions. The image is then searched through the database using the specific criteria. If the database 

produces a shoe outsole that is consistent with the questioned impression, a printout of this shoe outsole 

is sent back to the contributor. If the contributor has or develops a suspect or a person of interest, the 

contributor can use this print during a search to obtain the shoes needed to conduct further footwear 

examinations.

SoleSearcher Success Story

Over the years, SoleSearcher has provided valuable leads to investigators and law enforcement agencies 

around the country. One case in particular involved a double homicide that occurred in New Hampshire.

Two Dartmouth professors, Suzanne and Half Zantop, were found brutally murdered in their home in 

Hanover, New Hampshire. At the crime scene, investigators located a bloody footwear impression that 

did not match either of the victims’ shoes. This bloody footwear impression was submitted to the FBI 

Laboratory in an attempt to determine the brand name or manufacturer. The impression was searched 

through the database, and a possible match was located. The footwear impression matched a VASQUEstyle boot in the database. Descriptive information concerning the type of boot that left the bloody 

footwear impression was sent back to the investigators. Two teenagers were soon developed as suspects. 

When investigators asked one of the suspects, Robert Tulloch, if he owned a pair of VASQUE boots, 

he answered yes. Investigators collected the boots, compared them to the impression left behind at the 

crime scene, and determined that one of Tulloch’s VASQUE boots had made the bloody impression. 

Tulloch pleaded guilty to life in prison without parole. The other suspect, James Parker, cooperated with 

police but still received a sentence of 25 years to life.

The History of the Footwear Reference Collection

The FBI Laboratory’s first footwear reference collection dates back to around 1935. This collection 

consisted of a series of photographs of shoe soles and heels. These photographs were placed in file 

cabinets according to manufacturer. The reference-file searches were all conducted by hand. Back in 

the 1930s, this collection was considered complete because all shoes at that time were manufactured in 

the United States. The shoes were primarily dress shoes and perhaps a small number of casual shoes. 

Specialty athletic shoes were not introduced until the 1950s and 1960s.

Questioned footwear 

impression submitted to the 

Laboratory

Using specific design icons to search the database The search result shows the 

sole of the brand of shoe 

that matches the questioned 

image.
22 FBI Laboratory 2006

The first computerized footwear database was introduced in the mid-1980s and was housed on a 

mainframe computer system. In the early 1990s, the footwear database was placed on a personal 

computer. The manufacturer would send in catalogs, and these outsole images would be scanned into 

the database. At that time, the database had approximately 2000 outsole images. Today, the database 

contains more than 11,000 images. In the future, the Laboratory plans to make SoleSearcher available 

through a secure network so other law enforcement agencies may electronically contribute and search 

footwear images in the database. 

Special Projects Unit

The Investigative and Prosecutive Graphic Unit (IPGU) and the Structural Design Unit (SDU) 

worked closely for years to produce a multitude of two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional 

(3-D) operational and demonstrative materials. These items are used to provide direct investigative, 

operational, and prosecutorial support for FBI agents and U.S. attorneys. Additionally, when 

circumstances warrant, these services are also provided to state and local law enforcement. In 2006 the 

IPGU and the SDU were merged to form the Special Projects Unit (SPU) in order to more efficiently 

serve the criminal justice community. 

Forensic Facial Imaging

In 2006, SPU personnel handled numerous cases requiring the production of facial imagery. These 

included requests for the preparation of artist composite drawings, 2-D and 3-D facial reconstructions 

from skeletal remains, postmortem drawings, and digital photographic retouches and manipulations. 

This imagery was provided in direct support of FBI counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and criminal 

investigations and was used both domestically and internationally. In addition, support was provided for 

the Department of Defense and intelligence personnel on the ground in Afghanistan, Somalia, and Iraq. 

The following images were prepared through witness interviews and used to locate individuals wanted 

by the FBI. These individuals were located as a direct result of these drawings.

To further enhance and expand its response capabilities in the facial-imaging arena, in 2006 the SPU 

entered into a working agreement with the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK) on several 

research projects. When completed, these projects will help lay a new foundation for many areas of 

facial imaging. One of these projects involves the 3-D scanning of human skulls that also have available 

life photos of those same individuals from the Anthropological Research Facility at UTK. The data 

collected from these scans will be used to develop a highly accurate reference database that will be used 

by forensic anthropologists and artists. This process will more clearly delineate the influence the skull 

has on the life appearance of the deceased individual. Information gained through this research will also 
FBI Laboratory 2006 23

be used in ongoing research to create a computer program that will produce lifelike images from skeletal 

remains in an automatic manner and with accurate and consistent results.

The images below depict SPU personnel collecting digital data of skeletal remains at the Anthropological 

Research Facility at UTK.

An associative research proposal will 

work to develop a national database 

of all facial reconstructions, which 

currently number more than 40,000 

unidentified individuals. This database 

will provide the platform through which 

any examiner can search all of the 

forensic reconstruction imagery entered 

into the database.

 

Situational Awareness and Special-Event Support

SPU personnel provide a wide array of specialized support in the areas of situational awareness and 

special-event management. This support comes in the form of 3-D laser scanning and LIDAR (Light 

Detection and Ranging), 360-degree spherical video, panoramic photography, GIS (Geographic 

Information System) mapping, and interactive presentations. Most SPU efforts in this area go toward the 

documentation and digital reconstruction of the sites of major events or venues. The product prepared by 

SPU is used by command and tactical personnel for documenting venues to determine ingress and egress 

points, breaching points, sniper and counter-sniper locations, emergency evacuation plans, helicopter 

landing areas, desirable routes of travel, and other important information.

In 2006, SPU personnel responded to numerous requests for these types of services, such as operational/

tactical packages for the NBA All-Star Game, the NFL Super Bowl, the MLB All-Star Game, the 

Kentucky Derby, the Little League World Series, and the Rose Bowl and Rose Parade, as well as the 

documentation of the football stadium and two basketball arenas at The Ohio State University. 

The image below of Dolphin Stadium was “stitched” together using multiple scans to form a complete 

3-D digital reconstruction of the stadium. This completed image is being used by operational and security 

personnel for event planning and security.

The 3-D digital reconstruction of Dolphin Stadium Close-up of the laser scanner used at the Miami 

Dolphins practice facility prior to the Super Bowl
24 FBI Laboratory 2006

Crime Scene Survey, Documentation, and Reconstruction

Throughout the year the SPU prepared numerous crime scene reconstructions in both 2-D and 3-D. 

Many of the requests for these services required unit personnel to travel to crime scenes and physically 

conduct site surveys and secure digital documentation data. These data enabled personnel to produce 

both physical and digital scale models and exhibits. To accomplish these duties, unit personnel use a 

wide array of equipment and methodologies, ranging from traditional manual equipment and methods 

to state-of-the-art digital and laser data-collection devices. Three-dimensional, high-resolution laser 

scanners were used to survey and document crime scenes that required high-end digital data collection. 

Often these types of scenes need to be accurately documented and reconstructed in order to show line 

of sight, bullet trajectories, evidence/debris disbursement, or the movement and relative location of 

individuals, vehicles, and other objects.

The SPU works closely with all of the operational entities within the FBI. However, its primary 

customers are the field Evidence Response Teams (ERTs) and the Evidence Response Team Unit 

(ERTU) in the Laboratory. Through this working relationship, SPU personnel provide support for 

all of the major crime scene investigations conducted by the FBI. Twenty FBI field office ERTs have 

personnel who are specially trained in the use of the Total Station survey equipment. A forensic engineer 

on staff in the SPU, along with personnel from the ERTU, oversees the operation of the field’s Total 

Stations. As a result of this working relationship, in 2006 two to three submissions of Total Station 

data were received from each field team, totaling approximately 60 field-wide submissions. Each one 

of these was reviewed and processed for the participating field ERT survey team. In addition to the 

operational support provided by the SPU, unit personnel also provided training for the Total Station to 

ERT personnel. 

Demonstrative Evidence

The SPU’s production of demonstrative evidence for courtroom presentation is as significant as its 

investigative and operational support efforts. This is exemplified by the support provided by the 

unit following the attacks of September 11, 2001. From the time the first airplane slammed into the 

World Trade Center until Zacarias Moussaoui was sentenced, SPU personnel produced hundreds of 

investigative and prosecutive items. These ranged from simple organizational charts, to the building of 

physical scale models of the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, to the creation of complex, digitally 

interactive displays that exhibit time-sensitive, multilayered interactions between individuals and events. 

These interactive presentations often included video and audio clips, scanned images of documents, 

digital telemetry from aircraft, and typed transcripts of telephone conversations. SPU’s efforts in this 

area proved to be a major reason why the sentencing phase of Moussaoui’s trial was successful.

Throughout the year SPU personnel routinely produced items of demonstrative evidence that proved 

pivotal to the successful outcome of many prosecutions. To accomplish this, unit personnel traveled to 

field locations, conducted interviews, met with investigators and prosecutors, and reviewed evidence 

and data. Through these efforts, they were able to create charts, maps, diagrams, models, and numerous 

types of trial aids and exhibits.

Training

During 2006 the SPU provided both basic and advanced training for FBI, state, local, and international 

law enforcement personnel. This training included traditional courses held at the training academy in 

Quantico, Virginia, as well as seminars and workshops at various venues throughout the United States. 

These included Forensic Facial Imaging; Crime Scene Survey, Documentation, and Reconstruction; 

the Florida Division of the International Association for Identification Annual Educational Training 
FBI Laboratory 2006 25

Conference; the 42nd Annual Forensic Dental Identification and Emerging Technologies Seminar; the 

Wisconsin Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar; the Society of Manufacturing Engineers 

annual meeting; the Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar; Total Station training for the 

Lebanese Police; training for FBI Field Photographers; Evidence Response Team Total Station training; 

and Evidence Response Team Bullet Trajectory training.

The SPU was also involved in the establishment and oversight of technology and programs directly 

related to its area of expertise. In this capacity, unit personnel were involved in or served on the 

following committees: the Imaging Technology Coordinating Committee, the International Association 

of Forensic and Security Metrology, and the International Association for Identification.

Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center

Every day, sophisticated homemade bombs explode in Iraq, Afghanistan, and 

other places around the globe. These improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, 

sometimes claim hundreds of victims, both military and civilian. To stem the 

flow of attacks, the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center (TEDAC) is 

working diligently to identify the terrorists and organizations that make and 

detonate these deadly devices. 

Established at the FBI Laboratory in 2003, the TEDAC comprises personnel from law enforcement, 

intelligence, and military agencies. TEDAC experts examine thousands of pieces of evidence—often 

tiny fragments—to determine the form and function of the IEDs and, if possible, who built them. 

The information developed at the TEDAC is compiled in a secure, accessible, central database and also 

serves as the basis for intelligence reports issued by the center. By functioning as a repository for both 

physical evidence and intelligence on IEDs, the TEDAC provides vital information to the intelligence 

community and especially to U.S. and allied military forces fighting in Iraq and other overseas 

operations.

The work of TEDAC personnel is sensitive and includes successes that may never be published in 

the news. However, the people who depend on TEDAC’s efforts both in the United States and abroad 

can rest assured that TEDAC personnel are working hard to accomplish their mission of keeping U.S. 

interests and allies safe.

Trace Evidence Unit

Physical contact between two people or between a person and an object 

often results in the transfer of trace materials. Identifying and comparing 

these materials may link a suspect to a victim or a crime scene. 

The Trace Evidence Unit (TEU) identifies and compares these trace 

materials. Scientific examinations of physical evidence include the 

areas of hairs, fibers, fabric, cordage, soil, glass, building materials, 

feathers, wood, gemstones, and physical anthropology. Unit personnel 

also provide expert testimony relating to these examinations in legal 

proceedings, provide training to the law enforcement community, 

Samples of soil exhibiting distinct 

macroscopic differences in color and 

texture
26 FBI Laboratory 2006

provide forensic field support in FBI cases, and develop and implement new technologies to enhance 

scientific examinations.

In support of the caseworking mission of the FBI Laboratory, in 2006 the TEU completed analysis on 

approximately 11,000 items of evidence in 2700 cases. These cases were received from city, county, 

state, federal, and international law enforcement agencies. Approximately 1700 cases were completed 

in support of the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center, while approximately 200 cases were 

completed in support of the Indian Country Evidence Task Force. Each case may have involved several 

examinations and literally thousands of pieces of evidence. 

To support the mission of training, the TEU sponsored or participated in numerous ventures. Members 

of the unit taught one- to two-week courses in hair and fiber analysis and Indian Country crime scene 

analysis to audiences in Quantico, Virginia; Asheville, North Carolina; Tucson, Arizona; and Marquette, 

Michigan.

To support the mission of FBI field offices, TEU personnel assisted in crime scene response in two 

body-recovery operations, lending assistance in the areas of forensic anthropology and mineralogy.

In support of the Regional Mitochondrial DNA Laboratory Program, the TEU trained one hair examiner 

who will work in one of the four regional laboratories. These laboratories partner with the FBI 

Laboratory to augment their capacity for mitochondrial DNA analysis in forensic and missing-person 

cases.

Pit Bull Predators

Dorothy Sullivan, age 82, was fatally mauled by three pit bulls in her yard in Spotsylvania, Virginia. 

The dogs also killed Sullivan’s shi tzu, Buttons. The TEU examined evidence recovered from the 

stomachs of the pit bulls and found hairs consistent with hairs recovered from the victim’s hairbrush. 

The owner of the dogs, Deanna Large, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. This case marks 

the State’s first successful prosecution of involuntary manslaughter in connection with a dog attack. 

The comparison microscope is routinely used for 

side-by-side comparison of hairs and fibers.

An electron micrograph of a cross section of a trilobal 

carpet fiber recovered from an automobile The stereo binocular microscope is 

routinely used for the preliminary 

analysis of trace evidence.
FBI Laboratory 2006 27

Response Services

These units respond to incidents all over the world. They have specialized expertise and resources that 

allow them to work with hazardous materials and other dangerous substances. Working with other 

agencies, they can quickly and safely contain a scene and conduct their investigation while keeping 

others safe. 

Explosives Unit

The Explosives Unit (EU) has several broad areas of responsibility. The first area deals with the 

examination of evidence associated with bombing matters. The unit conducts forensic examinations of 

IEDs, incendiary devices, and their respective remains and provides expert witness testimony in court 

regarding the results of these examinations. These examinations involve the identification and intended 

function of the components used to construct the devices, including detonators, initiators, explosives, 

wires, tapes, containers, electronic components, timing mechanisms, and power sources.

The EU’s mission includes direct field support in bombing matters and bombing crime scene 

investigations, as well as searches of bomb factories and safe houses in which bombs or bomb 

components may be encountered. The unit conducts liaison with domestic and foreign manufacturers 

of explosives and maintains the Explosives Reference File (ERF) and the Explosives Reference Tool 

(EXPeRT) database to support forensic examinations. In addition, the EU conducts training in bombing 

crime scene investigations and researches new methods of analysis to help ensure the continued 

leadership role the FBI Laboratory has come to play in terrorist bombing matters.

The EU also performs chemical analyses to determine the type of explosive used in an improvised 

explosive or incendiary device. This includes analyzing bulk substances and the residues left behind 

after an explosive detonates. Finally, the unit assists investigators in determining if debris from a fire of 

suspicious origin has an accelerant present.

In 2006 the EU provided forensic and/or technical assistance for several international bombing crime 

scenes/searches. The unit also provided training to more than 200 federal, state, and local investigators 

on bombing crime scene investigations. In addition, the EU provided financial support and subjectmatter experts in support of the FBI’s Large Vehicle Bomb Post-Blast Course. The only one of its kind, 

the course provides critical training for U.S. military personnel; federal, state, and local investigators; 

and numerous international law enforcement partners.

In September 2004 the FBI’s Memphis Field Office received information from the Tennessee Bureau of 

Investigation that Demetrius Van Crocker was attempting to obtain materials to construct a bomb, which 

he intended to detonate in a federal or state courthouse. Crocker, a Tennessee farmhand with an IQ of 85, 

met with a cooperating witness, who recorded several conversations confirming Crocker’s intent. The 

initial investigation exposed Crocker’s right-wing beliefs, which are closely aligned to such groups as 

the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist/neo-Nazi organizations. While discussing his plans 
28 FBI Laboratory 2006

to bomb a courthouse, Crocker said, “The country needs to be taken back by the people.” Crocker also 

expressed his deep hatred of the U.S. government.

On October 25, 2004, special agents from the Memphis Field Office arrested Crocker in Jackson, 

Tennessee, after he met with an FBI undercover agent. During the meeting, the undercover agent 

provided Crocker with an inert canister of sarin gas and a block of inert C-4 plastic explosive, 

represented as being stolen from a military installation in Louisiana. A small quantity of live explosive 

was actually placed in the inert C-4 block at the request of the prosecutor. Later that same day, agents 

executed a search warrant at Crocker’s residence in McKenzie, Tennessee, and discovered items 

believed to be intended to construct an IED. These items consisted of a 12-inch metal pipe, an end cap, 

an inert hand-grenade body, hobby fuse, and two pounds of low-explosive powder. All of the items were 

submitted to the Laboratory for analysis to determine the chemical composition and whether they could 

be assembled into an IED.

The chemical analyses performed on the low-explosive powders identified them as black powder and 

Pyrodex. Together with the other items seized from Crocker’s residence, these explosives could have 

been used as the main charge of an IED. 

On April 12, 2006, two Explosives Unit examiners traveled to Jackson, Tennessee, and provided 

testimony in U.S. district court about the conclusion of the evidence analyzed. Demetrius Van Crocker 

was convicted on April 16, 2006, and subsequently sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Evidence Response Team Unit

The Evidence Response Team Unit (ERTU) has supported the 

operations of field office Evidence Response Teams (ERTs) since 

the unit’s inception in 1992. The ERTU provides training, crime 

scene equipment and supplies, and on-scene support to the ERTs 

in all 56 FBI field offices. These teams have grown in size over 

the years and currently consist of 1160 primary team members. 

The ERT program facilitated more than 2000 ERT responses 

during 2006. 

The ERTU services all field offices by providing:

 • An annual budget for crime scene supplies and equipment.

 • Mobile command posts and other specialty crime scene vehicles and trailers to use 

 at crime scenes.

 • Sophisticated tools, including forensic light sources, laser transit systems, digital 

 cameras, and laptop computer technology.

The ERTU provides other critical services, to include:

• Numerous basic and advanced forensic training courses for all field ERT personnel.

• Operational ERT support and consultation to field offices upon request.

ERTU personnel assisting the Detroit Field Office in a 

search for evidence
FBI Laboratory 2006 29

The ERTU also provides support to outside agencies. This has included training and consultation 

regarding the establishment of protocols associated with processing crime scenes and Sensitive Site 

Exploitation operations. 

ERTU Specialized Response Capabilities

Underwater Search and Evidence Response Teams 

(USERT): In 2006 ERTU’s USERT Program supported 

approximately 30 underwater evidence operations 

involving FBI and state and local investigations. These 

included a coordinated ERT USERT operation in the 

“Red Zone” in Iraq to search for evidence in a major 

criminal investigation.

Forensic Canine Teams: Human Scent Evidence 

Team and human-remains detection canines are 

provided to field ERTs across a broad spectrum of FBI 

investigations, including buried-body searches, child 

abductions, and domestic terrorism cases. In 2006 the 

ERTU actively initiated an in-house canine capability 

by procuring the first of two bloodhounds and adding 

two Forensic Canine Operations Specialists (humans) 

to its staff. The addition of a human-scent collection 

and identification capability illustrates the emerging 

technologies and cutting-edge techniques sought by the 

ERTU to enhance FBI forensic capabilities.

In 2006 the ERTU coordinated the joint deployment 

of USERT and forensic canine resources to Tennessee 

in a search for a missing child. ERTU personnel also 

provided on-scene support during search operations.

 

Human Scent Evidence Team

Created in 1999, the Human Scent Evidence Team uses specially trained human-scent evidence canine 

teams and scent collected from evidence to provide investigators with the ability to accurately trace the 

path of offenders away from the crime scene, to identify conspirators, to eliminate uninvolved suspects, 

and to minimize unnecessary investigative efforts, thus reducing the time and work hours needed to 

bring an investigation to a successful conclusion.

In the United States, at least five federal agencies and 

the military train and use detector canines to find bombs, 

accelerants, drugs, and food. However, the FBI is the only 

federal agency that collects human-scent evidence and uses 

human-scent evidence canines as an investigative tool. 

Although this program is relatively new to the FBI, many 

European nations have organized human-scent canine 

programs, in which the collection and use of human-scent 

evidence is defined by governmental regulations. Police 

departments in the United States routinely use tracking dogs 

Human Scent Evidence Team canine conducting a match-tosample check during a child abduction/murder investigation

Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team personnel 

participating in a search for evidence in Iraq in support of an 

investigation conducted by the FBI’s Louisville Field Office

ERT personnel participating in a search for evidence in a 

missing-child case in Tennessee
30 FBI Laboratory 2006

to chase fleeing suspects, but the collection of human 

scent evidence for use throughout an investigation is a 

new concept for U.S. law enforcement.

Canine Collar

During the evening of September 30, 2005, in a home 

in Floyd County, Iowa, an argument occurred during a 

methamphetamine drug transaction between Jesse Patchin 

and James Dean Raymond. Following the argument, 

Patchin left the residence on foot. Approximately 40 

minutes later, Raymond picked up a knife and drove away 

with Charles Gallmeyer. 

On the morning of October 1, 2005, Patchin’s girlfriend 

noticed blood in her car. Patchin was never seen alive again.

On November 5, 2005, the Evidence Response Team Unit’s 

Human Scent Evidence Team used a scent pad collected from 

Jesse Patchin’s clothing and recorded a positive scent match 

at the location of the drug transaction. The subsequent trail 

traveled from this location into a corn field along a country road. 

Positive responses were also recorded in the corn field using pads 

collected from Raymond’s clothing. 

In January 2006 the State of Iowa reached a cooperation 

agreement with Gallmeyer that included Gallmeyer’s disclosing 

the location of Patchin’s body. Gallmeyer said that on the night 

of the homicide, as he and Raymond were driving back to the 

city, they saw Patchin walking along a gravel road. Gallmeyer 

led investigators to the exact location where the ERTU’s Human 

Scent Dog Team had previously followed the scent from the 

residence and then to Patchin’s body. According to a witness, 

Raymond admitted that after he and Gallmeyer had caught up 

with Patchin on the gravel road, Raymond had gotten out of the 

car and slit Patchin’s throat. They later moved Patchin’s body.

Tinkerbelle conducts a search during a child abduction/rape 

case in St. Clairsville, Ohio.

Lucy conducts a geographic search of the 

neighborhood where a child was abducted.

Lucy searches for a top-ten fugitive in 

Chillicothe, Ohio.

Some FBI employees start young. Lucy, Mia, 

and Tinkerbelle were only 12 weeks old when 

they came to work for the FBI Laboratory. Who 

are these eager employees? Members of the 

FBI’s Human Scent Evidence Team.

The basic training process for a human-scent 

evidence canine takes approximately one 

year and begins when the dog is only about 

12 weeks old. Starting from this early age, 

the dogs are taught a short game of chase. It 

begins simply enough: the trainers run away 

from the puppies and allow the dogs to catch 

them. As the dogs grow, the distance of the 

chase extends. The trainers begin hiding at 

various points along the chase route to teach 

the dogs to use their nose and not their eyes. 

This phase of training culminates with a blind 

certification test on a 24-hour-old trail where 

the dog-handler team must accurately follow 

the trail and identify the person who laid it.

The FBI’s advanced training program takes 

place when the dogs are between one and 

two years old. In this period, the canines are 

taught to smell odors collected from objects 

and accurately indicate to their handlers the 

presence or absence of a matching odor on 

the ground. This technique permits the FBI 

Human Scent Evidence Team to compare odors 

collected from a crime scene to suspects and 

indicate a match or nonmatch.

Since its inception, the Human Scent Evidence 

Team has conducted 1258 scent checks on 44 

deployments in 30 cases, including 15 violent 

crime investigations, 12 terrorism cases, and 1 

foreign counterintelligence investigation. With 

natural instincts and dogged determination, the 

FBI Laboratory’s youngest employees sniff out 

evidence wherever it may lie.

Canine Colleagues
FBI Laboratory 2006 31

According to investigators, the findings made by the Human Scent Dog Team played a key role in 

evaluating and corroborating the information Gallmeyer provided about the murder. 

Hazardous Materials Response Unit

Responding to threats and incidents involving hazardous chemical, biological, radiological, and 

nuclear materials, including weapons of mass destruction (WMD), requires specialized expertise. The 

Laboratory’s Hazardous Materials Response Unit (HMRU) has the knowledge and experience needed to 

handle these delicate investigations.

In addition to providing threat assessments to FBI field offices, legal attachés, and Headquarters 

divisions, the HMRU provides on-site support to all FBI investigations involving hazardous materials. 

In addition, the HMRU oversees on-site safety at high-hazard crime scenes, such as collapsed structures 

and confined spaces, and supports response operations that may involve hazardous materials. 

The HMRU provides training, certification, and 

oversight for the 27 Hazardous Materials Response 

Teams (HMRTs) operating in FBI field offices. 

The more than 350 response personnel currently 

assigned to the HMRTs require response equipment, 

medical monitoring, and specialized training. 

The main goal of HMRU/HMRT training is to 

produce members who are competent to enter 

hazardous materials crime scenes, in compliance 

with federal regulations. All HMRU/HMRT 

employees are required to complete the HMRU 

Hazardous Materials Operations Course and WMD 

Crime Scene Course, which teach the students how 

to respond safely and effectively to a hazardous 

materials crime scene. Other training—including 

Basic Microbiology and Biological Threats, 

Chemistry of Hazardous Materials, and Radiological 

Crime Scene Investigation Training—is offered to 

HMRT members based on the requirements of their 

position. In 2006 the HMRU trained approximately 

466 HMRT members. In addition, the HMRU 

trained approximately 3000 local, state, and 

federal officials during conferences and exercises. 

Approximately 700 international students received 

training from the HMRU in cooperation with the 

International Training and Assistance Unit of the 

FBI’s Training Division, the FBI’s Counterterrorism 

Division, and the Department of Defense’s 

International Counterproliferation Program. 

A student field-screens a chemical during Hazmat Operations class.

HMRU/Kansas City HMRT demonstration at Union Station, Kansas City, 

Missouri
32 FBI Laboratory 2006

At the September 2006 International Symposium on Agroterrorism in Kansas City, Missouri, 

participants received training on the incident command system and the science behind field-screening 

hazardous materials. The training also covered the unit’s Hazardous Materials Response Base of 

Operations Vehicle. 

In 2006 the HMRU deployed on 57 missions, completed 190 scientific assessments, and provided 

operational advice via 219 conference calls. Success for the HMRU program is linked to close and 

effective working relationships within the FBI, with other government agencies, and in academia. Some 

notable HMRU deployments for 2006 include the following cases.

In January 2006, members of the HMRU provided presentations on WMD 

awareness at a meeting of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office Joint Terrorism 

Task Force (JTTF). Following the meeting, the Richmond WMD Coordinator 

was approached by an officer of a local police department who had 

recognized that a photograph of castor seeds (the source of the toxin ricin) 

was similar to seeds the department had observed during a local crime scene 

search. As a result, the JTTF opened a WMD investigation, and the HMRU 

and HMRT members from the Norfolk Field Office searched for materials 

associated with the production of ricin.

The HMRU responded to an anthrax incident in the 

New York area in February 2006. This incident received 

a significant amount of media coverage because of the 

unknown nature of how the individual became exposed 

to Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax. 

The victim made drums from animal pelts, and the pelts 

potentially were contaminated with environmental B. 

anthracis spores. The HMRU conducted an environmental 

sampling mission in support of public health and the 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in several 

areas that were potentially contaminated with spores. 

In July 2006 the Rochester Resident Agency of the FBI’s 

Buffalo Field Office requested the assistance of the 

HMRU to help the Rochester Police Department and the 

Department of Environmental Conservation investigate 

a case involving an individual who had recently been 

evicted from his apartment. Upon entering the individual’s 

residence, the eviction server noticed a large quantity of 

dangerous chemicals, including picric acid and mercury. 

Subsequent investigation determined no terrorism 

nexus; however, the HMRU and HMRTs were requested 

to provide scientific, technical, safety, and HAZMAT 

expertise to the Rochester Fire Department, the Rochester 

Police Department, and the Department of Environmental 

Conservation to assist them in successfully and safely 

resolving the incident. 

Generic castor seed

An HMRU Base of Operations Vehicle and Rochester Fire 

Department HAZMAT units at the Rochester, New York, 

HAZMAT scene

HMRU chemists and HAZMAT officers, along with Rochester 

fire officials, analyze video images from the Rochester Fire 

Department’s HAZMAT Team inside the HMRU Base of 

Operations Vehicle.
FBI Laboratory 2006 33

Research and Development Services

Research and development form the foundation of the FBI Laboratory’s investigative services. The 

scientific breakthroughs developed in the Laboratory not only help the FBI solve cases but also advance 

the forensic sciences. Working with scientists from other government agencies and academia enhances 

the expertise of others while simultaneously benefiting the Laboratory. The Laboratory’s work with 

international agencies leads to the development of global solutions to the crime problems facing the 

world today. The Counterterrorism and Forensic Science Research Unit leads the Laboratory’s efforts in 

these areas.

Counterterrorism and Forensic Science Research Unit

The Counterterrorism and Forensic Science Research Unit (CFSRU) researches, develops, and 

delivers new technologies and methodologies to advance forensic science and combat terrorism. To 

achieve this mission, CFSRU scientists work with scientists at other government agencies, including 

the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the CIA, and the Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention. Examples of recent research accomplishments include a comprehensive study on the use 

of specialized techniques for disarming improvised explosive devices; the development of software 

to decipher manually encrypted ciphers and interpret codes; the creation of technically engineered 

designs and prototypes of packaging to contain and transport radiologically contaminated evidence; 

and the production of portable containment devices to permit safe, effective forensic examination of 

contaminated evidence. 

In 2006, unit personnel, together with participants in the Visiting Scientist Program managed within 

CFSRU, executed more than 100 research and development projects, presented findings at numerous 

national and international technical conferences, and submitted six manuscripts for publication in peerreviewed scientific journals.

CFSRU scientists are leading experts in their respective 

fields and provide valuable advice and guidance to both 

the FBI and other law enforcement agencies as requested. 

In addition to its role in research and development, 

CFSRU provides advanced scientific training through 

specialized forensic classes offered to state and local 

law enforcement personnel. In 2006, CFSRU personnel 

conducted specialized classes with both interactive 

classroom lectures and hands-on laboratory exercises 

in such subjects as infrared spectrometry, forensic 

mitochondrial DNA analysis, and chromatographic 

methods.

As part of the CFSRU’s outreach effort to assist state and 

local crime laboratories, unit personnel provided updates 

The Automotive Carpet Fiber Database provides the capability to 

use fiber evidence to identify the possible make, model, and year 

of automotive vehicles. Knowing the source of such fibers can 

enhance investigation and prosecution, especially in homicide 

and abduction cases.
34 FBI Laboratory 2006

on active research at the 34thAnnual Crime Laboratory Development Symposium held in Atlanta. The 

update featured six technical presentations by CFSRU personnel: the Permanence of Friction Ridge Skin 

Detail; Immunoassays for Body-Fluid Identification; Detection of Cocaine-N-Oxide and Other Cocaine 

Metabolites in Hair by Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Creation of an Automotive Carpet 

Fiber Database; Development and Validation of an Automated Biometric Handwriting Comparison 

System for Forensic Document Examinations; and Use of Three-Dimensional Imaging for Quantitative 

Comparison of Toolmarks. In addition, 26 technical scientific posters were presented on subjects related 

to anthropology, chemical analysis, counterterrorism, nuclear and mitochondrial DNA, document 

analysis, explosives, fingerprint examination, microbiology, photography, serology, toxicology, and trace 

evidence.

Cooperative International Teamwork

CFSRU participated in the Forensic Review Panel coordinated by the European Network of Forensic 

Science Institutes (ENFSI). Subject-matter experts reviewed a protocol developed by the Russian 

precious-metal industry and the Russian Forensic Science Federation for determining the source of 

materials used in the processing of platinum-group metals. The goal of the panel was to come to a 

decision concerning the acceptability of this protocol in European courts, establish documentation 

concerning its forensic validity, and make suggestions for possible improvement. Sourcing of these 

materials is important because stolen platinum-group metals have been used to finance organized 

criminal enterprises, including those supporting international terrorism.

Cryptanalysis Support System

CFSRU assisted in the development of the Cryptanalysis Support System (CRYSS), a machine-driven, 

cutting-edge tool that assists cryptographers in deciphering manually encrypted ciphers written in 

various languages and symbols. The program was installed for casework use in 2004, and since that 

time, it has been used to assist in deciphering more than 80 messages. In recognition of the significance 

of the program, Laboratory employees in CFSRU, the Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit 

(CRRU), and the IT Coordination Group who worked on the project received a Director’s Award for 

Outstanding Scientific Achievement. CFSRU continues to support the CRRU with recent enhancements 

to the software aimed at applying the knowledge learned in developing CRYSS to the interpretation of 

codes.

Reality Enhancement/Facial Approximation by Computational Estimation

An automated, three-dimensional facial-reconstruction system has been developed under external 

contract, and the beta version is now undergoing validation. Reality Enhancement/Facial Approximation 

by Computational Estimation (RE/FACE) is a cutting-edge software program that provides facial 

approximation of human remains. This software has the potential to revolutionize the identification of 

unknown skeletal and decomposed remains of missing persons and victims of crime, mass disasters, and 

war, thereby providing assistance to all national and international investigative and law enforcement 

agencies.

Messenger RNA Profiling of Human Body Fluids

Conventional methods of body-fluid identification use a variety of labor-intensive, technologically 

diverse serological techniques. Fully differentiated cells, such as blood lymphocytes or epithelial cells 

lining the oral cavity, have a unique pattern of gene expression, which is characterized by the relative 

presence and abundance of specific messenger RNA (mRNA) species. Using an RNA‐based assay 

to identify biological stains offers several advantages over conventional methods, including greater 
FBI Laboratory 2006 35

specificity, simultaneous analysis through common assay format, the potential for automation, and 

decreased sample consumption. 

CFSRU is actively working to develop and validate a set of 

mRNA assays that can be used to identify human saliva, blood, 

semen, vaginal secretions, and menstrual blood. As proof of 

concept, CFSRU managed an external contract to develop 

a 15-plex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction 

(RT-PCR) assay, which is being optimized for use by the DNA 

Analysis Unit I. Through the Visiting Scientist Program, postdoctoral-level scientists are performing research to facilitate 

transition of the multiplex RT-PCR to routine casework. A 

method is being developed to coextract DNA and RNA from 

forensic samples that will allow practitioners to determine the 

source of a stain both in terms of genetic identity and bodyfluid composition from a single sample. 

Trace Volatile Organic Compound Analysis

Detection of trace volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by canines for human odor/scent, human 

remains, narcotics, and explosives determinations is an important component of investigative law 

enforcement and forensic analysis. The use of canines for explosives or narcotics detection has a proven 

success rate; however, in these instances, the canines are trained on only a few compounds. Canines 

have been trained specifically to remember human odor on living persons and have been successful 

in matching suspects to proffered odor evidence. In this case, it has been determined that an ensemble 

of existing compounds could be responsible in a match-to-sample scenario. Criminal cases involving 

missing persons have been resolved by the ability of trained canines to store a victim’s unique chemical 

signature and track this specific ensemble to crime scene locations or buried remains. 

For human-scent detection, it would be beneficial for law enforcement to reproduce, via analytical 

instrumentation and methods, the capability of the canine to extract and detect trace-level VOCs 

from the air in nearly real time. This requires determining the target compounds and their respective 

concentrations. A method using analytical instrumentation has been developed and evaluated for the 

rapid detection and identification of trace-level VOCs. The new adaptive sampler can determine trace 

VOCs while working in the same air-flow regime as the canine. Optimization experiments are underway 

to further improve potential field use of the device. 

Microbial Rosetta Stone

CFSRU managed the development of a comprehensive database for microbial forensics that will provide 

law enforcement personnel with the ability to quickly obtain relevant information on a wide variety 

of biological threat agents and to store analytical data in an easily retrievable format. The Microbial 

Rosetta Stone (MRS) database system offers a repository of information on threat agents and will soon 

be deployed to multiple users. The system will provide the FBI with a resource that helps define the 

landscape of microbial threat agents and supports diagnostic assay development and characterization. 

The database gives law enforcement personnel a repository of information on biological agents that can 

be queried for risk-assessment analysis of threat incidents and assist with response planning. 

An extensive amount of data on human, agriculture, and livestock pathogens and biological toxins that 

may be used as threat agents has been added to the system. A mass spectrometry literature collection 

CFSRU performs research into methods, instrumentation, 

and protocols to support DNA analysis.
36 FBI Laboratory 2006

describing analytical methods for detecting bacteriological samples has been compiled and incorporated 

into the system. The MRS will enable documenting and tracking biochemical and genomic signatures 

for pathogens and provide users with a place to store, identify, query, and compare those signatures. 

The potential usefulness of the MRS system is evident by interest shown by other government agencies, 

including the Department of Homeland Security, the Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture.

Visiting Scientist Program

The Visiting Scientist Program provides a direct connection 

between the FBI Laboratory and academia. Visiting 

Scientists—who include university students, postgraduates, 

and faculty from institutions outside the FBI—work with 

CFSRU staff to enhance the FBI Laboratory’s research and 

development capabilities, meet the mission and needs of the 

Laboratory, and enhance their own education by participating 

in forensic research initiatives in the CFSRU laboratories using 

state-of-the-art equipment. In this way, Visiting Scientists not 

only increase their research contribution within their chosen 

field of study but also participate in a unique professional 

development opportunity.

With an experienced CFSRU scientist to guide and mentor them, Visiting Scientists work on one or two 

projects designed to meet the needs of the Laboratory’s operational units. After a program lasting from 

three months to three years, participants submit detailed reports and technical papers for publication in 

peer-reviewed scientific journals. In 2006 program funding allowed the FBI to offer this opportunity 

to 45 Visiting Scientists representing 30 academic institutions. These scientists included 2 university 

faculty members, 15 postdoctoral fellows, 3 doctoral students, 6 master’s recipients, 8 master’s students, 

5 bachelor’s recipients, and 6 undergraduate students. 

Through a cooperative effort with the Department of Defense, the Visiting Scientist Program was 

expanded in 2006 to include military graduate students from the Uniformed Services University of the 

Health Sciences (USUHS). Six USUHS students participated in CFSRU research designed to meet the 

needs of the Laboratory’s operational units while simultaneously providing opportunities for scientific 

research suitable for incorporation into the students’ dissertations. This cooperative effort advances FBI 

research needs while helping to ensure a cadre of professionally trained and educated military scientists.

The Visiting Scientist Program was the focal point of an award established in 2006 to honor the 

commitment of Dr. Dwight E. Adams, former Director of the FBI Laboratory, to forensic science 

research and, in particular, to the training and development of future forensic scientists. The Dwight 

E. Adams Award recognizes a participant in the Visiting Scientist Program for exceptional scientific 

achievement and performance of research and development that address one or more priorities defined 

by the Director of the FBI. This award was presented for the first time in 2006 to Dr. Billy W. Acon, 

in recognition for outstanding performance during his tenure as a Visiting Scientist. Dr. Acon received 

a certificate and monetary award, and his name was engraved on a plaque currently on display in the 

Laboratory. 

Additional information on the Visiting Scientist Program is located at http://www.fbijobs.gov/242.asp. 

A Visiting Scientist performs research to extend the time 

window for detecting drug use from the analysis of hair 

samples.
FBI Laboratory 2006 37

Administrative and Support Services

These units play a vital role in supporting the mission of the FBI Laboratory. They ensure that the 

Laboratory has sufficient resources to operate, facilitate the efficient flow of evidence through the 

Laboratory, keep Laboratory employees safe and healthy, and maintain security on the premises, among 

other essential functions.

Administrative Unit

The Administrative Unit (AU) supports the mission of the FBI Laboratory by coordinating, directing, 

and facilitating various programs and initiatives in the areas of administration, personnel, hiring, and 

mail services. 

The AU’s administrative responsibilities include the following areas:

 • Awards.

 • Ethics.

 • Equal Employment Opportunity, Employee Assistance, and Upward Mobility Programs.

 • Fleet management.

• Forensic examiner training, certification, and service agreements.

 • Honors interns.

 • Inspections.

 • Manual revisions.

 • Student loan repayment. 

The AU’s personnel and hiring responsibilities include:

 • Promotions, transfers, and reassignments.

 • Internal and external hiring initiatives.

• Staffing and funded staffing levels.

 • Organizational charts and reorganization matters.

 • Career-board coordination for special agent and professional support personnel.

 • Promotional criteria and performance-based action oversight.

 • Changes to and/or creation of position descriptions.

 • Work-life matters, to include leave restoration, work-at-home options, alternate work 

 schedules, and part-time employment.

• Availability-pay certification.

 • Executive management requests.

 • Resource Management and Allocation Committee coordination and facilitation.

The AU’s Mail Services group provides in-house, full-service mail and shipping services for the entire 

Laboratory, to including mail metering; loading-dock functions; confidential-trash disposal; and 

incoming and outgoing shipments via the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, and other courier services.

The AU’s areas of responsibility are highlighted in the following 2006 endeavors. 
38 FBI Laboratory 2006

In February 2006 the FBI’s Security Division requested changes to the organizational structure and 

reporting requirements of the Laboratory’s security positions. As a result, in May 2006, security 

personnel were reassigned to the Laboratory’s Operational Support Branch, and the Administrative 

and Security Unit became the Administrative Unit. This change in staffing has allowed the AU to 

devote additional time and effort to the Division’s ongoing and constantly evolving human resource 

requirements, various policy compliance issues, and coordination of various programs under the unit’s 

purview. 

In 2006 the AU also helped the Human Resources Division redesign the FBI’s recruiting Web site 

(http://www.fbijobs.gov). The goal of the project was to make the site more user-friendly, intuitive, 

and informative, as well as more attractive to candidates, thus increasing the number of quality 

individuals hired. Toward that end, the AU reviewed and updated a collection of documents describing 

the Laboratory’s scientific positions. This project also involved reviewing, editing, and revising 

approximately 23 unit descriptions for a Laboratory Web page (http://www.fbijobs.gov/311143.asp) that 

links to the FBI’s main job Web site. The Laboratory’s page provides a synopsis of unit functions and 

positions, as well as their requirements, and represents an excellent tool to generate a greater interest in 

career opportunities in the Laboratory. 

The FBI Laboratory must maintain a cadre of experienced and certified forensic examiners. Because of 

the amount of time and expense involved in training and certifying forensic examiners, the AU received 

oversight responsibility for the new examiner training and qualification process. The AU implemented 

a new Forensic Examiner Training Agreement Program (FETAP), which included establishing the 

program’s policies, procedures, and guidelines. The FETAP provides a flexible framework and training 

for experienced, court-qualified forensic examiners. As such, each Laboratory unit with forensic 

examiners requires an individualized training plan to document as trainees earn the status of fully 

qualified, FBI-certified forensic examiners. This training plan includes evaluations and assessments of 

each trainee’s previous training, experience, and expertise; identification of areas needing improvement 

and the design of individually tailored training plans to address these areas; oral boards; moot courts; 

and certification. 

Evidence Control Unit

The FBI Laboratory’s focal point for evidence services is its Evidence Control Unit (ECU). The ECU’s 

mission is to provide quality service to its evidence 

contributors as well as to provide supporting services to 

all evidence-examining units within the Laboratory. 

As the FBI Laboratory’s central point for the 

administrative management of evidence, the ECU 

acts as a liaison between FBI Laboratory staff 

and contributing agencies to provide information 

regarding the status of their cases. This best practice 

is demonstrated in major and high-profile cases where 

a single point of contact in the ECU coordinates all 

evidence received and provides real-time status checks 

to contributors, as well as to Laboratory management, 

as the case moves through the FBI Laboratory. An ECU Request Coordinator assists an Indian Country Evidence 

Task Force member with evidence matters.
FBI Laboratory 2006 39

Special programs also are in place to benefit and support 

frequent contributors of evidence to the FBI Laboratory. 

The District of Columbia’s Washington Metropolitan 

Police Department and the Indian Country jurisdictions 

represent two such contributors. The FBI Laboratory 

employs a task-force-like approach to process the large 

number of cases received in these matters. The ECU 

supports these major evidence programs by designating 

a “Request Coordinator” to coordinate, track, and 

administratively manage the evidence received. This 

service enables the contributing agency to discuss and 

exchange information regarding cases, discuss the 

various forensic services available, and obtain up-to-theminute case status. 

As a service to FBI field offices, the ECU provides leadership and guidance to 

field evidence technicians regarding the proper handling of evidence through its 

Field Evidence Program. The FBI’s Field Evidence Program Manager sets policy 

and provides to FBI field offices—as well as other federal, state, and local law 

enforcement agencies—guidance and direction in the receipt, storage, packaging, and 

proper transfer of evidence. As mandated by the Code of Federal Regulations under 

the Department of Transportation, the Field Evidence Program sponsors training 

in packaging and shipping hazardous materials. Evidence technicians responsible 

for packaging or shipping hazardous materials are required to receive this training 

every two years from a school certified by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s 

Transportation Safety Institute. 

The ECU’s role in carrying out these administrative evidence services is vital to developing and 

fostering relationships and communication with the law enforcement community and significantly aids 

in the timely movement of evidence throughout the FBI Laboratory.

Facility Services Unit

The Facility Services Unit (FSU) handles facility, physical security, and health and safety matters in the 

Laboratory building and other facilities used by the Laboratory Division.

The Facilities group comprises mostly maintenance personnel. These employees maintain, repair, and 

alter Laboratory Division facilities and also provide oversight for contracts that cover maintenance, 

repair, or alteration of the facilities. The group also oversees space-management issues and coordinates 

with architectural and engineering firms for facility studies and designs.

Electronics technicians (ETs) maintain and modify the Laboratory’s electronic systems, including 

internal and external local area networks, access and intrusion systems, internal telephone 

communications equipment, and video teleconferencing equipment. ETs also help establish secret and 

top-secret communication to meet the Laboratory’s needs for access to military and other government 

sites throughout the world.

An ECU Request Coordinator assists a local contributor with an 

evidence submission.
40 FBI Laboratory 2006

The Health and Safety Group (HSG) ensures compliance with federal, state, and local occupational, 

environmental, nuclear, and transportation regulations in the operation of a forensic laboratory. This 

group supports investigative efforts with local, state, and international law enforcement agencies 

through the application and receipt of special permits for the movement of hazardous materials into 

and out of the Laboratory, while sharing technical health and safety information with local and 

state forensic laboratories. This group also manages the Laboratory’s fitness center and arranges for 

inspections of the Laboratory’s food-service facility. Finally, the HSG is home to the Health Services 

Office, staffed by contract nurses responsible for daily medical visits as well as routine fitness-for-duty 

physicals and physicals for personnel who deploy throughout the world to support FBI investigations.

Planning and Budget Unit

The Planning and Budget Unit (PBU) manages all phases of planning, budgeting, acquisition, project 

management, auditing, and inventory and supply services for the FBI Laboratory. These essential 

services support the Laboratory’s mission and the FBI’s strategic planning efforts. Using state-of-the-art 

tools that include real-time, web-based financial and project management information and automated 

templates and reports, the PBU ensures that Laboratory investments are well planned, fully funded, 

successfully implemented, and appropriately managed. 

During 2006 the PBU enhanced the web-based financial system used to capture, track, and manage 

Laboratory investments. These enhancements included spending-plan forecasting and additional project 

management tools. These improvements help Laboratory managers plan their financial investments and 

track the health, status, and completion of their projects. Project management standards were refined to 

integrate the best practices of investment management and ensure project excellence and success. The 

PBU also established the Major Acquisition Review Committee and the Research Council to serve as 

standardized review mechanisms for approving, managing, and controlling Laboratory projects to ensure 

their compliance with project management standards. During the year the PBU processed more than 

6800 financial transactions and managed expenditures totaling $66 million. 

Security Team

Security represents an essential component of every FBI division, and the Laboratory has some of the 

strictest security measures of any FBI facility. To ensure that security remains a top priority, in 2006 

the Security Team, which previously had been part of the Administrative and Security Unit, became a 

separate entity, reporting directly to the Deputy Assistant Director of the Operational Support Branch.

The Security Team administers the many aspects of the Laboratory’s security program. These include 

classification issues, communications security, briefings and debriefings, access requests, five-year 

reinvestigations and associated personnel security interviews, international travel, contacts with foreign 

nationals, the foreign-national visitor program, requests for sensitive compartmented information (SCI) 

clearances and associated briefings, security compliance issues, and SCI facility accreditation and 

compliance procedures. 

In addition to providing continuing advice to Laboratory employees on security-related issues, in 2006 

the Security Team accomplished the following objectives:

 
FBI Laboratory 2006 41

 • Created a Security Awareness Program, with an accompanying bimonthly security 

 awareness newsletter to provide reference material and advice to all Laboratory 

 employees.

• Automated the Security Awareness Annual Briefings to allow employees to access 

 them on the team’s intranet site. 

 • Created databases to track and ensure compliance with the rules for unescorted 

 visitor access, contractor access, and international travel. 

 • Enhanced the Laboratory’s physical security by changing procedures that affect 

 the physical surveillance of the Laboratory facility.

 • Wrote a new Continuity of Operations Plan for the Laboratory and facilitated an 

exercise to ensure that the Laboratory continues to fulfill its mission, even in times 

 of crisis. 

INNOVARi: The FBI Laboratory’s Business Process Management Initiative

In 2006 the FBI Laboratory embarked on an ambitious project to improve 

its forensic examination business processes and to create a work-flow and 

information management system. The project is called INNOVARi, from the 

Latin word innovare, meaning “to renew.” Its purpose is to provide visibility into 

the work activities being performed, to manage the information that is collected 

and produced as a result of forensic examinations, and to track and manage 

the individual items of evidence that are examined by the FBI Laboratory. INNOVARi provides 

the traditional features of a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), but because of 

the integrated work-flow features that enable the oversight and management of the entire forensic 

examination process, it exceeds the functionality of a LIMS.

The FBI Laboratory uses business process management, or BPM, for its INNOVARi project 

because BPM provides a holistic approach to improve the performance of organizations. BPM uses 

a methodology to analyze an organization’s business processes to identify inefficiencies and uses 

information technology or automation to enable performance improvements. Furthermore, BPM 

is considered an instrument used within change efforts or interventions as part of the management 

discipline of Organization Development. The methodology used as part of INNOVARi is called Value 

Stream Management, and the automation software used to manage the business processes is called 

BizFlow. 

As a part of its project to help create and develop its work-flow and information management system, the 

FBI Laboratory deployed a pilot phase involving two of its forensic business units: the Trace Evidence 

Unit and the Evidence Control Unit. Ten business processes between the two units were modeled, 

analyzed, improved, and then automated into the INNOVARi application. Overall user feedback 

regarding the INNOVARi application has been positive, and wider adoption is planned. Over the next 

two years, the remaining forensic examination units will undergo BPM methodology facilitation, and 

their business processes will be integrated into the INNOVARi application. 
42 FBI Laboratory 2006

Quality Services

The FBI Laboratory is committed to the forensic community by not only examining evidence but 

also providing guidance on quality assurance issues and offering training opportunities and literary 

resources to assist law enforcement personnel in performing their job duties. The Laboratory maintains 

its accreditation with the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation 

Board (ASCLD/LAB) and thus continues to offer unparalleled quality services. This section outlines the 

Laboratory’s commitment in these areas.

Quality Assurance and Training Unit

In the Quality Assurance and Training Unit (QATU), three groups work cohesively to provide for the 

betterment of the forensic sciences. QA staff members ensure that the Laboratory maintains compliance 

with the ASCLD/LAB accreditation requirements. The Training group organizes specialized classes in 

many areas of forensic analysis. The third group is the Library, whose personnel provide timely technical 

information to law enforcement and forensic science personnel both inside and outside the FBI. The 

Library maintains a diverse assortment of reference materials and also produces several forensic science 

publications.

Quality Assurance

QA personnel support the caseworking units of the FBI Laboratory by providing guidance on the quality 

system. QA staff created the Quality Assurance Manual and the Laboratory Operations Manual, which 

serve as the core of the quality system. Both manuals were revised in 2006 for compliance with the 

ASCLD/LAB-International Accreditation Program for which the Laboratory will undergo assessment 

in 2007. QA personnel also coordinate the calibration and maintenance of the many items of analytical 

equipment used in the Laboratory. QA staff members also manage the Proficiency Testing Program 

for the caseworking units of the Laboratory. Proficiency tests represent an essential requirement for 

maintaining accreditation as well as ensuring that forensic scientists remain proficient in their analytical 

abilities. Additionally, the QA staff performs audits to verify that Laboratory personnel are following 

established policies and procedures.

Training

The Training staff of QATU organizes the Specialized Forensic Science Training Program, which offers 

forensic science courses to Laboratory employees as well as law enforcement personnel. In addition, 

Training personnel facilitate scientific working group (SWG) meetings by scouting locations for the 

meetings and coordinating travel arrangements through FBI field offices for attendees. SWGs comprise 

members of the forensic community who meet regularly to discuss issues within a forensic discipline 

and initiate improvements for the types of analyses performed by those attending. 

An integral part of the QATU’s Training sector is the planning of the annual Crime Laboratory 

Development Symposium. This conference provides training for the managers of federal, state, and local 

forensic laboratories. It also serves as a forum for exchanging ideas and solutions to problems that many 

laboratories encounter.
FBI Laboratory 2006 43

Library

The FBI Laboratory Library provides scientific literature and reference services to Laboratory 

personnel as well as state and local forensic scientists. Informational sources are provided as electronic 

resources, monographs, print journals, and other documents that support evidence examinations, prepare 

examiners for courtroom testimony, and facilitate the research and development of techniques used in 

forensic analyses. The Library currently maintains more than 8000 scientific books and 400 periodical 

subscriptions. 

Library staff members also produce several publications that are available to members of the law 

enforcement community in print and on the Internet. The Laboratory’s online, peer-reviewed forensic 

science journal, Forensic Science Communications, includes research papers, technical articles, case 

studies, and other information of interest to forensic science and law enforcement professionals. 

The Handbook of Forensic Services offers guidelines and protocols for the collection, preservation, 

packaging, and shipment of evidence to the Laboratory. Other publications produced by Library staff 

include the Processing Guide for Developing Latent Prints and the FBI Laboratory’s annual report.

Annual Crime Laboratory Development Symposium

The 34th Annual Crime Laboratory Development Symposium was held May 8–11, 2006, in Atlanta, 

Georgia, at the Georgia Tech College 

of Management, in association with the 

Carlson School of Management from 

the University of Minnesota. More 

than 240 managers and laboratory 

directors attended workshops devoted 

to the symposium’s “Organizational 

Communication” theme. Presenters 

included educator and author 

Dr. Marshall Goldsmith; 

Bill Jefferies, who specializes in 

human and organizational behavior; 

David Maxfield, an expert in 

personality theory and interpersonal 

skill development; and Associate 

Professor of Literature at Georgia State 

University Dr. Paul Voss. Attendees 

had the opportunity to interact 

with other members of the forensic 

community and took away a greater 

understanding of how to communicate 

with their colleagues. 

David Maxfield presents “Crucial Conversations” at the 34th Annual Crime Laboratory 

Development Symposium.
44 FBI Laboratory 2006

Community Service 

Perhaps more than any other profession, law enforcement has a built-in service component. Employees 

know that they serve their communities every day. And, yet, they always strive to do more. FBI 

Laboratory employees are involved in several community service projects to reach out to the local 

community and beyond.

School-Supply Drive

Returning to school after summer vacation may not be a treat for the kids, but at the FBI Laboratory, 

the start of the new school year is fun. Staff members relive their own school days by purchasing their 

favorite school supplies and donating them to the local school system. Every year, this donation of 

backpacks, paper, pencils, markers, and other items helps the students start their school year off right.

Holiday Food Drive

In its 2006 holiday food drive to benefit the local food bank, the FBI Laboratory collected 303 pounds 

of food, enough to provide approximately 228 meals for families in need. The donations went to 

the Fredericksburg Area Food Bank, which provides meals to residents in Fredericksburg and the 

surrounding counties of Caroline, King George, Stafford, and Spotsylvania. 

Junior Scientist Program

FBI Laboratory staff 

nurture budding scientists 

in the Laboratory’s Junior 

Scientist Program. Twice 

a month, volunteers from 

the Laboratory visit a 

local elementary school 

to present topics relevant 

to the students’ science 

curriculum. The students 

also receive information 

and guidance on 

conducting research and 

presenting the findings 

in the school’s yearly 

science fair, which is 

judged by FBI Laboratory 

volunteers. The program 

culminates in a 

graduation ceremony at 

the FBI Laboratory.

Junior Scientists visiting the Laboratory