U. S. Department of Justice

Federal Bureau of Investigation

FBILABORATORY 2007

Supporting FBI Operations for 75 Years

The FBI Laboratory 2007 Report

may also be viewed online at

http://www.fbi.gov/hq/lab/labannual07.pdf

U.S. Department of Justice

Federal Bureau of Investigation

2501 Investigation Parkway

Quantico, VA 22135
2 FBI Laboratory 2007

Table of Contents

Message from the FBI Laboratory Director

Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Explosives Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Forensic Analysis Branch 

Evidence Control Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Quality Assurance and Training Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Forensic Analysis Section

 Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

 Firearms-Toolmarks Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

 Latent Print Operations Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

 Latent Print Support Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

 Questioned Documents Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

	 Scientific Analysis Section

 Chemistry Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

 Combined DNA Index System Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

 DNA Analysis Unit-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

 DNA Analysis Unit-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

 Trace Evidence Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Operational Support Branch

Security Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Forensic Science Support Section 

 Administrative Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

 Counterterrorism and Forensic Science Research Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

 INNOVARi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

 Planning and Budget Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

 Special Projects Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Operational Response Section

 Chemical-Biological Sciences Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

 Evidence Response Team Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

 Hazardous Materials Response Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

 Photographic Operations and Imaging Services Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
FBI Laboratory 2007 3

Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center

A car bomb explodes at a police station in Baghdad, Iraq, killing and injuring dozens of police recruits, 

U.S. military personnel, and civilians. The explosive device is remotely detonated by a cell phone. No 

terrorists are injured in the attack or apprehended at the scene.

A suicide bomber walks into a crowded marketplace in Kabul, Afghanistan, and detonates a bomb that is 

concealed beneath his clothing. He kills 10 people, and dozens more are seriously wounded. The bomber 

dies in the attack.

In Mosul, Iraq, a U.S. military convoy is ambushed after a bomb that had been buried underground 

along the convoy’s route explodes. Marines in the disabled tank are attacked by terrorists with 

rocket-propelled grenades. A firefight ensues between the Marines and the terrorists. Four Marines lose

their lives, and 10 terrorists are killed during the fighting.

These fictitious scenarios are based on real events that occur every day as the United States and its allies

fight against terrorism overseas. At the FBI Laboratory, the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center

(TEDAC) provides critical intelligence needed to protect and defend innocent lives against the threat of 

terrorism.

The mission of the TEDAC is to coordinate and manage the unified efforts of law enforcement,

intelligence, and military assets to forensically and technically exploit improvised explosive devices 

(IEDs) of interest to the U.S. government worldwide, in an effort to provide actionable intelligence to 

the offensive missions against terrorism and to the force protection mission.

Intelligence reports and TEDAC bulletins are disseminated directly to local, state, federal, and tribal 

law enforcement agencies, the U.S. military, and U.S. international partners in the war on terror. The 

TEDAC provides vital information to the U.S. intelligence community and especially to U.S. military 

forces fighting in Iraq and other overseas operations. Through forensic examinations, the TEDAC has

successfully linked various IEDs to one another and to suspected terrorists. 

IED evidence is submitted to the TEDAC directly from the scenes of terrorist attacks. TEDAC 

examinations consist of firearms and fingerprint processing in addition to the analysis of trace evidence

(hairs, fibers, metals, and other material), electronic components, and mitochondrial DNA.

Since its inception in 2003, the TEDAC has received more than 24,000 IED submissions, all of which 

are in some form of processing at the FBI Laboratory. In 2007, the TEDAC received more than 9,000 

IED submissions from Iraq and Afghanistan. The TEDAC identified more than 30 individuals by

name as potential bomb makers based on latent fingerprints recovered from the IEDs. Trace evidence

examinations resulted in the linkage of several IEDs to one another and to suspected terrorists. Nearly 

100 terrorist associations were made as a result of electronic trend-analysis examinations. More than 

50 associations of IEDs were made as a result of firearms examinations, and two terrorist suspects were

identified as bomb makers as a result of mitochondrial DNA testing.
4 FBI Laboratory 2007

The following images depict examples of tools and components received by the TEDAC that can be 

used in making IEDs.

Explosives Unit

Since 1972, the Explosives Unit has supported the FBI’s mission to investigate and prevent bombing 

incidents. The unit’s staff of special agents, chemists, device physical scientists, device examiners, 

and information specialists work together to identify improvised explosive and incendiary devices; 

determine the types of explosives used; identify suspects; and provide support, liaison, and training 

to FBI field offices and other agencies and laboratories working bombing matters. The Explosives

Reference Tool (EXPeRT), which is accessible to law enforcement via the FBI’s Bomb Data Center 

Special Interest Group on Law Enforcement Online (LEO), contains FBI Laboratory reports and 

evidentiary photographs, making it a key resource in forensic bombing examinations. By analyzing 

tactics, techniques, and procedures used by terrorist bombers, the EU can develop cutting-edge solutions 

to combat these emerging threats and ensure the continued leadership role the FBI Laboratory has come 

to play in terrorist bombing matters.

The FBI’s Hydrogen Peroxide Liquid Explosive Research Program

On March 15, 2004, a vehicle bomb was delivered to the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan. The bomb 

was successfully disarmed by local authorities, and subsequent explosives chemical analysis by FBI 

Explosives Unit personnel determined that the explosive was composed of hydrogen peroxide. It was the 

first time that FBI Explosives Unit personnel had encountered a large bomb based on a potential liquid

explosive composed of hydrogen peroxide. On April 10, 2004, authorities in Amman, Jordan, thwarted 
FBI Laboratory 2007 5

a terrorist attack and recovered a large quantity of chemicals, including a large quantity of hydrogen 

peroxide, presumably to be used to manufacture liquid explosives.

In August 2006, British authorities interrupted a terrorist plot to bring down multiple trans-Atlantic 

passenger flights originating in the United Kingdom and traveling to the United States. The plan

involved smuggling hydrogen peroxide-based liquid explosives onto the airplanes and detonating them 

in flight. In early September 2007, German authorities foiled a major terrorist attack against U.S. and

German interests. This plot also involved using hydrogen peroxide to manufacture bombs. These events 

highlight the substantial threat posed by hydrogen peroxide-based liquid explosives.

Since October 2005, scientists in 

the FBI Laboratory’s Explosives 

Unit and Counterterrorism and 

Forensic Science Research Unit 

have been conducting research to 

better understand the threat posed 

by these liquid explosives. The joint 

study consists of a comprehensive, 

detailed study of the safety hazards 

of these mixtures, their feasibility 

of manufacture, and their explosive 

performance at explosive weights 

ranging from 5 to 2000 pounds. Such 

a cradle-to-grave counterterrorist 

study of liquid peroxide-based 

explosives had never been initiated by 

the U.S. government before.

To date, more than 300 tests have been performed on various hydrogen peroxide-based liquid 

explosives. Explosives Unit personnel are often contacted by other domestic and international law 

enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies, research laboratories, and other federal agencies for 

the results of their research program. Less than one day after the foiled British terrorist plot was 

disclosed to the public, the FBI research program generated results detailing the nature of the threat 

and communicated the results to the FBI Director. The data assisted the U.S. Department of Homeland 

Security in developing restrictions on the amounts of liquids that the public could carry onboard an 

aircraft. Results from this research program also directly assisted the German authorities with the 

technical evaluation of their terrorist plot.

The foresight of the Explosives Unit and the Counterterrorism and Forensic Science Research Unit, 

coupled with rapid response and testing, directly contributed to the safety of the flying public and the

arrest of the individuals involved in the German terrorist plot. The success of the Laboratory’s research 

program also has prompted other federal agencies to begin their own research initiatives.

Manufacturing a 2000-pound liquid explosive bomb. The bomb is shown in the 

foreground.
6 FBI Laboratory 2007

Forensic Analysis Branch

The Forensic Analysis Branch (FAB) is the destination for most items of evidence submitted to 

the Laboratory for analysis. The Evidence Control Unit manages the flow of evidence through the

Laboratory, tracking items as they move from unit to unit and providing status reports to contributors 

and Laboratory management along the way. A single item of evidence may be subject to many 

examinations in several units. For example, depending on the circumstances surrounding the case, a 

handwritten letter and the envelope it was mailed in would be examined in Questioned Documents, 

Trace Evidence, DNA, Chemistry, and Latent Prints. If written in code, the letter would also be 

examined by the Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit.

The variety and sheer number of examinations required for each item of evidence keep the FAB 

evidence-examining units extremely busy. In addition to examining evidence and issuing detailed, 

comprehensive reports on their findings, they also testify in court, provide training, conduct research,

publish in and serve as referees for peer-reviewed journals, and remain proficient and knowledgeable in

their areas of expertise.

The FAB’s Quality Assurance and Training Unit (QATU) assists the caseworking units in their 

mission by ensuring compliance with quality-control guidelines, proficiency-testing protocols, and

accreditation-board requirements. The QATU also manages the Specialized Forensic Training Program, 

facilitates meetings for Laboratory-sponsored scientific working groups, and sponsors the annual Crime

Laboratory Development Symposium.

The Forensic Analysis Branch is divided into two sections: Forensic Analysis, which encompasses the 

Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit, the Firearms-Toolmarks Unit, the Latent Print Operations 

Unit, the Latent Print Support Unit, and the Questioned Documents Unit; and Scientific Analysis, which

contains the Chemistry Unit, the Combined DNA Index System Unit, the DNA Analysis Unit-1, the 

DNA Analysis Unit-2, and the Trace Evidence Unit.

Evidence Control Unit

The Evidence Control Unit (ECU) serves a fundamental role in supporting FBI operations by managing 

and tracking all evidence collected from crime scenes and sent to the FBI Laboratory for forensic 

examination.

The FBI Laboratory receives thousands of cases annually. Each case received has the potential of 

including from one to several thousand items of evidence. The ECU provides a central base for 

receiving and managing this evidence and is essential to communicating information to law enforcement 

contributors. ECU personnel establish and maintain liaison with contributors to acknowledge receipt 

of the evidence and to discuss pertinent case issues, as well as to provide status checks and advice and 

guidance in areas such as packaging and transporting evidence.

At the field level, the ECU provides advice and guidance to evidence-handling personnel through its

Field Evidence Program. Nationwide, FBI field offices collect and store thousands of items of evidence
FBI Laboratory 2007 7

from crime scene investigations. To help manage this function, evidence items are bar-coded and 

recorded using handheld inventory scanners. In 2007 the ECU purchased new handheld evidence 

scanners with updated technology for all FBI field offices to more effectively and efficiently manage

the thousands of items of evidence that are collected, tracked, and stored. Ensuring efficiency and

accountability in the proper handling, storage, and tracking of evidence is essential to FBI evidence 

collection and ultimate prosecution.

The ECU’s role in the management of cases submitted to the FBI Laboratory as well as in providing 

guidance and direction at the field level through the Field Evidence Program ensures accountability

in the administration of evidence and builds positive working relationships with all contributors of 

evidence to the FBI Laboratory.

Quality Assurance and Training Unit

The Quality Assurance and Training Unit provides numerous services to the FBI Laboratory and the 

forensic community. Quality Assurance (QA) staff members ensure that the Laboratory maintains 

its American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/

LAB) accreditation by monitoring the caseworking units for compliance with the accrediting body’s 

requirements. The Training staff organizes specialized forensic classes for law enforcement and crime 

laboratory employees throughout the world. The Library publishes relevant literature on the FBI 

Laboratory and researches scientific literary resources for forensic scientists. The Health and Safety

Group (HSG) promotes and maintains the health and safety of Laboratory personnel and provides 

health and safety guidance, particularly regarding the safe handling of hazardous materials, to other law 

enforcement organizations and forensic laboratories.

Quality Assurance

The QA staff is preparing the FBI Laboratory to undergo an ASCLD/LAB-International accreditation 

assessment in 2008 by providing guidance on the FBI Laboratory quality system, conducting audits, and 

distributing proficiency tests. Each caseworking unit’s quality documents are reviewed by QA personnel

to ensure compliance with the accrediting body’s criteria. Additionally, QA staff members conduct 

audits to ensure that the established policies and procedures are followed by caseworking examiners and 

technicians. All QA members are trained ASCLD/LAB-International assessors. The QA staff distributed 

more than 300 proficiency tests to FBI Laboratory employees in 2007. Proficiency tests are administered

to demonstrate that examiners and technicians performing forensic examinations produce reliable work.

The QA staff also implemented a Customer Satisfaction Assessment to give evidence contributors a 

means to provide feedback for the Laboratory services they receive.

Training

The Training staff organizes and coordinates the Specialized Forensic Science Training Program, 

which offers forensic science courses not only to FBI employees but also to law enforcement agencies, 

government crime laboratories, other federal agencies, military personnel, and the international 

community. This program offers one- to three-week training courses with instruction provided by 

Laboratory personnel. In addition, Training personnel facilitate scientific working group (SWG)

meetings by locating prospective meeting sites and coordinating travel arrangements for attendees 
8 FBI Laboratory 2007

through FBI field offices. SWGs create and publish guideline documents to improve forensic science

discipline practices and build consensus with federal, state, and local community partners. The Training 

staff also manages the annual Crime Laboratory Development Symposium. This conference affords 

the public crime laboratory community with an opportunity to receive high-level leadership and 

management training.

Library

The FBI Laboratory Library provides scientific literature reference services to Laboratory staff in

addition to state and local forensic crime laboratories. This information is provided as monographs, 

print journals, electronic resources, and other documents that provide a theoretical foundation for 

the examination of evidence or prepare an examiner for courtroom testimony. The Library houses 

more than 8,000 scientific books and 400 periodical subscriptions. Several publications—including

Forensic Science Communications (FSC), the Handbook of Forensic Services, and the Laboratory 

annual report—are produced by the Library staff. FSC is a peer-reviewed forensic science journal that 

is available on the Internet, and the Handbook of Forensic Services provides guidelines and protocols 

for the collection and submission of evidence to the FBI Laboratory. The handbook was updated by 

Laboratory staff in 2007.

Health and Safety

In 2007 the QATU welcomed Health and Safety Group (HSG) personnel to the unit, after facilities 

personnel in the Laboratory’s Facility Services Unit were reassigned to FBI Headquarters. The HSG 

manages and resolves health, safety, environmental, and radiation inquiries from Laboratory employees; 

FBI Headquarters, field offices, and legal attachés; and other law enforcement agencies. The HSG also

works through extensive regulations governing the safe transportation of hazardous materials when 

multiple forensic laboratories and law enforcement agencies are required to examine items of evidence.

Additionally, the HSG offers on-site physicals for FBI agents and care to Laboratory employees with 

chronic or acute health conditions.

Annual Crime Laboratory Development Symposium

On June 12–14, 2007, the 35th Annual Crime Laboratory Development Symposium was held in 

Columbus, Ohio, at The Ohio State University, in association with the Fisher College of Business. The 

250 selected attendees learned about achieving balance as laboratory managers through workshops and 

breakout sessions on improving decision-making skills, understanding generations in the workplace, 

and developing effective mentoring programs. A few of the presenters were Dr. Roy Lewicki, leading 

scholar in the study of trust development, negotiation, and conflict-management processes; Dr. Larry

Inks, who specializes in organizational behavior and talent management; and author and international 

speaker Lillian ZarZar, who focuses on effective communication, conflict resolution, and personal and

professional productivity and development. Additionally, the symposium gives participants the chance 

to interact with managers of public forensic crime laboratories and to develop solutions to challenges 

facing the forensic science community.
FBI Laboratory 2007 9

Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit

The mission of the Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit (CRRU) is to examine both manually 

encrypted documents and records of illegal enterprises, as well as to provide expert testimony and other 

forensic assistance to further identify terrorism, foreign intelligence, and criminal activities in support 

of local, state, federal, and international law enforcement investigations and prosecutions. The CRRU 

comprises three forensic examination teams, each with a different specialization.

Cryptanalysis Team

The Cryptanalysis Team examines and decrypts manually encoded and enciphered communications.

Most examinations involve handwritten notes or letters from domestic and international terrorists, street 

and prison gangs, or violent criminals. The Cryptanalysis Team works closely with FBI Headquarters, 

the National Gang Intelligence Center, and other federal agencies to disseminate actionable intelligence 

derived from CRRU decryptions.

Racketeering Team

The Racketeering Team examines clandestine ledgers and records from illicit businesses engaging 

in loan-sharking, prostitution, and illegal bookmaking, including Internet gambling operations. The 

examinations seek to determine the type of illicit activity, the number and roles of participants, dates of 

operation, and the amount of revenue generated. 

Drug Records Analysis Team

The Drug Records Analysis Team supports FBI and other federal drug-trafficking investigations by

examining records and ledgers from suspected drug businesses. Drug-record examinations can determine 

the type and quantity of drugs trafficked, prices, and the number and roles of participants. Drug-record

examinations often play a critical role in influencing federal sentencing guidelines.

Cryptic Documents Provide 

“Smoking Gun” 

In January 2006, U.S. Immigration and 

Customs Enforcement agents executed a 

search warrant at the residence of suspected 

drug trafficker Jamie Torres. No drugs

were found, and the search would have 

been considered unfruitful had an agent not 

thought to look behind the pictures on the 

wall. Concealed behind a painting in the 

foyer were two pieces of paper containing 

cryptic numbers and letters. The documents 

were immediately sent to the CRRU for 

decryption.

Drug records behind a painting depict the account of one customer, 

code-named “Mario” or “M.” Drug amounts were disguised with decimal 

points. The boxes at the bottom represent the data deciphered by the CRRU 

and detail the dollar amounts paid and owed for the amount of marijuana 

distributed to the customer.
10 FBI Laboratory 2007

Cryptanalysts in the CRRU examined the numbers and notations on the documents. At first the numbers

appeared to be small dollar amounts, but closer scrutiny revealed that the “money” was actually 

marijuana. Drug sales were disguised by adding fictitious decimal points. For example, a pound of

marijuana valued at $350 was recorded as $3.50.

 

On August 23, 2007, a forensic examiner testified in federal court in Del Rio, Texas, that the documents

contained records of the distribution of more than 1400 pounds of marijuana to four separate individuals.

The testimony was critical to the case because no actual drugs were seized. The federal jury returned a 

guilty verdict on all counts: marijuana smuggling of more than 1000 kilograms, conspiracy to smuggle 

marijuana, and money laundering. Additionally, the government was able to seize several properties and 

numerous vehicles. 

Firearms-Toolmarks Unit

Forensic firearms examinations often can determine whether a bullet, cartridge case, or other

ammunition component was fired from a particular firearm or not. Similarly, forensic toolmark

examinations often can determine whether a specific tool produced a particular mark or not.

Other examinations and tests commonly performed in the Firearms-Toolmarks Unit (FTU) include 

trigger-pull tests, function tests, unintentional-discharge tests, shot-pattern examinations, serial-number 

restorations, silencer testing, and others, such as bullet trajectory reconstructions and the determination 

from gunshot residues of the distance from a gun’s muzzle to a victim’s clothing. A hypothetical scenario 

may demonstrate the life cycle of a simple evidence submission of numerous bullets and a revolver into 

the Laboratory.

An incident occurs in Missouri, and because domestic terrorism is suspected, the regional resources of 

the FBI are engaged. In cooperation with local authorities, the Evidence Response Team recovers several 

bullets from the siding of a St. Louis house and several more inside the house. Later investigation results 

in the recovery of a suspect revolver from a local residence. The St. Louis Police Department takes 

custody of this evidence and sends it to the FBI Laboratory’s Evidence Control Unit (ECU).

Experts in the ECU communicate with St. Louis authorities and acknowledge receipt of the bullets and 

revolver. They inventory these items, produce administrative documents and records, and ensure that an 

FTU examiner is assigned to the case. Once the case has been assigned, the evidence is promptly sent to 

the assigned FTU examiner.

The FTU examiner in turn contacts the St. Louis contributors to ensure complete understanding of the 

examination requests made—in this case to learn if the submitted bullets were fired from the revolver.

The examiner begins by examining both the bullets and revolver, function-testing the revolver, and 

next determining if the bullets can be eliminated as having been fired from this specific firearm. If a

determination cannot be made, then further microscopic examinations occur.

Assuming that the FTU examiner definitively links the bullets to the revolver, the results are documented

in a formal Laboratory report, reviewed multiple times for quality assurance purposes, and then sent to 
FBI Laboratory 2007 11

the St. Louis Police Department. The department informs prosecutors, who schedule and prepare for 

trial. The FTU examiner may be called to testify at this trial, ending the chain of events that leads from a 

criminal act to adjudication.

Latent Print Operations Unit

Fingerprint evidence represents one of the most prevalent and, when handled properly, reliable forms 

of evidence. Accordingly, collecting, examining, and analyzing fingerprint evidence remain important

functions in the Laboratory. The Latent Print Operations Unit (LPOU) comprises six teams of forensic 

examiners, an Administrative Review Program, and a Case Flow Management Program. Forensic 

examiners process evidence for latent prints, conduct friction ridge comparisons with known prints, 

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. Employees of

the LPOU also serve on the FBI Disaster Squad, which assists in the identification of victims from

natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, as well as airplane crashes and mass killings and suicides.

Members are currently supporting the mortuary at Dover Air Force Base by aiding with the identification

of casualties from military actions overseas.

Identifying a Child Pornographer

In May 2005, local law enforcement officers from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Tampa,

Florida, were investigating an individual after discovering child pornography on his personal computer.

One of these images, which depicted an approximately 6-year-old child, also captured the friction ridge 

detail from the edge of an adult’s finger. The digital image and a printout of the photo were submitted

to the LPOU. The examiner, using digital imaging software on the Latent Print Digital Imaging System 

(LPDIS), was able to digitally process the image and enhance the fingerprint. A comparison of the

digitally enhanced print with known prints of the individual resulted in a positive identification. This

identification supported the elevation of charges from possession of child pornography to capital sexual

battery, proving this individual was involved in the creation of the images. Charted enlargements of the 

identification were prepared for the trial, which was scheduled to take place in June 2007; however, the

suspect ultimately pleaded guilty and is currently serving a life sentence without parole.

Latent Print Support Unit

The Latent Print Support Unit (LPSU) supports the FBI’s fingerprint program both inside and outside

the Laboratory. The unit manages the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS)

Program, coordinating, testing, evaluating, and implementing new IAFIS hardware and software 

from the latent print perspective and maintaining liaison with the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information 

Services Division and the criminal justice community on all latent-print-related IAFIS issues. The unit 

also deploys the Disaster Squad and other special operations teams; manages the quality assurance 

program for the LPOU and the LPSU; coordinates, tests, evaluates, and implements relevant biometric 

technology for application in friction ridge analysis; and manages the operation of the Latent Print 

Digital Imaging System. The unit’s Training Program facilitates every aspect of training in both the 

LPOU and the LPSU.
12 FBI Laboratory 2007

Latent Print Digital Imaging System

The Latent Print Digital Imaging System (LPDIS) is 

a state-of-the-art suite of hardware and software that 

can digitally improve the visual appearance of latent 

and known print images. The LPDIS has broadened 

the Laboratory’s ability to identify previously unusable 

latent prints and has increased the ability to conduct 

searches of the IAFIS databases, which include the 

prints of more than 60 million individuals. Image 

quality plays a critical role in generating IAFIS 

matches; using the LPDIS to improve the visual 

appearance of poor-quality latent and known prints 

has resulted in more leads for field investigators. Also,

because of its effectiveness, the LPDIS has become 

a major factor in the exchange of latent and known 

images between the military in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Terrorist Explosive Device Analysis Center 

(TEDAC), and the U.S. government’s international partners. The TEDAC has increasingly relied on 

digital imaging as a means of handling latent prints developed on improvised explosive devices. As a 

result, the LPDIS is an important part of the war on terror.

Questioned Documents Unit

The Questioned Documents Unit (QDU) provides forensic support to federal, state, and local law 

enforcement agencies by conducting forensic examinations on evidence collected during investigations.

These include examinations of handwriting, typewriting, shoe prints, tire treads, alterations, 

obliterations, rubber stamps, plastic bags, and reconstructed shredded paper. The unit also provides 

training and field support to the FBI and federal, state, and local law enforcement.

MatchMaker

MatchMaker is a computer-assisted reconstruction 

system used to facilitate the reassembly of cross-cut 

shredded documents. A basic version of MatchMaker 

was brought online in January 2007 and already 

has significantly improved the speed of information

recovery in cases involving shredded paper and saved 

the FBI considerable labor costs in the process.

A typical commercially available cross-cut shredder 

renders an 8 1/2- by 11-inch sheet of paper into 

approximately 400 to 600 paper fragments. The 

document examiner then must reconstruct these 

Box of shredded paper prior to separation and reassembly paper puzzles into readable documents. Prior to the 

A latent print examiner uses the Latent Print Digital 

Imaging System to improve the quality of a latent fingerprint 

submitted to the Laboratory.
FBI Laboratory 2007 13

development of MatchMaker, these cases were completed manually, consuming countless work hours 

and diminishing the value of the information even when the documents were reconstructed. Manual 

reconstruction of one sheet of paper would take the document examiner approximately one week.

Reconstruction time has substantially improved 

with the use of MatchMaker. In 2007 MatchMaker 

was used to reconstruct 50 pages of cross-cut 

shredded documents consisting of 7000 fragments.

Reconstructing these documents manually would 

have taken approximately one year, but using the 

MatchMaker system, the job was completed in only 

two months.

The final electronically reconstructed document can

be printed and sent to the investigator at a fraction 

of the time and cost of previous techniques. In 

addition to performing the reconstruction, the system 

records case statistics, enabling management to track 

reassembly information.

Continued development of the system will ensure 

that larger cases can be handled by the system 

with enhanced algorithms that will further speed 

reconstruction.

Product reassembled with MatchMaker

Reassembly using MatchMaker
14 FBI Laboratory 2007

Chemistry Unit

The Chemistry Unit is composed of five subunits: General Chemistry, Paints and Polymers, Toxicology,

Metallurgy, and Instrument Operation and Support. The personnel in each subunit have specialized, 

formal education, training, and experience and examine such evidence as writing inks, lubricants, 

self-defense sprays, general chemical unknowns, paint, adhesives, tapes, dyes from bank security 

devices, metals for elemental composition, materials for failure analysis, biological specimens for drugs 

and poisons, and commercial products for evidence of tampering. Approximately $6 million worth of 

analytical instrumentation allows the unit to provide this wide range of services to its customers and 

support the missions of the Laboratory and the FBI.

Forensic Paint and Glass Examinations

In support of and in preparation for the International Criminal Police Organization 

(INTERPOL) International Forensic Science Symposium held every three years, 

FBI Laboratory personnel were responsible for writing a review of advancements 

and research studies on topics of interest in forensic paint and glass examinations 

over the period from 2004 through 2007. A presentation of this review was given at 

the INTERPOL symposium held in October 2007 in Lyon, France. The INTERPOL 

symposium provides a forum for managers of forensic laboratories to exchange 

information, discuss issues facing forensic laboratories and forensic science, and 

receive updates about different types of forensic examinations and evidence since 

the last meeting. Fire debris, toolmarks, DNA, impression evidence, and digital evidence are just a few 

examples of other topics that were presented.

In addition to the presentations given at the symposium, reviews of the advancements in each discipline 

were written and compiled into one document, which is available on the INTERPOL Web site at http://

www.interpol.int/public/Forensics/IFSS/Default.asp.

The National Automotive Paint File

The Chemistry Unit houses and maintains the National Automotive Paint File (NAPF), a reference 

collection of automotive paint-color panels that can be searched by make, model, and year (MMY) to 

assist in identifying vehicles involved in crimes. These color panels represent vehicles manufactured for 

sale in North America. Each year, automotive manufacturers send newly introduced colors to the FBI 

Laboratory via a color-standard panel.

The FBI Laboratory also uses a second database, the Paint Data Query (PDQ), in MMY searches.

Unlike the NAPF database, the PDQ uses the layer structure (number of layers, color of each layer, and 

order in which they are applied) and the chemical composition of the individual layers of paint on a 

factory-applied automotive finish.

 

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) maintains the PDQ. In recent years, the RCMP has 

expanded the database beyond the North American market to include Japan and the European Union. 

As part of this effort, the laboratory of the Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt, BKA),
FBI Laboratory 2007 15

in Wiesbaden, Germany, has sent thousands of panels from the European Collection of Automotive

Paints (EUCAP) to the RCMP for inclusion in the PDQ.

A recent inventory of the NAPF found that the collection was 

incomplete for a number of automobile manufacturers. The RCMP 

agreed to send the EUCAP panels to the FBI Laboratory in order to 

fill the gaps identified in the NAPF.

At this writing, more than 400 of the panels supplied by the BKA 

have filled gaps in the NAPF. For example, prior to adding the

EUCAP panels, only 76 percent of the colors available on North 

American Audi vehicles were present in the NAPF. With the

EUCAP panels, 97 percent of the North American Audi colors 

are now represented. This collaborative effort means that fewer 

suspects will get away with their crimes.

A Completely Automated Method for Analyzing Cocaine and Metabolites in Urine and Blood

Worldwide, cocaine is the most widely abused recreational drug and thus is commonly encountered

in many forensic and clinical toxicology cases. Cocaine is extensively metabolized, forming the 

metabolites benzoylecgonine, ecgonine methyl ester, and ecgonine. Additionally, when cocaine is 

ingested with ethanol, cocaethylene is produced. This metabolite causes intensified euphoric effects

but is also highly toxic. Most toxicology laboratories employ immunoassay screening followed by 

confirmation with off-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

(GC-MS). As laboratories are constantly called upon to develop new, fast, and inexpensive methods, the 

Chemistry Unit of the FBI Laboratory has now developed a new, completely automated method for the 

analysis of cocaine and its major metabolites.

This automated method is unique in that it interfaces an in-line extraction liquid chromatography (LC) 

system with a very sensitive tandem mass spectrometer (MS/MS) so that these two instruments function 

as a single unified system. The in-line extraction system consists of a storage compartment, autosampler,

two pumps, and an extraction unit. This system allows direct extraction, chromatographic separation, 

and mass spectral identification, bypassing the need for the timely and costly manual extraction

techniques typically used on blood and urine samples. Using this combined system, the Chemistry 

Unit developed a method to analyze cocaine, benzoylecgonine, cocaethylene, ecgonine methyl ester, 

and ecgonine in urine and blood. Based on the current literature, this is the first fully automated

SPE-LC-MS/MS method for detecting cocaine and its major metabolites in a single analysis.

Sensitive Test Detects Toxin

In July 2006 Kathy Augustine, a local politician in Nevada, died under suspicious circumstances. The 

local medical examiner could not determine Augustine’s cause of death. Chaz Higgs—Augustine’s

husband and a nurse—was reported to have told a colleague that the best way to kill someone was with

a drug known as succinylcholine, because it was undetectable. Because the local laboratory in Nevada 

A forensic examiner in the Laboratory’s 

Chemistry Unit searches the paint panels 

of the National Automotive Paint File; the 

panels are cataloged according to their color.
16 FBI Laboratory 2007

did not have the instrumentation needed to test for succinylcholine, the FBI Laboratory was asked to 

assist in the investigation. Analysis identified succinylcholine, a paralytic agent, and its metabolite in

Augustine’s urine. Following the release of the FBI Laboratory’s toxicology report, Higgs was charged 

with homicide. He was tried by the State of Nevada in June 2007. The testimony of an FBI Laboratory 

toxicologist was the key in the presentation of the State’s case. A jury of Higgs’ peers found him guilty, 

and he was sentenced to life in prison.

Combined DNA Index System Unit

Eighty-year-old Alice Virginia Mosconi was bludgeoned to death in her home in 

Verdi, Nevada, in June 2001. Her case remained unsolved until October 2005, 

when DNA found on a pair of panty hose linked Joaquin B. Hill, also known as 

Kiven Johnson, to her slaying. Hill was an inmate in a California prison serving 

a nine-year sentence on stolen vehicle and drug charges when the DNA database 

hit occurred. For years, the Mosconi family had worked to keep their mother’s 

case alive. They were very happy when notified that a suspect had been positively

identified. Five years after Virginia’s murder, Hill was sentenced to two life sentences without parole.

Thanks to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), DNA evidence identified Virginia’s killer when

she could not.

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 

biannual national meetings for CODIS administrators. International law enforcement laboratories 

also receive CODIS software to assist with establishing a DNA database program. Forty-two law 

enforcement laboratories in 28 countries now have the CODIS software.

CODIS’ three-tiered hierarchy of databases includes 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. NDIS contains DNA profiles

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

more than 5 million profiles of samples taken from offenders, crime scenes, and missing persons.

The success of CODIS depends on maintaining a database of a state’s 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 Convicted Offender Index contains profiles of individuals

convicted of felony offenses and other crimes. Some states have an Arrestee Index that contains profiles

from persons arrested for certain crimes. The Forensic Index contains DNA profiles developed from
FBI Laboratory 2007 17

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 that are searched against samples in the Unidentified Human Remains

Index and the Missing Persons Index.

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

against the Forensic and Convicted Offender Indexes. If a match occurs with the Convicted Offender 

Index, the laboratory will confirm the sample and release the identity of the suspected perpetrator. If

a match occurs with 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 charts below depict the statistics tallied by CODIS through the 2007 calendar year.

DNA Analysis Unit-1

The DNA Analysis Unit-1 (DNAAU-1) provides serological and nuclear DNA testing services to 

support criminal and counterterrorism investigations, the Federal Convicted Offender Program, and the 

National Missing Person Database Program. The unit also provides expert witness testimony in criminal 

judicial proceedings on both a national and international level.

NDIS Statistics Through 2007

Category Total Samples

Offender Index 5,372,773

Forensic Index 203,401

CODIS Statistics Through 2007

Category Total Number

Investigations Aided 62,059

Forensic Index Hits 11,750

Offender Index Hits 49,813 (43,305 at SDIS and 6,508 at NDIS)

Participants

Domestic Laboratories 178 state and local laboratories plus NDIS

International Laboratories 42 laboratories in 28 countries

Training 1,311 individuals in more than 222 laboratories 

have received CODIS training.

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Offender Profiles 750,929 1,247,163 1,493,536 2,038,514 2,826,505 3,977,433 5,372,773

Forensic Profiles 27,897 46,177 70,931 93,956 126,315 160,582 203,401

Investigations Aided 3,635 6,670 11,220 20,792 30,455 43,156 62,059

Forensic Hits 1,031 1,832 3,004 5,147 7,071 9,529 11,750

Offender Hits Total 2,371 5,032 8,269 13,855 21,519 32,439 49,813

----National 167 638 1,151 1,864 2,855 4,276 43,305

----State 2,204 4,394 7,118 11,991 18,664 28,163 6,508
18 FBI Laboratory 2007

Serological analysis involves the examination of evidentiary items to detect and identify biological 

fluid stains, such as from blood and semen. This testing facilitates the determination of stains that may

be suitable for DNA testing. Nearly all biological materials contain DNA. Thus, evidentiary items 

such as cigarette butts, drinking vessels, envelopes, and clothing are other potential sources of DNA.

DNA profiles obtained from evidentiary items are compared to DNA profiles obtained from known

individuals. The power of the testing done by the DNAAU-1 lies in its ability to potentially identify an 

individual as the source of the DNA obtained from an evidence item to a reasonable degree of scientific

certainty, as well as to definitively exclude an individual as being the source of the DNA. Where

appropriate, the DNA-typing results from evidence items examined in the DNAAU-1 are uploaded into 

the NDIS to enable nationwide comparison of DNA profiles among law enforcement agencies. Such

comparison aids investigations by identifying potential perpetrators or linking serial violent crimes. In 

fiscal year (FY) 2007 (October 2006–September 2007), DNAAU-1 received 1620 evidence submissions

and completed work on 1574 cases. DNAAU-1 examiners provided expert witness testimony in 36 

criminal trials.

The DNAAU-1 Federal Convicted Offender (FCO) Program 

uses nuclear DNA profiling techniques to type known samples

from federal convicted offenders and federal arrestees, which 

are entered into NDIS. Comparison of these DNA profiles

with those from forensic samples maintained in NDIS may 

effectively identify to investigators potential unknown 

perpetrators of unsolved crimes. Since the FCO Program’s 

inception in June 2001, more than 226,000 samples have 

been received from more than 500 collection sites, with a 

current average of 6500 samples received per month. In FY 

2007 alone, 79,325 samples were received, 23,341 convicted 

offender profiles were completed, and 113 hits were generated

between convicted offender DNA profiles and forensic DNA

profiles. The implementation of high-throughput robotics

and sample-tracking software has significantly increased the

number of DNA profiles generated for NDIS entry and thus

increased the potential number of investigations aided through 

DNA database hits. In addition, this high-throughput capacity serves other investigational areas such as 

mass disasters and body identifications to support intelligence-based applications. An emerging demand

also has been identified regarding missing-person investigations. The DNAAU-1 supports the National

Missing Person DNA Database Program by conducting nuclear DNA analyses of unidentified human

remains, as well as reference samples of missing persons and their biological relatives. In FY 2007, 

evidence from more than 250 missing-person cases was submitted to the DNAAU-1.

In FY 2007, DNAAU-1 personnel provided training to 3400 law enforcement and forensic laboratory 

personnel at 50 training sessions, seminars, conferences, and scientific working group meetings.

Additionally, more than 440 members of the forensic DNA community received DNA auditor instruction 

from DNAAU-1 personnel on the quality assurance standards for DNA testing laboratories and 

convicted offender DNA databasing laboratories.

Biologists in the Federal Convicted Offender 

Program check in convicted offender blood 

samples prior to DNA testing.
FBI Laboratory 2007 19

Civil Rights Investigation in Virginia

In 2004, members of the South Nazarene Church in 

Chesterfield, Virginia, began receiving threatening letters

containing racial slurs aimed at church member and 

custodian Franz Cadet. Some of the letters contained 

threats to kill Cadet, whose vehicle had been stolen and 

was later found to have been destroyed by fire. Members of

the church provided Cadet with a new vehicle. In fact, the 

congregation provided substantial monetary aid as well as 

numerous products and services to assist him and his family 

through a multitude of financial, physical, and legal crises.

Cadet named several individuals who he believed could be 

the source of the threats: women with whom he had had 

extramarital affairs, as well as a former coworker who had filed a sexual harassment suit against him.

Cadet and his wife complied with a request to provide buccal (cheek) samples to serve as references 

for DNA analysis. More than 100 envelopes, each having moisture-activated flaps, also were submitted

to the Laboratory. DNA analysis revealed that Cadet himself was the source of the DNA on several 

envelopes, suggesting that he had carried out the threats against himself in order to gain the sympathy 

and financial aid of fellow church members. The DNA recovered from some of the envelope flaps was

consistent with that of the biological children of Cadet and his wife, suggesting that Cadet had also 

enlisted his children in the scam.

Uncovered Evidence Links Convicted Offender to Several Bank Robberies

Two armed men entered the BB&T Bank in 

Gainesville, Virginia, and ordered everyone to the 

ground at gunpoint. Within five minutes, the men

had obtained substantial sums of cash and departed 

the bank in a van that had been stolen in Alexandria, 

Virginia. Two years after the robbery, a pair of 

black goggles, similar to those worn by one of the 

perpetrators during the robbery, was uncovered during 

an evidentiary inventory. The goggles were submitted 

to the Laboratory, and a complete DNA profile of the

wearer of the goggles was obtained. After the DNA 

profile was entered into the National DNA Index

System, a hit was returned, linking the DNA profile

from the goggles to that of a convicted offender sample 

within the FBI’s Federal Convicted Offender Database. The hit was confirmed within days, and the

name of the offender was provided to the FBI’s Washington Field Office. The bank robber was linked to

at least 10 other bank robberies in the Northern Virginia area and possibly three others in Montgomery 

and Calvert County, Maryland.

A DNAAU-1 biologist prepares samples for robotic 

DNA processing.

A biologist assigned to the Federal Convicted Offender 

Program checks in blood samples collected from convicted 

offenders for registry in the National DNA Index System.
20 FBI Laboratory 2007

Six Members of an International Kidnapping Ring Brought to Justice

The FBI’s Los Angeles and New York dive teams 

recovered four bodies from a reservoir located about 

500 miles north of Los Angeles. An additional body, 

which had been recovered by the local sheriff’s 

department, was linked to the same crime. All were 

identified as Russian businessmen or their associates,

who had been kidnapped for ransom or used to lure 

other targets. Regardless of whether the ransom had 

been paid, the victims were gagged, their hands and 

feet bound, and their bodies weighted down with 

weight plates before being dumped into the reservoir.

Investigation led to a Russian international kidnapping 

ring, and six subjects were charged with hostage taking 

resulting in the deaths of five people.

Serological and nuclear DNA examinations were conducted on approximately 65 items of evidence.

DNA recovered from bloodstains from a bridge near the reservoir and from two different pairs of 

handcuffs matched the victims. Additional handcuffs yielded DNA that did not match the victims, 

suggesting that there are other unknown victims. Furthermore, DNA profiles developed from several

cigarette butts linked the defendants to relevant locales.

Three defendants pleaded guilty to federal and state charges and cooperated with the government during 

the trial. A fourth defendant was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release. Following 

a 10-hour jury deliberation, the two ring leaders were sentenced to death.

The judge commented that this was the most compelling case he had ever witnessed in 30 years on 

the bench and that, in his opinion, the case was proven “beyond all possible doubt.” The federal 

death-penalty verdicts were the first handed out in California since the post-World War II era.

DNA Analysis Unit-2

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is typically found in such evidence as 

naturally shed hairs, hair fragments, bones, and teeth, which contain 

minute amounts of degraded DNA. With its high sensitivity, mtDNA

analysis allows personnel in the DNA Analysis Unit-2 (DNAAU-2) 

to obtain information from items of evidence with little biological 

material, as well as old evidence from cold cases and highly degraded 

samples from mass disasters. Although unique identifications are not

possible using mtDNA, the ability to associate an mtDNA profile with

the maternal relative of an individual can narrow down the pool of 

possible candidates and increase the odds of identifying the source 

of the DNA. Mitochondrial DNA samples are also uploaded into the 

CODIS database.

A DNAAU-1 biologist injects a reagent into an analytical 

instrument.

A DNAAU-2 biologist grinds hair for 

mitochondrial DNA extraction. 
FBI Laboratory 2007 21

Suspected Atlanta Child Killer Revealed

In 1982, Wayne Williams was convicted for the murders of two men. At the trial, evidence from 10

other murders was also introduced, although charges for these killings were never filed. Following his

conviction, Williams was widely believed to be the Atlanta child killer responsible for the slaying of 29

children and young adults between 1979 and 1981, even though Williams has always maintained his

innocence. Hoping for a retrial for the 1982 convictions, in January 2007, Williams’ lawyer requested

DNA testing of the hairs in the case. The court granted the request, based on a Georgia statute allowing 

postconviction testing using technology not available at the time of the trial.

Patrick Baltazar was an 11-year-old boy who disappeared in 1981. His body was found a few days later, 

an apparent victim of the Atlanta child killer. Three hairs recovered from Baltazar’s body were examined 

microscopically and found to match Williams’. The microscopic comparison of these hairs had been

presented in the 1982 trial. Mitochondrial DNA analysis of these hairs was part of the requested 

postconviction testing.

The hairs were submitted to the FBI Laboratory in 2007, and one was selected for mtDNA analysis. The 

comparison of the mtDNA sequences from the hair and the saliva sample taken from Wayne Williams

determined that Williams could not be excluded as the source of the hair. Although he was never charged

with the additional murders, the DNA results prevented him from receiving a new trial for the 1982 

convictions.

Improving DNA Analysis Methods

In an effort to improve the analysis of evidence in support of 

the mission of the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center, 

DNAAU-2 is validating an innovative method for analyzing 

mtDNA through base-composition analysis by mass spectrometry.

Mass spectrometry is a quantitative method based on the separation 

of ionized particles according to the intrinsic mass-to-charge (m/z) 

ratio. Based on this information, the mass of the ionized particles 

can be determined.

For mtDNA examinations, fragments of mtDNA are ionized and 

detected. The weight of these fragments is calculated and a list 

of possible base compositions is derived, with an overall basecomposition profile being determined for each double-stranded

mtDNA fragment. Because each ionized particle is detected 

independently, base-composition analysis is capable of detecting 

and resolving mixtures of mtDNA types. Using the current 

sequencing method, mixtures of mtDNA types are uninterpretable.

Base-composition analysis uses robotics, resulting in a highly 

automated, high-throughput process capable of generating large 

volumes of data with minimal manual operation. This method will 

A contractor assigned to the Terrorist 

Explosive Device Analytical Center loads 

sample plates into the mass spectrometer.
22 FBI Laboratory 2007

allow DNAAU-2 to analyze new evidence types, obtain 

results from challenging samples, and rapidly generate 

high-quality data.

The National Missing Person DNA Database Program

In 2000, the Laboratory began developing the National 

Missing Person DNA Database (NMPDD) Program for 

the identification of missing and unidentified persons

using CODIS. The NMPDD contains three indexes in 

which missing- and unidentified-person DNA profiles

can be entered: Biological Relatives of Missing Persons, 

Unidentified Human Remains, and Missing Persons. 

In the FBI Laboratory, the DNAAU-1 (which analyzes 

nuclear DNA) and DNAAU-2 (which analyzes 

mitochondrial DNA) perform DNA analysis on samples from unidentified human remains and biological

relatives of missing persons. The NMPDD provides investigators with an opportunity to identify missing 

and unidentified persons on a national level.

Since 2000, the DNAAU-2 has completed 1590 missing-person 

cases submitted by local, state, and federal agencies. There have 

been 190 mitochondrial DNA associations for unidentified human

remains samples and samples from biological relatives of missing 

persons. In 2007, 383 cases were submitted to the NMPDD for 

analysis, and the DNAAU-2 processed 461 cases for mitochondrial 

DNA analysis.

In addition to processing cases, in 2007, members of the NMPDD 

were active in educating the forensic and law enforcement 

communities about the value of the program to investigators of 

missing-person cases. Presentations detailing the purpose of the 

program and submission guidelines were provided to various 

local, state, and federal agencies and organizations. The NMPDD 

has participated with the National Institute of Justice in a number 

of workshops and meetings concerning the identification of

missing persons. These meetings provide information to assist law 

enforcement, forensic scientists, coroners, medical examiners, and 

the relatives of missing family members.

A Tooth Reveals the Truth

In June 2004, human body parts were found in the trunk of a vehicle that had been abandoned and seized 

after a police pursuit in Fairbanks, Alaska. The remains were believed to be those of David J. Mason.

A dental examination was inconclusive, and the state crime laboratory was unable to obtain a nuclear 

A DNAAU-2 biologist assigned to the 

National Missing Person DNA Database 

Program photographs a human femur prior 

to mitochondrial DNA extraction. 

Contractors assigned to the Terrorist Explosive Device 

Analytical Center prepare sample plates for mass 

spectrometry analysis.
FBI Laboratory 2007 23

DNA profile from the degraded remains. In August 2004, a tooth was sent to the FBI Laboratory for

mitochondrial DNA analysis. Because Mason had previously served in the military, a sample of his 

blood was housed in the Armed Forces DNA Repository of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. The 

mtDNA sequence from the tooth was compared to the mtDNA sequence from Mason’s blood sample.

The mtDNA sequences were concordant, so Mason could not be excluded as the source of the human 

remains recovered in the trunk of the vehicle.

An investigation by the Alaska State Police developed Jason S. Fisher as the prime suspect, and in 

October 2005, Fisher was apprehended and charged with Mason’s murder. On November 5, 2007, he 

pleaded guilty. This case illustrates how cooperation between federal agencies can assist coroners, 

medical examiners, and law enforcement agencies in determining the identity of unidentified human

remains and bringing closure to family members.

Regional Mitochondrial Laboratories Up and Running

Four regional crime laboratories partnered with 

the FBI Laboratory in 2003 to augment the 

nation’s capacity to perform mtDNA analysis 

in forensic and missing-person cases. This 

analysis is conducted free for state and local 

law enforcement agencies. Partner laboratories 

are responsible for mtDNA and hair analysis, 

reporting results, and testifying, if necessary.

By 2007, all four regional laboratories—the

Arizona Department of Public Safety Central 

Crime Laboratory in Phoenix, the Connecticut 

Department of Public Safety Forensic Science 

Laboratory in Meriden, the Minnesota Bureau 

of Criminal Apprehension Forensic Science 

Laboratory in St. Paul, and the New Jersey State 

Police Office of Forensic Sciences in Hamilton—had been approved to upload mtDNA profiles into the

National Missing Person DNA Database. This database is an increasingly valuable resource with the 

potential to identify missing persons by linking them to DNA profiles of relatives or unidentified human

remains.

Since the regional laboratories began accepting casework in late 2005, more than 550 cases have been 

assigned to them. The work they provide has developed investigative leads for local law enforcement 

and aided in the identification of unidentified human remains. The ability of the regional laboratories

to conduct analysis on this number of cases has enabled the FBI Laboratory to significantly decrease

turnaround time in both criminal and missing-person mtDNA cases, providing additional benefits to

local law enforcement. The first testimony by a regional laboratory analyst took place in New Hampshire

in 2006, and since then, testimony has been given more than 20 times in cases across the United States.

DNAAU-2 biologists conduct examinations for Indian Country, the 

National Missing Person DNA Database Program, the Terrorist 

Explosive Device Analytical Center, and other cases.
24 FBI Laboratory 2007

The FBI Laboratory remains committed to building long-term partnerships with state and local forensic 

laboratories to provide critical forensic services as well as to develop and implement new technologies.

The FBI and the criminal justice community continue to benefit from the work of the talented and

dedicated employees from these regional crime laboratories as well as from international, national, state, 

and local laboratories.

Trace Evidence Unit

The Trace Evidence Unit (TEU) identifies and compares specific types of

trace materials that can be transferred during a crime. The collection of 

these evidentiary materials is typically conducted by Evidence Response 

Team personnel for FBI cases or by the state or local law enforcement 

agency submitting the case to the Laboratory. The types of materials 

that are routinely analyzed and compared in the TEU are hairs, fibers,

fabric, cordage, soil, glass, building materials, gemstones, feathers, and 

wood. The physical contact between two people or between a person and 

an object can result in the transfer of these materials. The analysis and 

comparison of these materials often can link a suspect to a victim or a 

crime scene. In addition, the TEU provides scientific examinations in the

area of forensic anthropology.

After analyzing evidence submissions, 

TEU examiners issue a report, which is the 

mechanism to disseminate the scientific

results to the contributor. In 2007 the TEU 

completed analysis on approximately 

10,000 items of evidence in 2300 cases.

Approximately 1300 of these cases involved 

improvised explosive devices examined for 

hairs and fibers in support of the Terrorist

Explosive Device Analytical Center.

Other significant aspects of the TEU’s mission are testifying in legal proceedings on the results of its

examinations, training members of the law enforcement community, providing forensic field support

in FBI cases, and developing and implementing new technologies to 

enhance scientific examinations. To support the Laboratory’s training

mission, the TEU sponsored or participated in numerous ventures.

One- to two-week courses were given in the areas of hair and fiber

examinations and Indian Country Crime Scene Analysis to audiences 

in Montana, Arizona, Colorado, and Oklahoma and at the FBI 

Academy in Quantico. In support of the Regional Mitochondrial DNA 

Laboratory initiative, the TEU trained two hair examiners who will 

work in two of these regional laboratories.

Feather examination

Dyed animal hair

Wood examination Wood microstucture
FBI Laboratory 2007 25

Trace Evidence Symposium

In August 2007 the FBI Laboratory and the U.S. Department 

of Justice’s National Institute of Justice cosponsored a Trace 

Evidence Symposium. The purpose of the symposium was 

to foster increased awareness among forensic scientists, law 

enforcement, and the legal community on the value of trace 

evidence. It had been more than 10 years since the last trace evidence symposium had been conducted.

This symposium served as an educational forum for trace evidence examiners as well as an avenue 

to identify new areas of research and technological needs within the various subdisciplines of trace 

evidence.

Trace evidence is considered one of the most diverse of the 

forensic disciplines because it can include the analysis of hair, 

fiber, paint, glass, soil, and other particulate matter using a variety

of microscopes and analytical instrumentation. Because of the 

diverse nature of this field, the symposium represented a broad

range of issues, from technological foundations and research 

methods to applied practices and policy considerations that 

impact the field of trace evidence analysis. Papers presented at the

symposium included such topics as elemental analysis of glass, 

fiber transfer and persistence, paint analysis in graffiti cases,

admissibility issues such as Daubert, and the role of establishing 

probative value to trace evidence. Workshops focused on more

in-depth analysis and interpretation of such techniques as feather 

identification, microspectrophotometry, Fourier transform infrared

spectroscopy, and elemental analysis, as well as other instrumental 

analysis methods.

The symposium was a tremendous success, with 

more than 300 people from 17 countries attending.

The attendees had diverse backgrounds and included 

personnel from forensic and nonforensic laboratories, 

universities, private companies, and the legal 

community. In addition to the educational opportunity 

provided, the symposium gave participants a chance 

to build relationships with members of all of these 

groups, which can only serve to both strengthen 

the trace evidence community and foster new 

developments for the future.

Glass examination

Fiber under polarized light
26 FBI Laboratory 2007

Operational Support Branch

The units assigned to the Laboratory’s Operational Support Branch (OSB) conduct a wide range of 

activities that directly support the FBI’s mission and the core functions of collection, information 

dissemination and integration, analysis, and action. Operational Response Section units—including

the Chemical-Biological Sciences Unit, the Evidence Response Team Unit, the Hazardous Materials 

Response Team Unit, and the Photographic Operations and Imaging Services Unit—must be ready at a

moment’s notice to respond to crimes, mass disasters, special events, and other incidents anywhere in 

the world. They bring critical federal resources and coordinate the response of FBI field office teams to

work with local officials on the scene.

The Forensic Science Support Section provides mission-critical services in support of all FBI 

Laboratory units. The Planning and Budget unit manages the Laboratory’s budget and equipment, and 

the Administrative Unit provides administrative and human resource support. Research and development 

efforts generate from the Counterterrorism and Forensic Science Research Unit. The IT Coordination 

Group helps to improve Laboratory processes with its innovative program, INNOVARi. Special Projects 

Unit personnel conduct a range of activities, including creating physical and virtual models for forensic 

investigations and prosecutions, documenting crime scenes and special-event venues, creating forensic 

facial images and composite drawings, and designing Laboratory publications. The Security Team 

maintains the safety and security of the Laboratory’s premises, personnel, and information.

Security Team

The Security Team has a significant role in maintaining the security of the Laboratory’s premises,

personnel, and information. These duties encompass all security-related issues, such as facilitating 

access to Laboratory and sensitive compartmented information and facilities; conducting personnel 

security briefings, debriefings, interviews, and five-year reinvestigations; and ensuring compliance with

security policies and procedures.

In 2007 the Security Team oversaw the installation of a new access-control system to enhance security 

at the Laboratory’s front door and eliminate the need for an extra badge that all Laboratory employees 

had formerly been issued. Security personnel also assisted in the accreditation of three new facilities for 

specialized work being conducted by the Hazardous Materials Response Unit, the Evidence Response 

Team Unit, and the Chemical-Biological Sciences Unit. Finally, the Security Team rewrote the standard 

of operation for FBI police officers at the Laboratory to incorporate changes to the Laboratory’s security

policy.

Administrative Unit

The mission of the Administrative Unit (AU) is to provide administrative and human resource services 

to the Laboratory by coordinating, directing, and facilitating various programs and initiatives in the 

areas of personnel, staffing matters, and mail services to ensure Division-wide compliance with FBI

policies, procedures, and guidelines. The unit also researches, plans, and implements various initiatives 

as assigned by Division executive management to support not only the Laboratory’s mission but also the 

FBI’s overall mission. The AU had several major accomplishments in 2007.
FBI Laboratory 2007 27

The Laboratory could not support the FBI’s mission without a qualified staff, and the AU plays an

important role in maintaining that staff. AU staff members represent an integral link between the 

Laboratory and the FBI’s Human Resources Division and Resource Planning Office for all staffing

matters. Through this working relationship, the AU facilitated numerous job-posting requests during the 

year. In addition, the AU was instrumental in recommending and receiving approval from the Resource 

Management and Allocation Committee to implement new procedures to streamline the promotion 

process for examiners in several Laboratory units. These new procedures allow qualified examiners to

be promoted without using the posting process, which enhances the Laboratory’s ability to fill these

specialized positions more effectively.

The AU also oversees several additional programs to help 

recruit qualified candidates. The Cooperative (Co-Op)

Education Program was created to develop long-term, 

proactive relationships with colleges and universities to 

attract and recruit highly qualified candidates to assist

and support the Laboratory in specific disciplines or

skill-set areas. The Co-Op program provides students with 

meaningful work while creating a diverse pool of qualified

applicants who require less training and have higher 

retention rates than other new hires. The student receives 

competitive compensation while applying classroom 

knowledge and refining career goals. At the same time,

the university enhances its relationship with the FBI while providing students with a well-rounded 

educational experience. In 2007 the Laboratory coordinated with the FBI’s Operational Technology 

Division (OTD) to transfer a Co-Op chemist from the OTD to the Laboratory’s Counterterrorism and 

Forensic Science Research Unit (CFSRU).

In addition, AU personnel coordinated with the FBI’s Human Resource Division to place 26 interns 

participating in the FBI’s Honors Internship Program (HIP) and 2 interns for the Volunteer Internship 

Program (VIP). The HIP is a summer program that offers interns a 10-week view of FBI operations and 

provides them an opportunity to explore the many career opportunities within the organization. The 

interns work on important research projects to help the Laboratory and the FBI achieve their missions.

VIP participants are not considered FBI employees but rather serve as volunteers, participating in the 

program during the school year, summer break, or school vacation periods. VIP interns support the office

without counting against funding staffing levels.

AU staff also respond to numerous work-life issues, such as leave without pay, maternity leave, 

compensatory time, work-at-home options, and alternate work schedules. In 2007, at the direction 

of Laboratory executive management, the AU created a new work-life policy, which recognizes the 

changing demographics of the workforce. Through the flexible work options set out in the new policy,

the Division strives to balance the personal needs of its employees with the requirements of the 

Laboratory’s mission.

Administrative Unit staff members coordinate and 

process numerous personnel matters for approximately 

550 Laboratory employees.
28 FBI Laboratory 2007

For nearly 100 years, FBI employees have recorded their time and attendance on paper. Different 

types of leave were recorded using different colored pencils. In 2007, the FBI reached a milestone 

when it instituted the Web-Based Time and Attendance (WebTA) system. Through this easy-to-use,

intranet-based system, employees enter their own time and attendance, eliminating the need for paper 

records, repetitive data entry, and signing in and out every day. AU staff members coordinated this 

initative and serve as points of contact for the Division.

The AU also manages many Division programs that contribute 

to the overall mission of the Laboratory. These programs include 

equal employment opportunity, employee assistance, upward 

mobility, ethics, fleet management, and employee suggestions.

The Mail Services Group is an integral part of the unit, providing 

full-service, in-house mail and shipping services for the entire 

Division and handling more than 80,000 incoming and outgoing 

shipments of mail, supplies, equipment, and other deliveries in 

2007.

Counterterrorism and Forensic Science Research Unit

The Counterterrorism and Forensic Science Research Unit 

(CFSRU) provides the FBI Laboratory’s foundation for 

innovative scientific research and development designed

to support FBI operations. To maximize resources and 

capabilities, the CFSRU teams with academia and other 

government agencies for a synergistic approach to a 

common mission: to advance forensic science and combat 

terrorism. Collaborative efforts with other government 

agencies enable CFSRU personnel to successfully research, 

develop, and deliver new technologies and methodologies to 

operational units within the FBI Laboratory.

The research program within the CFSRU is guided by the Laboratory’s newly established Research 

Council (RC), which provides oversight and monitors the performance of the Laboratory’s research and 

development efforts. Chartered in October 2006, the RC consists of Laboratory executive management 

and senior scientists as voting members. The RC evaluates, selects, prioritizes, and recommends 

research projects to include in the Laboratory’s research portfolio and ensures that research investments 

are aligned with the Laboratory’s strategic goals and objectives. During its first year, the RC focused

on improving the alignment of existing resources with active research that meets the needs of the 

Laboratory. Projects that had advanced beyond the stage of novel research were transferred from the 

CFSRU to operational units for validation prior to implementation. This enabled the CFSRU to reduce 

the number of active projects and focus on technical research to meet the continually advancing needs of 

the Laboratory.

In 2007, CFSRU personnel, together with participants in the Visiting Scientist Program, executed 

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

Mail Room employees must X-ray all packages 

received in the Laboratory and remain alert for 

potentially dangerous or hazardous materials.

The CFSRU conducts innovative scientific research, 

developing new methods and technologies to support 

the needs of the Laboratory’s operational units.
FBI Laboratory 2007 29

international technical conferences, and submitted 

eight manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed 

scientific journals. CFSRU scientists are the 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, the CFSRU provides 

advanced scientific training to Laboratory personnel

and scientists from other federal, state, and local law 

enforcement agencies. Specialized forensic classes 

range from one-day workshops to weeklong classes 

with both interactive lectures and hands-on laboratory 

exercises. In 2007, the CFSRU provided specialized 

training in such subjects as glass analysis, handwriting 

examination, human identification through DNA

analysis, infrared spectrometry, mass spectrometry, and 

introduction to instrumental analysis.

FLASH ID: Evaluating the Individuality of 

Handwriting

Forensic document examiners routinely perform 

handwriting comparisons to identify the writer. The 

underlying premise for such identifications is that

each person incorporates distinguishing individual 

features into his or her handwriting. During Daubert

admissibility hearings (in which the court determines 

whether specific expert scientific testimony is

admissible), the validity of this foundation of 

individuality has been challenged. The CFSRU led the Laboratory’s participation in a collaborative 

research effort addressing this challenge, which has resulted in the development of a Forensic 

Language-Independent Automated System for Handwriting Identification, “FLASH ID.” FLASH ID

uses an innovative quantification of handwritten text and computationally intense statistical methods

to discriminate among writers in a database. This multiorganizational collaborative research project 

involving developers, statisticians, forensic document examiners, and research scientists consists of 

three core areas: (1) development and functionality of the FLASH ID system, (2) statistical methods 

for biometric identification with handwriting, and (3) empirical testing and statistical concepts to assess

handwriting individuality and how it relates to Daubert.

FLASH ID is a fully automated software system that allows the use of handwriting as a biometric 

identifier. Individual features, available and quantifiable within a person’s writing, can be empirically

captured into a “lossless” data structure that preserves the topology and geometry of the original 

writing. Statistical algorithms are created to reduce the very large number of feature measurements 

down to a very few, called a writer’s “biometric kernel,” that capture those elements that link the 

writing to its writer. Once the biometric kernel is established, FLASH ID can act on any unknown 

Bacteria incubated in a fermentor are used to study 

characteristics resulting from variations in growth substrates 

and methods that could potentially be used in the production 

of bacterial threat agents.

Research conducted to develop new methods for the 

chromatographic separation and identification of proteins 

will advance the Laboratory’s future capabilities to analyze 

evidence. 
30 FBI Laboratory 2007

sample of handwriting and will return the nearest value in its handwriting reference database that 

provides the closest match to the questioned writing sample. The technology underlying FLASH ID is 

language-independent, functioning in different languages with completely different scripts. In this way, 

FLASH ID will extend document forensics across language barriers—something that is not commonly

practiced today.

FLASH ID represents a completely automated process for extracting graphical data from handwritten 

documents, analyzing this data using robust statistical methods, and matching documents based on the 

similarity of the captured writing. FLASH ID offers a new approach that uses handwriting as a biometric 

identifier but does not attempt to replicate the actions of a forensic document examiner. Rather, it brings

to bear the power of what computers do very well—rapidly capturing and processing large quantities of

data—into the hands of forensic experts.

Forensic Examination of Radioactively Contaminated Evidence

Performing traditional forensic examinations on evidence known to be contaminated by radioactive 

materials poses distinct challenges. For safety reasons, either the radioactive materials must be removed 

from the evidence prior to examination in the usual manner or the evidence must be examined in 

containment. Since 2004, CFSRU and other Laboratory personnel have worked in cooperation with the 

Department of Energy’s National Laboratories at Savannah River (SRNL) and Lawrence Livermore 

(LLNL) to modify existing protocols for the forensic examination of radioactively contaminated 

evidence. These studies provided an assessment of which decontamination procedures can be used 

without compromising the forensic value of the evidence. Some decontamination procedures destroy 

fragile forms of evidence, such as latent prints. In these cases, where evidence cannot be decontaminated 

without compromising evidentiary value, the examination must take place without decontamination.

Collaboration with the SRNL has resulted in the design and construction of bench-top containment 

units that allow safe handling of radioactively contaminated evidence and permit performing several 

traditional forensic examinations while the evidence is safely contained. Methods also have been 

developed for handling evidence with high levels of radioactivity that cannot be safely processed in 

the bench-top containment units. Cell liners equipped with robotic manipulators have been designed 

and constructed for use in the SRNL’s high-level radiation cells. Test equipment—such as hot plates,

microscopes, and cameras—can be loaded into a cell liner before the liner is placed into the hot cell.

The contaminated evidence then can be loaded into the cell liner, and the robotic manipulators can be 

used to handle the evidence and perform initial forensic examinations. The design of the liner permits 

examination of evidence while minimizing contamination of either the evidence by the prior contents of 

the cell or contamination of the cell by the evidence. After the examinations are complete, the evidence 

can be removed and the cell liner and test equipment can be collapsed and removed for appropriate 

disposal as contaminated waste.

Automated Short Tandem Repeat Analysis

The CFSRU provided technical oversight and managed the externally contracted research that produced 

a microfluidic system, developed at Arizona State University, to integrate and automate forensic short

tandem repeat analysis for DNA identification. DNA typing (“fingerprinting”) is a method of identifying
FBI Laboratory 2007 31

individuals to a desired statistical certainty. The technique relies on measuring the number of repeating 

DNA base-pair units at specific locations along a person’s DNA strands. The repeating sections are

known as short tandem repeats (STRs), and the DNA regions where they occur are called loci. The 

tandem repeats may occur 9, 11, or n times, thus resulting in a difference between individuals. The 

degree of difference (i.e., specificity) for a particular individual depends on the number of loci that are

measured. The FBI measures repeat differences in the STRs at 13 different loci. The analysis results in a 

statistical certainty that is better than 1 in more than the number of people that populate the earth.

DNA typing requires several processes following collection of the 

sample. These processes include DNA extraction, amplification

of the STR loci and the gender locus (via the polymerase chain 

reaction [PCR] with a commercial kit), separation of PCR products, 

analysis, interpretation of the results, and provision of data in a format 

compatible with the national database, CODIS. The newly developed 

microfluidic system uses a disposable plastic cartridge, with built-in

pumps and valves, that performs the differential extraction of a sexual 

assault sample and delivers the extracted and purified DNA for STR

amplification within 2.5 hours. Manually transferring a sample through

all of the steps to this point takes about 5 hours of labor by a scientist in 

the laboratory. The microfluidic system automates the process and cuts

the processing time in half.

Creation of an Automotive Carpet Fiber Database

A fully validated Automotive Carpet Fiber Database 

was created and delivered to the Trace Evidence 

Unit in the fall of 2007. The database currently 

contains 766 searchable files, and each file consists of

several main searchable parameters. The searchable 

parameters depend on the characteristics of each fiber:

color, cross-sectional shape, diameter, polymer class, 

presence or absence of delustrant, color distribution, 

presence or absence of striations, illuminate values, 

and visible spectral peaks. As a result, questioned 

fibers recovered in casework may be searched by

microscopic characteristics, fiber types, and/or color

information to determine if a particular category of 

vehicle was involved in a crime. Additionally, the 

database can be searched by vehicle make, model, 

year, and/or color to determine the carpet samples that 

are available for comparison.

Six validation studies of the database were conducted by several different individuals to ensure the 

consistency of match percentages. For each validation study, 50 samples were randomly selected from 

the collection and subsequently mounted and analyzed. Validation studies revealed that the database 

A microfluidic system has been 

developed to integrate and automate 

forensic short tandem repeat analysis 

for DNA identification.

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. 
32 FBI Laboratory 2007

produces both reliable and selective results. Results of the validation studies were presented at the 2007 

National Institute of Justice/FBI Trace Evidence Symposium, held in Clearwater, Florida. A laboratory 

dedicated specifically for the analysis of automotive carpet fibers has now been established within the

Trace Evidence Unit. To ensure continued population of the database, arrangements have been made 

with several automobile manufacturers to update the sample collection every year.

Visiting Scientist Program

The Visiting Scientist Program provides a direct 

connection between the FBI Laboratory and academia.

The program enhances the research and development 

capabilities of the CFSRU by providing highly qualified

scientists from outside institutions to complement staff 

scientists and assist in performing duties consistent with 

the mission and needs of the unit. At the same time, 

university students, postgraduates, and faculty enhance 

their education and work experience by participating in 

forensic research initiatives in the CFSRU laboratories 

using state-of-the-art equipment.

Experienced staff scientists guide the Visiting Scientists’ 

research by serving as mentors. Each Visiting Scientist 

is assigned one or two projects focused on meeting the needs of the Laboratory’s operational units.

Program participants spend three months to three years working in the CFSRU laboratories in Quantico, 

Virginia. During their tenure, they conduct customer-driven research, prepare and present research 

findings at scientific conferences, and author manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed scientific

journals.

In 2007, program funding allowed the FBI to offer this opportunity to 43 Visiting Scientists representing 

32 academic institutions. Additional information on the Visiting Scientist Program is located at http://

www.fbijobs.gov/242.asp.

The Dwight E. Adams Forensic Science Research Award recognizes the outstanding performance of 

a Visiting Scientist. It was 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. In 2007 the award was presented to Corrie Brown, whose 

research efforts on the spectrochemical analysis of children’s fingerprints contributed significantly to

the development of a new protocol for recovering children’s fingerprints. She also participated in the

validation and expansion of the Automotive Carpet Fiber Database.

INNOVARi: Improving Laboratory Efficiency

In 2007 the FBI Laboratory continued its business process management (BPM) 

design and development activities to create a work-flow and information

management system called INNOVARi. The purpose of INNOVARi is to manage 

A Visiting Scientist prepares a soil sample for analysis 

using solid-phase microextraction to study organic 

compounds penetrating the soil above buried human 

remains. Future research studies may develop analytical 

techniques to help field investigators locate clandestine 

burials. 
FBI Laboratory 2007 33

the data collection, archiving, reporting, and performance management responsibilities of the FBI 

Laboratory. Through the principles of BPM, the INNOVARi program allows the Laboratory to identify 

and eliminate bottlenecks and objectively analyze its processes to increase efficiency and provide better

service to its customers. Using a process similar to those used by FedEx and UPS to track deliveries, 

the FBI Laboratory uses INNOVARi to track and manage evidence as it moves through the forensic 

examination process.

INNOVARi uses a commercial, off-the-shelf product called BizFlow, a BPM software application 

that contains work-flow tools, event triggers, business logic, and process automation to analyze

Laboratory processes and identify specific areas of improvement while concurrently assisting personnel

in maintaining quality. INNOVARi also uses Value Stream Management, a BPM methodology that 

identifies the flow of activities and business units that produce value for the customer, and the “lean”

concept, which focuses on identifying areas of waste in order to eliminate them. 

Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) functionality is a dashboard that allows for the real-time reporting 

of the FBI Laboratory’s key performance indicators. Like the dashboard of a car, BAM provides instant 

feedback that allows the user to quickly implement the appropriate solution. Using BAM, the FBI 

Laboratory also will be able to track its turnaround times (both collective and individual) and caseload 

statistics in real time.

In 2007, five forensic examination units completed the first phase of a three-phase implementation

process. An additional five to six examination units are expected to complete the second phase in 2008,

with full implementation slated for late 2009.

Planning and Budget Unit

FBI Laboratory employees depend on the Planning and Budget Unit to ensure that they have the 

resources they need to achieve their missions. Managing resources for the Laboratory requires balancing 

the needs of the Division with the budgetary constraints imposed by the federal government. In 2007 

this meant managing expenditures totaling nearly $89 million.

BlackBerry Initiative

In June 2007 the FBI awarded a new contract for BlackBerry equipment and telecommunications 

services. The new contract provided upgraded equipment and services to existing users, while allowing 

the Laboratory to expand its existing BlackBerry program to include additional personnel, including unit 

chiefs and forensic examiners. The Laboratory and other FBI Headquarters divisions located at Quantico 

(the Critical Incident Response Group, the Operational Technology Division, and the Training Division) 

were scheduled to receive the new BlackBerry devices during the week of November 26, 2007. The 

BlackBerry Deployment Team, which included FBI Headquarters employees and contract personnel, 

asked the Laboratory to provide space and to help coordinate delivery of the new devices.

A total of 791 BlackBerry devices, of which 298 were assigned to Laboratory employees, were shipped 

to the Laboratory and prepared for distribution by the Deployment Team and members of the Planning 

and Budget Unit. The process, which took several hours for each device, included programming the new 

equipment and transferring data between the old and new devices. At the same time, recipients received 

training on the features of their new equipment.
34 FBI Laboratory 2007

Equipped with their new BlackBerry devices, Laboratory personnel will be better and more efficient

communicators and provide better service to their customers.

Special Projects Unit 

The Special Projects Unit (SPU) supports FBI operations by providing accurate and timely technical, 

forensic, and structural services for counterterrorism, counterintelligence, criminal investigative, and 

forensic investigations and prosecutions. Services provided by the SPU include three-dimensional (3-D) 

digital survey and scanning of event venues and crime scenes; shooting-scene and bullet trajectory 

documentation and reconstruction; GIS (geographic information system) mapping; photographic image 

manipulation and retouches; facial imaging to include composite drawings, facial reconstructions 

from human remains, and age progression of photographs; visual-aid materials; creation of 2- and 

3-D models; computer-based animation; digitally interactive demonstrative evidence; and expert 

consultations regarding available unit technical assistance. As illustrated by the following cases, 

technology has a central role in every aspect of the SPU’s work.

Crime Scene Survey, Documentation, and Reconstruction

During the year, SPU personnel prepared numerous scene reconstructions in both two and three 

dimensions. In order to prepare many of these scene reconstructions, SPU personnel traveled to the site 

of the incident and physically surveyed and documented the scene. This documentation was gathered 

using a wide array of equipment and methodologies that ranged from a conventional tape measure, to 

handheld laser range finders, to digital Total Stations, to state-of-the-art 3-D laser scanners. The data

collected during these surveys was used by unit personnel to produce scaled reconstructed images of the 

scenes.

SPU personnel work closely with the 

operational entities within the Laboratory and 

with field response personnel. The collapse of

the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota,

serves as a prime example of the teamwork 

between the SPU and the field. On August

1, 2007, this heavily traveled, eight-lane 

bridge that crosses the Mississippi River 

collapsed during rush hour. Local authorities 

contacted the FBI and requested assistance 

in the investigation and documentation of the 

collapse.

Three field Evidence Response Teams

(ERTs) equipped with Total Stations 

responded, as did two supervisory special 

agents from the Laboratory’s Evidence 

Response Team Unit (ERTU), an ERT dive 

Aerial photograph of the collapsed I-35 Bridge in Minneapolis, 

Minnesota

The “raw” survey data collected by the Evidence Response Teams
FBI Laboratory 2007 35

team, and three SPU personnel. Two of the SPU personnel used a 3-D laser scanner to document the area 

of the collapse and surrounding areas. The other SPU employee worked as the central point of contact 

(POC) for the ERTs. The POC reviewed and began the process of combining the data collected by each 

of the ERTs, the Minnesota State Police, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and the Hennepin 

County Sheriff’s Office. A 3-D digital reconstruction of the bridge is being prepared from this data.

Area Familiarization and Special-Event Support

SPU provides operational, command, on-scene, 

and tactical personnel with a comprehensive 

overview of a specific venue, route of travel,

and other important related information. The 

support provided by the SPU comes in the form 

of 3-D laser scanning and lidar (light detection 

and ranging), 360-degree spherical video capture, 

panoramic photography, GIS mapping, and 

digitally interactive presentations.

In coordination with the Special Events 

Management Unit of the FBI’s Counterterrorism 

Division, the National Geospatial-Intelligence 

Agency (NGA), field office special-event agents,

and other Laboratory entities, SPU personnel travel 

to the site of an event and conduct a digital survey 

of the requested area(s). The imagery captured 

and compiled through these efforts is processed, 

put into a final operational format, and sent to

the requester. In 2007, the SPU supported many 

events, including the Bowl Championship Series 

in Phoenix, Arizona; the Major League Baseball 

All-Star Game in San Francisco, California; 

the Little League World Series in Williamsport,

Pennsylvania; and the NCAA World Series in

Omaha, Nebraska.

Demonstrative Evidence

Most of the SPU’s services directly support FBI investigations and prosecutions. Many of the items 

prepared as investigative support are used later as demonstrative evidence in court proceedings.

Historically, these items would be created either by hand or by computer and produced as enlarged 

hard-copy charts, maps, diagrams, and other items. However, the courts are becoming more acclimated 

to the use of digital demonstrative evidence. Accordingly, the SPU employs new processes to provide 

the courts with the most relevant and accurate data available. Such was the case in the slaying of 

Pennsylvania State Police corporal Joseph Pokorny.

Color laser scan of the University of Phoenix Stadium in 

Glendale, Arizona, site of Super Bowl XLII

Visual presentation of the Little League World Series situational 

awareness package
36 FBI Laboratory 2007

In the early morning hours of December 12, 2005, 

Corporal Pokorny was attacked by the subject(s) of 

a car he had stopped. One of the occupants of this 

vehicle, Leslie Denier Mollet, used Corporal Pokorny’s 

weapon to fire three fatal shots into him. The FBI’s

Pittsburgh Field Office asked the SPU to prepare

virtual visual aids of the scene and the shooting. These 

aids digitally incorporated a diagram, map, crime scene 

photographs, and data collected by the Pittsburgh ERT 

using a Total Station. This information was compiled 

into one presentation that depicted the location of the 

vehicles and the location and placement of pertinent 

evidence and data, as well as the events of the shooting, 

including the bullet trajectories.

Using the relevant information, the SPU created a digitally interactive presentation. The user could click 

on a “hot spot” within the scene diagram or map, and a photograph or image relevant to that particular 

location would appear. This feature was used to provide the court with a realistic overview of the scene.

However, the most dramatic piece of demonstrative 

evidence was a 3-D reconstruction of the actual shooting.

This reconstruction was developed using the photographs 

of the scene and the victim, the physical evidence, and the 

information provided by the medical examiner. From this 

information, SPU personnel were able to reconstruct, in 

3-D, the virtual shooting of Corporal Pokorny. This 3-D 

imagery was used during the trial by the prosecution—in

particular, by an internationally known forensic 

pathologist—to explain the events of the shooting.

Using new, recently acquired technology, the SPU has the 

ability to produce high-quality and extremely accurate 3-D 

physical models of crime scenes or objects. Three laser 

cutting systems, a router table cutting system, a 3-D printer, 

and a Stereo Lithography-Rapid Prototyping System all 

have a computer interface that allows unit personnel to 

send any type or complexity-level 2-D or 3-D file to them.

Once received, the file is transformed from its digital

format to a physical object. At that point, the object may 

be complete or it may be incorporated into another larger 

object, such as a model of a building or vehicle.

Diagram created of the crime scene following the shooting 

of Cpl. Joseph Pokorny in Pittsburgh

Three-dimensional rendering depicting the trajectory 

of the first shot to Corporal Pokorny

Three-dimensional scale model of a courthouse in 

Atlanta, Georgia
FBI Laboratory 2007 37

With this technology, the SPU can design or replicate almost any type of object, including explosive

devices. Laboratory explosives experts have used these models to testify in court and to train explosives 

technicians and investigators.

Forensic Facial Imaging

The war on terrorism has brought about a marked increase in 

the number of requests for high-resolution facial imagery and 

digital image manipulation, including the preparation of artist 

composite drawings, facial age progressions, 2-D and 3-D 

facial reconstructions from skeletal remains, and photographic 

retouches. The SPU has been providing this type of support 

for more than 60 years; however, because of automation and 

technology, many areas of facial imaging have undergone 

dramatic changes.

For example, the advent of the Video Teleconferencing Center 

(VTC) has enabled SPU visual information specialists (VISs) 

to conduct witness and victim interviews almost anywhere in 

the world without leaving the unit. For example, investigators 

and military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan need to readily 

identify terrorist suspects. Often, a trained VIS can interview witnesses and create composite drawings 

of these individuals. However face-to-face meetings may not be practical. If the witness can be brought 

to a safe facility with a compatible VTC, the VIS can conduct a remote interview. This process has been 

used with great success and has resulted in both the identification and capture of al-Qaeda terrorists and

other wanted suspects.

Digital photographic retouching also has proved beneficial in identifying terrorist suspects. As military

personnel search various locations in Afghanistan and Iraq, they find numerous photographs of known

and suspected terrorists. It is suspected that many of the individuals depicted in the photographs alter 

their appearance to better blend in with the general population. To enable the investigators and soldiers 

to better identify these individuals, suspect images are sent to the SPU. Visual information specialists 

digitally alter the photographs based on the information provided by the field. These alterations

include removing such items as tribal clothing, headwear, and facial hair; altering hairstyles; and 

adding Westernized clothing and hairstyles. With these altered images taped to the dashboards of their

“Humvees,” the troops have been able to identify, capture, and neutralize many al-Qaeda suspects and 

other known terrorists.

Human skeletal remains can be the basis for the identification of an unknown subject or victim. Working

with the Laboratory’s Trace Evidence Unit, SPU personnel have been able to put faces on human 

skulls and subsequently develop 2-D and/or 3-D facial reconstructions of unknown individuals. These 

reconstructions have resulted in the identification of individuals who otherwise would have remained

unidentified.

A visual information specialist creates a 

composite drawing of a suspect during a remote 

witness interview being conducted via the Video 

Teleconferencing Center.
38 FBI Laboratory 2007

Chemical-Biological Sciences Unit

The Chemical-Biological Sciences Unit (CBSU) was created in 2002 to support the FBI’s number-one 

priority, protection of the United States from a terrorist attack. The CBSU is charged with developing 

and enhancing the ability of the FBI to conduct forensic examinations of evidence collected from a 

terrorist act involving weapons of mass destruction (WMD). This mission continues to bring new

capabilities to the Laboratory.

Because WMD material cannot be examined on-site at the FBI Laboratory, the CBSU has developed

partnerships with a broad network of government agencies, private industry, and academic laboratories, 

each with a wide range of analytical capabilities. The CBSU works with partner laboratories to 

develop analytical plans for examining evidence. These plans incorporate validated methods to meet 

admissibility standards in the U.S. legal system and any other jurisdictions that rely on the Laboratory’s 

results. The CBSU, on behalf of the FBI Laboratory, has fostered partnerships with such entities and 

agencies as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Bioforensic Analysis Center; the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); and the 

Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The ability to conduct traditional forensic examinations on evidence contaminated with chemical, 

biological, and radiological material is critical for FBI investigations. Evidence collected following 

a terrorist event may contain latent fingerprints, trace materials, residual DNA, or distinctive paints

or dyes associated with items used in the preparation of a weapon. Examination of contaminated 

evidence is performed by the members of the Hazardous Evidence Analysis Team (HEAT), a program 

administered by the CBSU. With 62 representatives from every caseworking unit at the FBI Laboratory,

the HEAT comprises examiners, scientists, and other professional staff members who have been trained 

to safely work in the specialized partner laboratories. The team can deploy on short notice to examine 

evidence contaminated with chemical, biological, or radiological materials. The CBSU coordinates 

training and equipment for HEAT members, and in 2007, four HEAT training sessions were held at three 

partner laboratories.

To support HEAT evidence examinations, the CBSU has partnered with the Department of Homeland 

Security and the Department of Defense to construct the Sample Receipt Facility (SRF) in Edgewood, 

Maryland. The SRF is a unique facility that combines the expertise of the U. S. Army’s Edgewood 

Chemical Biological Center, the FBI Laboratory, and the Department of Homeland Security’s Chemical 

Security Analysis Center to provide multiagency cooperation 

in the prevention and investigation of chemical and biological 

terrorism. To protect the United States and its allies from 

WMD-related terrorism, the SRF will provide a single

facility capable of receiving, assessing, and examining highly 

hazardous items that may contain chemical and/or biological 

agents. The large forensic laboratory suite will allow forensic 

analysis of evidence collected in WMD terrorism cases. The

analytical space will permit full characterization of specific

chemical and biological material. The secure administrative 

An FBI Laboratory examiner analyzes an 

improvised explosive device contaminated with a 

biological weapon.
FBI Laboratory 2007 39

space will house several database resources with information on chemical weapons production, 

formulation, and synthetic pathways.

A “topping off” ceremony held in October 2007 was attended by Senators Benjamin Cardin and 

Barbara Mikulski, Congressional Representatives Wayne Gilchrest and “Dutch” Ruppersberger, and

representatives from the FBI, Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense. Senator Cardin’s 

remarks accurately captured the significance of the SRF:

Case support represented an important element of the activities of the CBSU in 2007. Biologists 

coordinated the analysis of evidence collected from WMD cases involving biological threat agents

and toxins. In a case from Nashville, Tennessee, local and federal law enforcement were alerted to 

the possibility that William Matthews, a former law enforcement officer from Davidson County, was

producing ricin and pipe bombs. Homemade explosive devices, firearms, and silencers were seized

along with a container of ricin. Matthews was charged and eventually pleaded guilty to the possession 

of ricin, firearm silencers, and explosives.

The Nuclear Program of the CBSU provided assistance in several cases involving radiological or nuclear 

materials and has continued in its efforts to establish and strengthen associations with other government 

agencies in order to assist FBI investigations involving radiological materials.

The CBSU participated in several national, multiagency training exercises designed to assess the 

ability of the U.S. Government to respond to a national emergency involving WMD materials. The

largest exercise with CBSU involvement was TOPOFF 4. TOPOFF stands for “Top Officials,” and this

fourth exercise in the series was constructed to be a test of the national response plan. The scenario for 

TOPOFF 4 involved approximately 15,000 participants from international, federal, state, local, and 

territorial entities, and the scenario venues ranged from Arizona to Oregon to Guam. A CBSU staff 

member was part of the Domestic Event Support Team in Portland, Oregon.

An Agroterrorism Comprehensive Integrated Training Exercise was held in Seattle, Washington, in

September 2007. CBSU staff gave presentations on the analysis of evidence contaminated with a foreign 

animal disease. The overall goal of the exercise was to test the response activities to a terrorist attack 

upon the agriculture sector and to engage FBI field agents, veterinarians, public health officials, and

local law enforcement in responding to an actual event.

An aerial depiction of the Sample Receipt Facility

The Sample Receipt Facility is a great example of 

government cooperation and cost-savings. Instead of 

building separate facilities to support similar missions, 

three government agencies are pooling their resources and 

creating an even better facility that will serve a unique 

national need. This will be the only place in the United 

States where a sample about which nothing is known can 

be received and triaged. 
40 FBI Laboratory 2007

The Chemistry Program of the CBSU continued to develop 

and expand its contacts with other government agencies 

and thereby increase the capabilities of the FBI Laboratory 

to analyze chemical weapons or chemical threat agents.

The CBSU Chemistry Program has been involved with 

chemists at the CDC concerning the mission and activities 

of the Chemical Laboratory Response Network and 

Environmental Laboratory Response Network, a network 

of laboratories equipped to rapidly respond to acts of 

terrorism and other public health threats and emergencies 

involving chemical, biological, radiological, and other 

hazardous materials. The Chemistry Program also 

supported CBSU casework involving biological toxins.

CBSU personnel have been active as advocates and instructors in the field of WMD forensics.

CBSU personnel have participated in meetings hosted by the CDC, the Association of Public Health 

Laboratories, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the American Society for Microbiology. CBSU 

personnel also participated in an international meeting hosted by the Swedish Defence Research 

Agency on the forensic analysis of evidence contaminated with chemical, biological, or radiological 

threat materials and attended the annual meeting of the International Society for Forensic Genetics in 

Copenhagen, Denmark.

Evidence Response Team Unit

For more than 15 years, the Evidence Response Team Unit (ERTU) has supported the operations of the 

Evidence Response Teams in all 56 FBI field offices. These teams have grown in size over the years and

currently consist of 1168 primary team members. The ERTU uses science and technology to provide 

training, crime scene equipment and supplies, and on-scene support and forensic science expertise to 

the ERTs. In this way, the ERTU prepares and enables the ERTs to collect intelligence in a professional, 

competent, and systematic manner during evidence-recovery operations that support FBI priority 

investigations. The ERT Program performed nearly 2700 responses and operations during 2007. The unit 

also provides specialized forensic science training to the FBI, law enforcement, and evidence-collection 

specialists from other domestic and international law enforcement agencies, supporting the investigative 

priorities of the FBI and the law enforcement community.

The ERT Program represents a critical element in the FBI’s 

core function of collection. When terrorists and other

criminals plan or conduct illegal acts, they leave behind vital 

intelligence. This particular type of intelligence cannot be 

fully exploited and analyzed unless it is collected correctly, 

often using sophisticated technology. Specialized experience 

and advanced training and technology make ERTs the ideal 

resource for intelligence collection.

 

Electronmicrograph of the foot-and-mouth disease 

virus, a highly virulent pathogen in cattle, pigs, and 

sheep

Rocket-propelled grenades uncovered at an overseas 

location
FBI Laboratory 2007 41

In addition to their evidence-collection capabilities, ERTs 

often are called upon for humanitarian missions, such as the 

Columbia Space Shuttle disaster in 2003 and the Southeast 

Asian tsunami in 2004/2005. The most recent example saw 

field and Headquarters ERT personnel deploy to Minneapolis

following the tragic bridge collapse in 2007. ERT personnel 

provided a variety of services, to include scene mapping and 

victim recovery.

In addition to supporting the intelligence-collection efforts 

of FBI field office ERTs, the ERTU has developed a

program whereby other intelligence collectors, for example, 

specialized FBI tactical units and Department of Defense 

entities, are trained using some of the same collection 

skills and technology. This initiative is an example of how 

the ERTU supports the FBI core functions of information 

dissemination and integration. The program includes 

training and consultation to help others establish protocols 

for processing crime scenes and conducting Sensitive Site 

Exploitation (SSE) operations. Although specific SSEs

cannot be disclosed for security reasons, SSEs have been 

conducted in Iraq and Afghanistan at known terrorist 

locations to gather physical evidence related to the terrorist’s 

identity and activities. 

ERTU Specialized Response Capabilities 

In some cases, evidence 

and intelligence are hidden 

underwater. The FBI’s 

Underwater Search and 

Evidence Response Teams 

(USERTs) are the resource with 

the technological equipment 

and expertise to locate that 

intelligence and bring it to 

the surface. In 2007, ERTU’s 

USERT Program supported 

approximately 30 underwater 

evidence operations in FBI, 

state, and local investigations. These missions also included humanitarian operations such as the 

recovery of bodies following the Minneapolis bridge collapse.

ERT personnel assisted in the aftermath of the 

Minneapolis bridge collapse by providing advanced 

site documentation using laser transit surveying 

systems.

ERT personnel assisted in the documentation of the 

Minneapolis bridge collapse, working side by side 

with personnel from many other agencies, including 

the National Transportation Safety Board. 

FBI USERT divers routinely operate in 

adverse conditions as they search for 

evidence.

The typical USERT dive operation requires specialized 

watercraft in support of the mission. 
42 FBI Laboratory 2007

The Forensic Canine Program (FCP) includes the Victim Recovery Team (VRT) and the Human Scent 

Evidence Team (HSET). This newly established canine program will develop the most proficient canine

resources available in law enforcement by conducting scientific research and providing field-based

training and continuing education to further the intelligence-collection capabilities of the field ERTs

and other law enforcement and intelligence agencies. This program also involves the Scientific Working

Group on Dogs and Orthogonal Detection Guidelines (SWGDOG), which is developing a compliance

certification standard to identify capable teams for use by the FBI and the National Center for Missing

and Exploited Children.

The Human Scent Evidence Team uses specially trained canines that can detect human scent on items 

thought to be associated with subjects or victims and then use this scent to identify subjects and, if 

possible, eliminate them as suspects. Properly employed, the HSET is a great asset that can minimize 

unnecessary investigative efforts and significantly reduce the number of work hours required to

complete certain investigative steps.

The Victim Recovery Team uses specially trained canines to detect and recover victims of criminal 

activity. The VRT also works closely with SWGDOG.

The ERTU has coordinated the joint deployment of ERT, USERT, and forensic canine resources to 

various locations. ERTU personnel also provided on-scene support during search operations. Whether

working at the site of a hazardous crime scene, mass disaster, or missing-person case or training others 

to do the same, ERTU personnel have the knowledge, experience, and resources to support the FBI’s 

mission in an ever-evolving environment.

ERTU’s Forensic Canine Program includes canines 

specially trained for human scent and victim recovery 

operations.

Human Scent Evidence Team bloodhounds are routinely deployed 

to support law enforcement operations around the country. 
FBI Laboratory 2007 43

Hazardous Materials Response Unit

The Hazardous Materials Response Unit (HMRU) provides scientific, technical, and investigative

support in response to crimes and suspicious activities involving WMD-related materials. Established

in 1996, the HMRU has a staff of 42, including scientists with doctoral and other advanced degrees in 

biology, chemistry, and nuclear materials; paramedics; specialists in hazardous materials operations; 

and supervisory special agents. In 2007 the HMRU deployed on 51 missions, completed 109 scientific

assessments, and provided operational advice via 186 conference calls. The HMRU provides operational 

support in every phase of a WMD terrorism investigation, including scientific assessments for the

investigation, support to FBI tactical and render-safe teams, crime scene processing, hazardous evidence 

transportation, and support to other FBI Laboratory units for material attribution. 

The HMRU established a national program of training, equipping, certifying, and sustaining Hazardous 

Materials Response Teams (HMRTs) within the FBI. Members are drawn from FBI field offices and

include special agents, FBI professional support staff, and state and local law enforcement personnel 

serving with the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) of the local field offices. Presently, there are HMRTs

in 27 of the FBI’s 56 field offices, plus an added three satellite HMRTs in the Anchorage, Honolulu, and

San Juan Field Offices.

The HMRU provides various specialized training for FBI personnel and other law enforcement 

officials. This includes assisting the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) in conducting WMD

counterproliferation training for law enforcement personnel in the former Soviet Union and other 

Eastern European nations.

For Better or Worse

In the summer of 2006 the HMRU and the New Orleans Field 

Office HMRT responded to support the FBI’s Jackson Field

Office during the investigation of a married couple suspected

of manufacturing the toxin ricin. In cooperation with and 

supported by Jackson police, fire, and emergency medical

service personnel, as well as Mississippi WMD Civil Support

Teams, HMRU personnel entered the couple’s apartment to 

recover potential evidence. 

The health and safety of all personnel on the site was a priority 

for the HMRU—not only because of the potential exposure to

ricin but also because of the extreme heat conditions present 

for personnel working in protective clothing. Temperatures 

reached 95 degrees with a relative humidity of 87 percent, for a 

calculated heat index of 143 degrees. All personnel completed 

the mission safely, and in December 2007, the suspects pleaded 

guilty under the Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act for

attempting to produce ricin.

Hazardous Materials Response Unit personnel 

use protective clothing and equipment to recover 

evidence at the apartment of a couple accused of 

manufacturing the toxin ricin.
44 FBI Laboratory 2007

Photographic Operations and Imaging Services Unit

The photographic services provided by the Photographic Operations 

and Imaging Services Unit (POISU) represent an important component 

of the FBI’s and the Laboratory’s missions. The unit’s three separate 

programs—Operations and Training, Photographic Equipment and

Support, and Photographic Services—offer a variety of services, including

operational, investigative, and forensic photography; technical assistance; 

equipment procurement and repair; and forensic image training. The 

unit also supports local, state, federal, and international law enforcement 

investigations by providing investigative and forensic photography, 

imaging, and photographic processing.

The Operations and Training Program serves the Laboratory, FBI Headquarters divisions, and all 

FBI field offices. Scientific and technical photographers assigned to this program deploy to major

crime scenes, agent-involved shootings, and other operational or investigative events, often providing 

photographic services at crime scenes involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or 

explosive devices. A large percentage of the FBI’s photographic training is provided by personnel in the 

Operations and Training Program.

Personnel assigned to the Photographic Equipment and Support Program design and install 

photographic camera concealments; procure, disseminate, and repair photographic equipment; manage 

equipment upgrades in the FBI’s 56 field offices; and oversee all photographic production, which

includes more than 1.5 million images in both hard-copy and digital form. Three regional photographic 

minilabs—in Atlanta, Chicago, and San Francisco—are managed through the Photographic Equipment

and Support Program. Additionally, personnel photograph special events, provide official photographs of

FBI executives, and commemorate anniversaries and retirements for FBI personnel.

The Photographic Services Program encompasses the Tactical Site Survey Program, the Aerial 

Photography Program, and the Technical Imaging Group (TIG). Personnel assigned to the Tactical Site 

Survey Mission help the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team, Special Weapons and Tactic Teams, and other

government agencies plan for events and emergencies by creating virtual walk-throughs. To support 

investigative and tactical planning, aerial photographs can be geo-referenced, embedded with geographic 

information system data, and overlaid with an alphanumeric grid. Photographers in the TIG support 

the Latent Print Operations Unit, capturing, processing, and printing high-quality images of latent 

fingerprints. Technical Imaging Group photographers also capture a high volume of latent impressions

for the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center.