Crime Scene/Death Investigation 

Scientific Area Committee

Greg Davis, Chair
Crime 

Scene/ 

Death 

Investigation 

SAC 

Leadership

Gregory George Davis, Chair, University of Alabama at Birmingham

George Cronin, Vice Chair, Pennsylvania State Police and University of 

Pennsylvania

Jeremy Chappell, Executive Secretary, Kansas City (Missouri) Police Department

Kenneth Aschheim, Chair, Odontology, New York City Office of Chief Medical 

Examiner

Michael Kessler, Chair, Crime Scene Investigation, National Forensic Science 

Technology Center (NFSTC)

Craig Beyler, Chair, Fire and Explosion Investigation, Jensen Hughes

Kenneth Furton, Chair, Dogs and Sensors Subcommittee, Florida International 

University

Thomas Holland, Ph.D., Chair, Anthropology, DOD Joint POW/MIA Accounting 

Command, Central Identification Laboratory

Keith Pinckard, Chair, Medicolegal Death Investigation, Travis County Medical 

Examiner's Office

Jason Wiersema, Chair, Disaster Victim Identification, Harris County (Texas) 

Institute of Forensic Sciences

2
Crime Scene/ 

Death 

Investigation 

SAC 

Members 

and Liaisions

John Allen, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Robert Barsley, DDS, Louisiana State University, Health Sciences 

Center School of Dentistry

Timothy Davidson, Cowlitz County (Washington) Coroner's Office

Gerald McGwin, Jr., M.D., University of Alabama at Birmingham

Peter Massey, Ph.D., University of New Haven, West Haven, Conn.

Shawn Wilson, Hennepin County (Minnesota) Medical Examiner

Ex-Officio Members - Deborah Davis, Ph.D., University of Nevada, 

Reno (HFC)

D. Michael Risinger, Seton Hall University School of Law (HFC)

Kent E. Cattani, Arizona Court of Appeals (LRC)

Barbara E. Andree, Forensic Chemist, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, 

Firearms and Explosives (QIC)

3
SAC Mission

Improve forensic practice by 

creating and promoting 

standard guidelines and 

protocols to ensure that the 

results of forensic analysis are 

reliable and reproducible.
5
Roadmap for Fire and Explosion Investigation 

for Origin and Cause of a Fire

Recognize the 

need

Define the 

Problem

Collect Data

(scene and other sources)

Determine Origin

Determine Cause

Overall Process Origin Determination Cause Determination

Analyze Data Analyze Data

Develop Origin 

Hypotheses

Develop All Possible 

Cause Hypotheses in 

Origin Area

Test Hypotheses

Origin Determined, 

if one and only one 

hypothesis survives 

testing

Test Hypotheses

Cause Determined, 

if one and only one 

hypothesis survives 

testing

Written Report & Verbal Communication of Findings

* NFPA 1033:

Qualifications

* NFPA 921:

Investigation 

Process

* NFPA (upcoming):

Fire & Explosion 

Investigation Unit 

Operations

All Apply to Entire 

Process

All Areas Bear 

Further Research

(see Strategic Plan)
Standards 

on the 

Registry

Fire and Explosion Investigation

NFPA 921:2017 Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations (Fire and Explosion 

Investigation Subcommittee, November 1, 2017)

NFPA 1033:2014 Standard for Professional Qualifications for Fire Investigator (Fire and 

Explosion Investigation Subcommittee, December 22, 2016)

Odontology

ADA 1058-2010D Forensic Dental Data Set (Odontology Subcommittee, February 14, 

2019)

ADA 1088-2017D Human Identification by Comparative Dental Analysis (Odontology 

Subcommittee, March 7, 2019)

7
Standards in 

Process – at 

SDO

Standards

Standards

8

Anthropology

• Best Practice Recommendations for Facial 

Approximation in Forensic Anthropology

• Standards for Sex Estimation in Forensic 

Anthropology

• Standard for Stature Estimation from Human 

Remains
Standards in 

Process –

Under 

Development

• Standard for Ancestry Estimation in Forensic 

Anthropology

• Standard for Age Estimation in Forensic Anthropology

• Standard for Anthropology Scene Detection and 

Processing

• Standard for Identifying and Describing Pathological 

Conditions and Anomalies in Forensic Anthropology

• Standard for Qualifications in Forensic Anthropology

• Standard for Determining Medicolegal Significance in 

Forensic Anthropology

• Standard for Skeletal Sampling and Preparation in 

Forensic Anthropology

• Standard for Resolving Commingled Remains in 

Forensic Anthropology

Standards

9
Standards in 

Process –

Under 

Development

Standards

Standards

10

• Standard for Trauma Analysis in Forensic 

Anthropology

• Standard for Personal Identification in Forensic 

Anthropology

• Standard for Taphonomic Observations in Forensic 

Anthropology

• Standard for Documentation, Reporting, and 

Testimony

• Standard for Proficiency Testing in Forensic 

Anthropology
Standards in 

Process – at 

SDO

Crime Scene Investigation

• Standard Practice for Crime Scene Investigator 

Training, Continuing Education, Professional 

Development, Certification, and Accreditation

11
Standards in 

OSAC Registry 

Approval 

Process

Standards

12

Crime Scene Investigation (VSC 8)

• E620-11(18) Standard Practice for Reporting Opinions of 

Scientific or Technical Experts

• E678-07(13) Standard Practice for Evaluation of 

Scientific or Technical Data

• E860-07(13)e2 Standard Practice for Examining and 

Preparing Items that Are or May Become Involved in 

Criminal or Civil Litigation

• E1020-13e1 Standard Practice for Reporting Incidents 

that May Involve Criminal or Civil Litigation

• E1188-11(17) Standard Practice for Collection and 

Preservation of Information and Physical Items by a 

Technical Investigator

• E1459-13(18) Standard Guide for Physical Evidence 

Labeling and Related Documentation
Standards in 

Process –

Under 

Development

Crime Scene Investigation

• Standard Practice for Documenting and 

Processing of Shooting Scenes for 

Reconstruction

• Standard Practice for the Collection and 

Preservation of Items That May Contain 

Biological Material

• Standard Practice for the Collection and 

Preservation of Seized Drugs

• Standard Practice for Crime Scene 

Reconstruction

Standards

13
Standards in 

Process – in 

Registry 

Process

Disaster Victim Identification

• ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 007, 

Postmortem Impression Submission Strategy for 

Comprehensive Searches of Essential 

Automated Fingerprint Identification System 

Databases, First Edition, 2018

• ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 010, 

Forensic Anthropology in Disaster Victim 

Identification: Best Practice Recommendations 

for the Medicolegal Authority, First Edition, 2018

Standards

14
Standards in 

Process – at 

SDO

• ASB Best Practice Recommendation 005, Mass Fatality 

Incident Data Management: Best Practice 

Recommendations for the Medicolegal Authority 

• ASB Best Practice Recommendation 008, Mass Fatality 

Scene Processing: Best Practice Recommendations for 

the Medicolegal Authority

• ASB Best Practice Recommendation 094, Postmortem 

Fingerprint Recovery: Guidance and Best Practices for 

Disaster Victim Identification

• ASB Best Practice Recommendation 108, Forensic 

Odontology in Disaster Victim Identification: Best 

Practice Recommendations for the Medicolegal 

Authority

Standards

15
Standards in 

Process –

Under 

Development

• Best Practice Recommendations for Building Resiliency 

for Disaster Victim Identification Responders (new work 

product)

• Best Practice Recommendations for Quality Assurance in 

Disaster Victim Identification (new work product)

• Best Practice Recommendations for Managing Disaster 

Victim Identification Response with Chemical, Biological, 

Nuclear, and Explosive Trauma (new work product)

• Best Practice Recommendations for Disaster Victim 

Accounting (new work product)

• Best Practice Recommendations for Comparison of ID 

Methodologies in Disaster Victim Identification (new 

work product)

• Best Practice Recommendations for Mass Fatality 

Management Preparedness (new work product)

Standards

16
Standards in 

Process –

Under 

Development

• Mass Fatality Incident Data Management: Best Practice 

Recommendations for the Medicolegal Authority 

• Media Communications: Best Practice 

Recommendations for Medicolegal Authorities in 

Disaster Victim Identification

• Ethical Considerations in Disaster Victim Identification: 

Best Practice Recommendations for the Medicolegal 

Authority

• Legal Considerations in Disaster Victim Identification

• Family Management Following a Mass Fatality Incident: 

Victim Information Center Best Practice 

Recommendations for Medicolegal Authorities

• Disaster Victim Identification Process: Best Practice 

Recommendations for the Medicolegal Authority

• Forensic Odontology in Disaster Victim Identification: 

Best Practice Recommendations for the Medicolegal 

Authority

Standards

17
Standards in 

Process –

Under 

Development

Dogs and Sensors

• General Guidelines (ready for comment)

• Terms and Definitions (ready for comment)

Leading towards

• Selection of handlers/career field progression

• Selection of dogs/kenneling

• Court evidence

• Application of dogs in specific circumstances 

(e.g. accelerants, explosives, human rescue, 

illicit drugs, etc.)

Standards

18
Standards in 

Process – at 

SDO

• NFPA Standard for the Organization and 

Operation of Fire Investigation Units (FIU)

19

NFPA 

1033

NFPA 921

Forthcoming 

NFPA FIU 

Standard
Work in 

Process –

Under 

Development

• Strategic Plan for Fire and Explosion 

Investigation

• Template Quality Manual for FIU’s in 

development to facilitate individual FIU’s 

development of their own Quality Manual and 

eventually seeking accreditation to the 

forthcoming NFPA standard

20
Standards in 

Process – at 

SDO

Medicolegal Death Investigation

• Organizational and Foundational Standard for 

Medicolegal Death Investigation (ASB)

Under development

• Standard for capturing common data elements in 

medicolegal death investigations (working title)

Standards

21
Standards in 

Process – at 

SDO

Proposed American Dental Association Standard 

No. 1077 Human Age Assessment by Dental 

Analysis 

22

SCOPE

This document specifies the methodologies and best practices for 

estimating the chronologic age of a living or deceased individual by 

analysis of the human dentition and associated maxillofacial structures.

Odontology

Standards
Standards in 

Process – at 

SDO

Proposed ISO 20888 Dentistry — Terminology for 

Forensic Oro-Dental Data

23

SCOPE

This international standard provides dentists and forensic dental experts with an organized 

system of concepts to describe the distinctive characteristics of an individual’s mouth. The 

chosen system is based on a forensic approach of a mouth’s characteristics, with many 

concepts specifics to the identification domain that are not defined elsewhere in ISO dentistry 

vocabularies (e.g. “present tooth”).

The hierarchical structure of the standard is designed to describe attributes of a tooth, the mouth 

and a prosthesis /orthosis with increasing levels of discriminative characteristics (e.g. material 

characteristics, restored tooth surface...) and the possibility to connect any level of description 

of an attribute with the most comprehensive concept.

This standard is intended to be used for data exchange between antemortem and postmortem 

files, without any ambiguity on the terms used to describe an individual’s mouth.

Odontology

Standards
Standards in 

Process –

Under 

Development

Bitemark Analysis, Comparison and Reporting: 

Standards and Best Practices for the Forensic 

Dentist and Investigator

Standards

24

Scope

This standard provides definitions, terminology and procedures for the 

development of evidence identified as a pattern created by teeth. The 

purpose is to promote consistent methodology and reporting among 

investigators across jurisdictions.

Odontology
Guidelines and 

Best Practices 

in Process –

Under 

Development

Proposed Guidelines and Best Practices for Human 

Abuse Recognition by Dental Professionals

Guidelines and Best Practices 

25

Scope

This proposed guidelines and best practices report provides guidance to 

dental professionals to recognize abuse and neglect, and document and 

report those findings

Odontology
Research 

Needs

Anthropology

• Controlled Experimental Bone Trauma Studies

• Healing Rates of Skeletal Injury, Especially in Children

• Stable Isotope Analysis as a Geospatial Tool for 

Identification

• Validation Studies of Technologies (ex. ground 

penetrating radar, remote sensing, and) Recovery 

Techniques in Forensic Anthropology

• Population Frequency Data for Radiologic Identification

26
Research 

Needs

Crime Scene Investigation

• Assessing the Culture of Contextual Bias in Forensic 

Scene Evidence Collection, Handling, and Processing

• Assessment of Level of Personal Protective Equipment 

(PPE) Required at Crime Scenes

• Crime Scene Research: Creation of a Centralized 

Searchable Database

• Decontamination of Crime Scene Equipment

• Laboratory Techniques and Technologies at the Crime 

Scene

• Use of Technology for Crime Scene Documentation

27
Research 

Needs

Disaster Victim Identification

• Composite Quantification of Contextual Decedent ID 

Criteria

• Modeling of MFI Missing Person and Victim Data

• Understanding Cognitive Bias in DVI Operations

Dogs and Sensors

• Development of Methods for Monitoring Levels of 

Contamination of Aids

• Development of Reliable Surrogate Aids

• Evaluation of Dissipation of Odorant

• Identification of Odorant Chemicals Present In and 

Above Targets

• Integration of Canine and Instrumental Detectors

28
Research 

Needs

Fire and Explosion

• Developing Tools for Evaluation of Fuel Characteristics 

• Dissemination of ATF Fire Research Laboratory Data 

• Documentation of Post Fire Conditions in Public Research 

• Extracting Event-relevant Data from Electronic Sources 

• Fire Investigation Component of Publicly Funded Compartment Fire 

Research - I

• Fire Investigation Component of Publicly Funded Compartment Fire 

Research - II

• Material Property Impacts on Fire Patterns 

• Measurement and Quantification of Fire Patterns 

• Potential for Reducing Bias in Fire and Explosion Investigations

• Public Distribution of Recall Data 

• Repository of Fire Investigation Research 

• Room Size Impacts on Fire Patterns 

• Validation of Origin and Cause Determination Protocols

• Ventilation Impacts on Fire Patterns 

• Witness Information for Fire & Explosion Scenes 

29
Research 

Needs

Medicolegal Death Investigation

• Assessing the Utility of Autopsy in Contentious 

Medicolegal Categories of Death

• Geographic and Seasonal Variation of Postmortem 

Changes

• Medicolegal Death Investigator Workload Analysis

• Pediatric Forensic Pathology to Improve the Accuracy of 

Cause and Manner of Death Certification

30
Research 

Needs

Odontology

• 3D Imaging of Patterned Injuries on Human Skin

• Critical Comparison of Dental Age Assessment Methods

• Development of 3D Databases of Human Dentitions

• Phenotyping of Tooth Shape and Tooth Color

• Quality & Quantity of Concordant Features Required for 

Human Identification

• Reliability of Bitemark Analysis Methodology

• Specific Population Studies in Dental Age Assessment

31
Thank you

https://www.nist.gov/topics/organization-scientific-area-committees-forensic-science