Thursday, May 19, 2011

3D Scanning: How Does It Benefit Law Enforcement?

Since its introduction in the late 90's, laser scanning has been associated with engineering, architecture, and construction. But its usefulness is no longer limited to industrial concerns. Other lines of work that benefit from 3D scanning include: archaeology, preservation, and law enforcement. In this article, we look at how a laser scanning service can benefit law enforcement.
Six ways a laser scanning service benefits law enforcement
Scanning services serve a variety of companies and organizations. Below, we look at six ways they assist law enforcement agencies.
1. Collection of crime scene evidence
Many crime scenes contain crucial evidence that seems insignificant at first, such as the position of a certain object. Scanners gather this information and present it in the form of data models that create a virtual crime scene. This allows investigators to examine the scene anew as new evidence arrives, piecing together how a crime occurred.
2. Crime scene animations
Once crime scene information is transferred to the proper data files, investigators can use the files to create animations that show how the crime occurred. By watching animations that are based on hard data, police can gain new insight into how a crime occurred, what type of person committed it, and under what circumstances it was committed.
3. Bullet and blood spatter trajectory
Bullet and blood spatter trajectory can have a major impact on murder and assault cases. For example, if someone tries to make a murder look like a suicide, bullet and/or blood spatter trajectory can reveal the shooting was a homicide. Blood and blood spatter trajectory can also validate a person's testimony about how an attack occurred. Scan information can determine bullet and blood spatter trajectory by comparing precise data coordinates.
4. Accident scene animations
In addition to recreating crime scenes, scan information can also be used to recreate accident scenes. In addition to being valuable to criminal cases, accident recreations can also be valuable to civil cases. In either case, they show how an accident occurred based on hard data, such as skid marks, driving conditions, and vehicle damage.
5. Jury presentation video
When police create an animation of how an accident or a crime occurred, the prosecution can use it to sway the jury. Similarly, the defense can use scan information to show a crime didn't happen the way the prosecution claims it did.
6. Cold case information storage
Reopening cold cases after months or years is often complicated by the loss or misplacement of crime scene files. Scan data can help to prevent this from happening by being stored on a hard drive instead of in file cabinets. When a case is reopened, having the crime scene evidence stored as scan information makes it easier for detectives to pick up where they left off.

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