Forensics Talks

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Veterinary Forensics | EP 83 | Dr. Rachel Touroo 

Dr. Rachel Touroo joined the ASPCA in 2012 as the director of its Veterinary Forensics program and is currently the senior director of Veterinary Forensic Sciences. In this role, Dr. Touroo oversees the ASPCA Veterinary Forensic Science Center, assists law enforcement with suspected animal cruelty cases throughout the United States, develops and carries out novel research in the area of veterinary forensics, and teaches Veterinary Forensic Medicine for the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Medicolegal Investigations for Florida International University, where she holds courtesy faculty appointments. Dr. Touroo has assisted with hundreds of animal cruelty cases throughout the U.S. and has been qualified as an expert witness on dozens of occasions in a variety of states, as well as in federal court.  Join us as we discuss the importance of veterinary forensics and the work that the ASCPA is doing to assist law enforcement in investigations.

Originally aired on: Wednesday April 5th, 2023

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Alexander DeBruijn began as a forensic photographer at the regional police Ijsselland in 2000 . In 2005, he joined a multi-police agency project group to investigate the adoption of Lidar and panoramic image scanners within The Netherlands police departments. in 2015 he joined the visualisation and reconstruction expert team which specializes in bringing laser scanners, handheld scanners, surveying equipment, panoramic cameras and other technologies to assist in investigations and to bring presentations to court. His current focus is XR visualization possibilities for use in the criminal investigation process and he is part of the "PDVision3D" development team, a Unity based general 3d and multiuser xr data viewer developed by the ETVR wich has been used in several court cases.

Originally aired on: March 23, 2023

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Dr. Itiel Dror is well known for his academic work as it relates to theoretical issues underlying human performance and cognition. His research examines the information processing involved in perception, judgment and decision-making. Much of his work has focused on different disciplines in forensic science and has helped to reshape the way forensic practitioners think about the way they perform their work. As a returning guest to Forensics Talks, we will examine some of Dr. Dror's more recent work into Forensic Pathology where contextual bias appears to play a significant role in the outcome of postmortem examinations and cause of death determinations.

The first ever study of bias in forensic pathology, along with 22 Letters-to-the-Editor: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1556-4029.14697 

 The 2nd paper/study published about forensic pathology bias, showing that contextual information *overrides* the medical data: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589871X22000705

 Originally aired on: March 16, 2023

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David Larraguibel joined the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service in 2011 where he developed a modernized methodology for photographic documentation of post-mortem examinations, specializing in the use of cross-polarization and infrared photography, as well as establishing an information infrastructure to manage large imaging datasets. He also spent a year as a Forensic Identification Support Technician with the Ontario Provincial Police where he provided training to Scenes of Crimes Officers on the use of field expedient photographic imaging equipment. David is currently researching the spectral and chemical characteristics of human tissues and the decompositional process, tattoo inks and firearm discharge residues. 

Originally aired on: March 9, 2023

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Dr. Richard Shepherd qualified as a doctor in 1978 and as a consultant pathologist in 1987. He worked as a Consultant Forensic Pathologist and a “Home Office” forensic pathologist for over 35 years and he was routinely involved in the investigation of all types of sudden and suspicious deaths in London, the UK and around the world. He is the author of two books, Unnatural Causes and The Seven Ages of Death which give insightful and honest accounts of what it means to be a forensic pathologist. Join us as we discuss how forensic pathology contributes to forensic investigations.

Originally aired on: February 23, 2023

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Louis Peck is a Registered Professional Mechanical Engineer and the owner of Axiom Forensic and Lightpoint Scientific. He is a retired motorcycle racer who specializes in motorcycle collision reconstruction and teaches reconstruction and analysis of motorcycle crashes as well as photogrammetry classes to other experts. He has published numerous papers on things such as sliding friction, stopping behavior of motorcycle drivers, influence of riding experience, pole impact analysis, and much more. Join us as we discuss current technology, practical issues and what makes motorcycle collision reconstruction unique from other types of vehicles.

Originally aired on : February 9, 2023

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Frank Grosspietsch is a firearms expert with a comprehensive background in relation to the interdiction and investigation of illicit firearms, related components, and ammunition at the local, national, and international level. He spent over 14 years as a member of the RCMP’s National Weapons Enforcement Support Team and retired in early 2020. His expertise ranges in areas such as, identification, classification and verification of firearms, criminal use of firearms, firearms trafficking, black market value of illicit firearms, and much more. Since April 2021, he has been working for the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNILREC) as a Technical Advisor for both Conventional Weapons and for Firearms Evidence Management. Join us as we discuss issues surrounding self-fabricated firearms, "Ghost Guns", illegal importation of firearms, trafficking, and much more.

Originally Aired on: February 2, 2023

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Megan is the Founder and Director of Forensic Guardians International (FGI), a company addressing all aspects of forensic human identification. As a leading global forensic advisor and an expert in forensic human identification and emergency management, Megan has an impressive history of advancing humanitarian forensic practice and enhancing forensic strategies and capacities for national and international organizations. In the past, she was the Forensic Coordinator for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Lebanon and Georgia, the latter with responsibility for the Caucasus and Central Asia. Megan has also supervised and directly performed archaeological recoveries and thousands of anthropological examinations, at single and mass gravesites, for the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus and the International Committee for Missing Persons in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Join us as I speak to Megan about her work, technology, and the importance of identifying human remains in war-torn areas such as the Ukraine.

Forensic Guardians International: https://forensicguardians.com/

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David Camm Case | EP 75 | Gary Dunn | 

Gary Dunn, a 27-year FBI Agent with a wide array of experience investigating white collar, corruption, terrorism, and violent crimes, often dealt with heartbroken victims and their remorseless perpetrators. He would find both in the Camm case as David's private investigator. Stunned by the incompetent, biased police investigations, lack of a fair, impartial justice system, and some who claimed to be forensic scientists, follow his and the defense team's contentious investigative path in the trials of David Camm.

Originally Aired on: Dec 21, 2022 | 2:00pm Eastern

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Emotional Wellness for Forensic Investigators | EP 74 | Douglas Young 

Douglas Young is currently a Senior Criminalist with the Thornton Police Department in Colorado. He began his training as a crime scene technician for the Gibson County Sheriff’s Department and held that position from 1993 – 1998. As a long time forensic professional dealing with tragic incidents, Doug has given some sincere and moving presentations at conferences and training events about the effects that attending horrific crime scenes can have on first responders and those working in forensic investigations. Join us as we discuss how the emotional wellness of forensic practitioners needs to be tended to, how to identify when a person needs assistance, and what can be done to minimize the effects of repeated exposure to tragic and often, gruesome events.

Originally aired: Dec 15, 2022 | 2:00pm Eastern