Republic of the Philippines

ISABELA STATE UNIVERSITY

Angadanan, Isabela

COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE EDUCATION

UNIT III.
MODULE X. PROCEDURES IN THE UTILIZATION OF THE EQUIPMENT AND APPARATUS

Introduction
A forensic document examiner’s laboratory must be portable, enabling him or her to take the equipment to the
location of the document when it cannot be physically delivered to the document examiner. For example, the
document may be lodged at the court or other government agency, in a human resource department, or be in the
possession of the opposing party in a lawsuit.
In a recent case, the opposing document examiner admitted he did not own the proper equipment to perform the
work on the case.
Much of the work of a forensic document examiner involves handwriting. It is helpful for those unfamiliar with the
science to know that the most qualified, trained document examiner uses a powerful microscope to analyze minute
details in both the known and questioned writing, in the ink and even in the paper. They use software to assist with
comparisons between different writing samples. Document examination involves far more than the observation of
overt similarities and differences in the visual structure of the writing.

Objectives
a. To familiarize the procedures in the utilization of equipment and apparatus;
b. To know the use of each equipment and apparatus;
c. To know when to use a particular equipment or apparatus for a particular document;
d. To identify which among the disputed documents is genuine using the equipment and apparatus.

Learning contents
a. Procedures in the utilization of the equipment and apparatus

Discussion proper
A. PROCEDURES IN THE UTILIZATION OF THE EQUIPMENT AND APPARATUS
MICROSCOPE

The Microscope:
Through the Looking Glass

The most important tool a document examiner has is his or her own vision, but in this section and the laboratory tour
section we will consider the external tools which enable the examiner to see, evaluate and record more than is
apparent to the unaided eye. These tools can be grouped into 6 categories:
1. basic measuring tools
 2. magnification (magnifiers/microscopes)
3. light sources
4. special instruments
5. photography equipment
6. computer equipment

1. BASIC MEASURING TOOLS

Basic measuring tools include metric rulers, calipers for fine measurements and various glass alignment plates such
as the one illustrated below which allow comparison and measurement of angles, height, width and spacing of
handwriting and typewriting.

A tool for both measurement and magnification is a "reticle" which is a magnifier eyepiece containing an engraved
measurement scale which allows the examiner to precisely measure what is viewed under the microscope.

2. MAGNIFICATION - Magnifiers/Microscopes
Document examiners use a wide range of magnification equipment. Handheld magnifiers (sold here by QDEWill)
enlarge the material from 2 to 10 times (magnification powers of 2X to 10X) and may have lighting abilities as well to
brighten the field of view. To see details more closely, there are many types of microscopes. A binocular, or stereo,
microscope is comfortable to use because, as the name implies, there are 2 eyepieces and the viewer focuses with
both eyes. In addition, a microscope can have a third viewing tube which allows a still or video camera to be attached
for "through the microscope" photography or videography. Digital microscopes combine optics for magnification with
digital capture technology to allow the user to view the magnified image on the monitor instead of or in addition to
viewing it through the microscope eyepieces.

It might seem that the more powerful the microscope in terms of magnification, the better, but for the task of
handwriting examination, this is not the case. Most handwriting examination is done at powers of 10X to 50X (the
subject is enlarged 10 to 50 times). When magnification is higher, the field of vision is so narrow that the object
viewed loses relevance. In the example below, my signature is shown at 10X, 15X, 20X and 25X.
 10X 15X 20X 25X

It is a good idea to start out with a low power when first examining a portion of a document and then to zoom in
closer to the area you want to inspect.

A type of microscope that is particularly useful in document examination is the comparison microscope. Two
documents can be viewed side-by-side and the images can be positioned so that they appear to overlay each other.
By using a different color of filter on each document, the examiner can then see a third color in those areas where the
two segments being compared overlap each other. Below you see the results when two of my signatures are viewed
under the comparison microscope at 15x. The interplay of colored light makes this image a bit confusing to the first
time viewer, but essentially you are seeing a composite of two signatures (one viewed through a red filter and one
viewed through a green filter) in which the black line segments are the places where the two signatures would
coincide if the signatures were really on top of each other.

3. LIGHT SOURCES
Light sources include transmitted light, long and short wave ultraviolet light, and infra-red light. Transmitted light is
simply light from behind a document. This is best provided by a light box which has a color corrected flourescent type
light bulb. The document can be laid upon the box and the light from behind the document makes it possible to see
details not otherwise visible.

4. SPECIAL INSTRUMENTS
UV and IR lights are used to differentiate between inks and papers, and to reveal obliterated materials. Photography
using specific films and filters can be used in conjunction with these special lights to reveal and record information.
These techniques do not always lead to answers, but they are the best initial approach because they are non-
destructive methods. For more information and a demonstration of this equipment, take a tour of my document
examination laboratory.

5. PHOTOGRAPHY EQUIPMENT
The second important use of photography in document examination is for recording and presenting evidence. A
critical part of the job of the document examiner is to present evidence to the parties involved in a document dispute.
The examiner must be able to state and explain his or her opinion, but the best service is given when the examiner
goes the final step of illustrating testimony with visual evidence. Photo equipment is likely to include a 35mm SLR
camera, digital camera, copy stand, filters, extension tubes, lenses, and other items.

6. COMPUTER EQUIPMENT
The last category, computer equipment is a recent and diverse category. Of course the computer is an essential aid
to anyone who writes reports, runs a business, and handles finances. But in document examination there is a lot
more to do with a computer. A whole new area of potential document fraud has developed around the computer. Just
as the examiner once had to divert from the study of handwriting to learn about a new machine, the typewriter, now
he must learn about the computer and the output devices that are associated with it.

But the computer is not just a source of trouble for the document examiner, or a help in making attractive and
informative exhibits. It is also a tool in doing examinations and presenting evidence. For example, scanning in
documents and cautious use of image processing software offers the potential to differentiate between inks and
reveal obscured writing, as illustrated in series of images that follow.

For the first image, a photograph of the original document (the original was on file in the courthouse and could not be
removed from that location) was scanned in and cropped to the area in question. In the second image the contrast
and brightness have been adjusted to give a clearer view of the area. In the third through sixth images the heavy
inking that was used to obscure the original writing is gradually "removed" to reveal the "2". In this case, the ink or
inks all appeared black and could not be separated with filtering, but the "2" could be seen under a microscope. The
view through the microscope served as a guide in working with the computer image to prepare this series of
illustrations.

(SAQ) Self-Assessment Questionnaires

ACTIVITY. Summarize what you have learned in Questioned Document Examination. (20 points)

Summary
This module presents the procedure in using the different equipment and apparatus in questioned document
examination. These equipment and apparatus have distinct functions depending upon the condition and type of the
document that is brought to the laboratory. These also have distinct purpose at every stage of the examination. An
examiner must know what type of tool is to be used and when to use the same.

References
https://www.qdewill.com/microscopes/
https://quality9.com/