U.S. Department of Justice

Federal Bureau of Investigation

April 2000   Volume 2   Number 2

Guidelines for Forensic Document Examination

Scientific Working Group for Forensic Document Examination (SWGDOC)

Revised January 2000

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Introduction

Guidelines:

Examination of Handwritten Items

Examination of Exclusively Questioned Handwritten Items

Examination of Nonoriginal Handwritten Items

Examination of Handwritten Items Having a Distorted Appearance

Safe Handling of Contaminated Document Evidence and the Preservation of Associated Trace Evidence

Discussion of the Guideline for the Safe Handling of Contaminated Document Evidence and the Preservation of Associated Trace Evidence

Quality Assurance and Proficiency Testing

Comments

Acknowledgments

Introduction

March 9, 2000

Dear Colleague:

The Scientific Working Group for Forensic Document Examination (SWGDOC) includes approximately 45 representatives from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies; private practice; the legal profession; and academia. In April of 1999, SWGDOC issued a preliminary set of general guidelines and recommendations for the various document examination technologies and procedures used by the professional document examiner. These draft guidelines were posted on the Web sites of the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners (ASQDE) and the National Forensic Science Technology Center (NFSTC). Forensic document examiners were asked to provide feedback in an effort to ensure that these guidelines address the needs of the entire forensic document examination community. On the basis of this feedback, additional revised guidelines were later prepared and released.

Because the initial draft guidelines address only a few of the technical areas of document examination, SWGDOC is preparing additional guidelines to encompass the remaining areas of forensic document examination. It is anticipated that there will be more than 50 separate guidelines upon completion and that these guidelines may be published as standards for the profession by an appropriate organization, such as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

The purpose of this correspondence is to inform the reader of these documents and to request continued assistance in the dissemination and revision of these guidelines. Instructions for submitting comments are attached, and those interested in contributing to the revision process by submitting comments are encouraged to respond. All responses generated by the attached drafts will be reviewed and considered by SWGDOC for incorporation in the final versions of the guidelines.

Appreciative of your support and awaiting your response in this matter,

Melvin Henry Cavanaugh
SWGDOC Chairman

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Acknowledgments

The participation and support of the following agencies and their personnel are acknowledged in the preparation of the SWGDOC guidelines:

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
California State University, Fresno
Commonwealth of Virginia
Drexel University
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Florida State Lottery Division
Fresno County Sheriff's Department
Honolulu Police Department
Indiana State Police
Internal Revenue Service
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
Maryland State Police
Michigan State Police
Minneapolis Police Department
Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
Mississippi State Crime Laboratory
Nassau County Police Department
National Forensic Science Technology Center
San Francisco Police Department
Texas Department of Public Safety
U.S. Department of the Army
U.S. Department of the Navy
U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service
U.S. Postal Service
U.S. Secret Service
Washoe County Sheriff's Department

In addition, the participation and support of the following professional organizations and their members are acknowledged in the preparation of the SWGDOC guidelines:

American Board of Forensic Document Examiners (ABFDE)

American Society of Questioned Document Examiners (ASQDE)

Coalition of Private Practice Examiners (COPPE)

Mid-Atlantic Association of Forensic Sciences (MAAFS)

Midwestern Association of Forensic Sciences (MAFS)

Northeastern Association of Forensic Sciences (NEAFS)

Questioned Documents Section,
American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS)

Southeastern Association of Forensic Document Examiners (SAFDE)

Southwestern Association of Forensic Document Examiners (SWAFDE)

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Comments

Comments and questions concerning the guidelines may be forwarded to Melvin Henry Cavanaugh, SWGDOC Chairman, at mhcavana@lasd.org or to the following SWGDOC subchair committee members:

Janis Tweedy, janis.tweedy@state.mn.us
(Quality Assurance and Proficiency Testing)

Susan Morton, magnolia@worldspy.net
(Examination of Handwritten Items; Examination of Exclusively Questioned Handwritten Items; Examination of Nonoriginal Handwritten Items; Examination of Handwritten Items Having a Distorted Appearance; Safe Handling of Contaminated Document Evidence and the Preservation of Associated Trace Evidence)

Readers may also respond via the following document comments form:

Document Comments Form

Scientific Working Group for Forensic
Document Examination (SWGDOC)
January 2000 Revision

Section:   Your Name:   Your Work Phone Number:   Please attach a printout of this form. Please be as specific as possible in your comments and include citations as necessary. Please mail this form with your comments to: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Scientific Services Bureau, Downey Facility ATTN: SWGDOC Chairman 7717 Golondrinas Street Downey, CA 90242

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FORENSIC SCIENCE COMMUNICATIONS     APRIL 2000   VOLUME 2   NUMBER 2