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CSPD's crime lab is run by retired CSPD officer Shelley Weber. Weber holds a casting of a shoe from a crime scene on Wednesday, July 5, 2017. (Photo by Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)

It's hard today to commit a crime without leaving evidence.

Advances in technology have made shoeprints, palm impressions, firearm rifling and bodily fluids indispensable to sleuths. While police officers collect the clues, it's crime analysts who make it useful.

Inside the Colorado Springs Police Department's and El Paso County Sheriff's Office's Metro Crime Lab, forensics steal the show.

DNA is king.

"Because you can't see it, we do a lot of testing to see if it's there," lab supervisor Shelley Weber said.

The best thing about DNA is it lingers.

Law enforcement agencies across the country in recent years have been touting solving decades-old cold cases because of microscopic evidence left on materials long forgotten in storage. Colorado Springs is no different.

Pubic hair and other material gathered by the original detectives following the 1976 rape and murder of an Antlers hotel housekeeper were resubmitted for testing in 2009. It ultimately led to the identification and conviction of Robert Baillie.

During Baillie's trial, retired police detective Dwight Haverkorn testified, "I honestly don't know if we had even heard of DNA in 1976."

Today, it's harder for criminals to hide.

Even a fired bullet can be traced back to a source or linked to multiple crimes. Testing for it is one of the more enjoyable jobs analysts get to do.

Technicians will shoot confiscated weapons into a nine-foot tank filled with nearly 600 gallons of water and match the bullet's grooves to those collected from crime scenes. Firearms are like snowflakes and fingerprints, Weber explained; each has a unique design.

The process was used recently to help link a group of teens believed to be behind a string of 10 armed robberies to the February killing of local liquor store owner Donat Herr. One of the culprits, Phinehas Daniels, also reportedly stole a car and fired at people during a pursuit. That bullet was determined to have come from the same gun that was used to kill Herr, court documents said.

Daniels faces first-degree murder; three others have been named related to the shooting and police are searching for a fourth.

Even though the lab handles only evidence from major crimes, like homicides and sex assaults, analysts are always "kept hopping," Weber said.

In addition to DNA and firearm testing, the lab processes drugs and latent prints. Crime scene investigation analysts collect some of it from scenes.

They spent a week bagging evidence after the Planned Parenthood shooting, Weber said. "There's no downtime. We always have another case waiting."

One test that doesn't prove easy, especially in Colorado, is matching fingerprints.

Colorado is dry, so fingerprints often evaporate before they can be collected, latent print examiner Amanda Kimball said, a problem that visiting analysts from Florida frequently say they're relieved they don't have.

"You don't find fingerprints very often," Kimball said.

But even when prints are available, it doesn't mean connecting them to a suspect will be as easy as on TV shows.

Kimball said she has pulled prints from bloody grocery bags and used condom wrappers, but running them through the state's database in search of a match can take 30 minutes to hours. And it doesn't end with a single suspect, but rather a list of potential "candidates" identified by a number, not a name.

Technicians narrow the potentials to a single candidate and conduct physical side-by-side comparisons to confirm a match. Success is usually dependent on the culprit already having been in trouble; otherwise, it's likely their fingerprints won't be on file.

Forensics isn't perfect.

Sometimes the test results are inconclusive or the evidence just isn't there, but that's OK, Weber said. It's not always about getting a definitive answer - though the testing often does produce one.

"It gives officers a place to start asking questions," Weber said.

See the article here:
Colorado Springs crime lab helps turn evidence into convictions - Colorado Springs Gazette

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For 21-year-old Jake Cushman, the drive to be a crime scene investigator starts with his dad.

The recent Portland Community College graduate said that growing up in Vancouver, he was proud of his father, Adam Cushman, who worked as a criminalist for the Portland Police Bureau. The two were close, enjoying the same nerdy interest such as Star Wars and superheroes. Together, they loved watching the show Smallville, a show that depicts a young Clark Kent as he comes to terms with his superpowers.

But one Sunday night in February 2010, Adam Cushman was killed in a crash on his way home from work.

A dump truck driver was driving in the 7300 block of Northeast 182nd Avenue when his engine stalled. His truck was partially in the northbound lanes, and the driver turned off the trucks lights to restart it. The truck was rolling backward when it was struck by Cushmans Honda Accord.

Adam Cushman was pronounced dead at the scene.

He was supposed to be bringing us pizza, and he didnt make it home, Jake Cushman said. Its always been tough to deal with it. Nobody has to be at fault; it was just a fluke.

Jake Cushman, who was 13 at the time, said the loss shut him down. But one of the things that helped him through that time and the next few years was his fathers co-workers. They brought him and his little brother Christmas presents and came out to help with the yardwork.

And because they knew that Jake Cushman wanted to be a criminalist, like his father, they started taking him to the shooting range, something he said his dad would have eventually done with him.

We were just gradually getting him used to some of the skills youre going to need as a police officer, said Paul Ware, a criminalist at the Portland Police Bureau. At the Portland bureau, criminalists or crime scene investigators are also sworn police officers.

Ware worked alongside Adam Cushman for years, sharing an office cubicle and working the same shift. Ware called Adam Cushman competitive, always keeping track of who took the most photographs at crime scenes and who logged the most evidence. He was also into the high-tech tools used to analyze a scene and always wanted the latest and greatest, Ware said.

After Adam Cushman died, including his children in various things was a given, Ware said.

When Jake Cushman got to Union High School, he kept on the path to law enforcement, taking criminal justice courses at what is now called Cascadia Technical Academy. During his senior year, when it came time to do an internship, he called and left a message with Ware to see if he could work with him.

When Ware called back, the first thing he said was: When do you want to start?

So Cushman began working every Saturday, doing the same 12-hour shift as Ware. The schedule allowed him to help instruct some classes for those in their first year at Cascadia Technical Academy.

Within 15 minutes on his first day of the internship, Cushman was told to get ready he was going with Ware to process the scene of a suicide.

I was a little concerned about what I would see, about what I would not be able to unsee, Cushman said.

His emotions were high, he said, while he dealt with the family of the deceased person sitting across the street. At the same time, he was being introduced to other first responders as the Cushman boy, shaking hands and being told things about his father.

All thats going on and Im trying to deal with the sadness, this happiness, he said. Im meeting my dads life, the side I that didnt see of him. I felt closer to him.

While he did see some graphic things, Cushman said, he remembered something his father told him.

My dad always said, When you go into the job, you use God-colored glasses, he said. He explained that you can look at something hideous and morbid and gross and be able to see things through the perspective that youre doing good.

It was a long, tough day, but Cushman said it didnt deter him. He kept the internship going after graduation from Union High School in 2014 and into his time at Portland Community College.

That day I really realized why he did this, he said. Whats so fulfilling about helping somebody who is deceased as opposed to living is that they cant help themselves they cant respond, they cant tell you what happened you have to solve that without their assistance.

Ware said that working with Jake Cushman, he saw some of the same qualities that he saw in his father, Adam Cushman. The son was competitive, paying close attention when learning the many ways you can compare fingerprints.

And while his father was the one who drove him to pursue a career in crime scene investigation, Cushman said that he became enthralled in the behind-the-scenes police work.

Theres a lot of math and science involved, which I never thought that I would love, but now I see theres a reason for some of that stuff, he said. Its just a cool way to help people, using your brain instead of your body. Not every hero punches through walls.

Speaking of heroes, Cushmans interest in Superman never stopped.

In high school, he bought a Spandex Superman suit and wore it to Comic-Con in Portland, where he was spotted by members of the Portland Superheroes Coalition. Hed already been keeping his eye on the organization, which attends fundraiser and community events, so he was thrilled when they asked him to join.

After about a year of playing the part of Superman, Cushman said his favorite part is seeing the children light up when they visit childrens hospitals.

Those kids think that youre the real deal, and theyre not having an easy time if theyre there, he said.

The work is heart-warming, he said, but is also keeping alive another connection to his dad.

Cushman is planning to attend Washington State University Vancouver this fall to continue studying criminal justice, and while he does, he plans to keep doing the volunteer work. He says he sees his career goals and dressing up in spandex and a cape as connected.

At the end of the day, its about letting people know that theyre safe. Its about letting people know that the worlds not bad, he said.

Excerpt from:
Son follows in dad's footsteps into crime scene investigation - The Columbian

The last time Rodney Roberson saw his daughter Bianca was on Sunday, June 25, when they went bowling together.

She would twirl the ball up in the air and she knocked down a couple of the pins, Roberson recalled in a phone interview with the Tribune Thursday. She couldnt really bowl but she beat me. We had fun that day, too. That Sunday we had a lot of fun.

Friday, he and his family will lay 18-year-old Bianca to rest, following funeral services at St. Pauls Baptist Church, 1 Hagerty Blvd., in West Chester, beginning at 11 a.m.

She was a spoiled brat, but that was my baby though, Roberson reflected. We were looking forward to her succeeding and doing the things she wanted to do as far as her career.

Bianca Nikol Roberson was shot in the head Wednesday, June 28 while driving her 2009 Green Chevrolet Malibu after a road rage incident involving a red pickup truck allegedly driven by suspect David Desper, according to the West Goshen Township Police Department. The incident took place on Route 100 in West Goshen in Chester County, approximately 35 miles outside of Philadelphia.

A 2017 graduate of West Chesters Baynard Rustin High School, Bianca was employed at the White Horse Village retirement community in Newtown Square, according to her obituary. She planned to attend Jacksonville University in Florida this fall to major in forensics.

Her father said she loved watching the television show, CSI, or Crime Scene Investigation about forensic investigators trained to solve criminal cases; and she loved pizza.

She was a very picky eater, Roberson said. If you had corn in the house, some broccoli and some pork chops and a full course meal, she would say, Dad could you order me some pizza please?

In and outside of school, Bianca was loved, her father said, adding that hes been overwhelmed by the stories hes heard from other students who said she was kind and helpful to them.

Bianca was a very caring student; she was connected to a wide range of kids, said Rustins Assistant Principal Joe DiAntonio by phone. She always had a smile on her face and took care of others. She really grew and flourished as a student.

DiAntonio recalled Bianca winning a character award her senior year, along with other scholarships.

I hope we can remember how Bianca treated others and how caring she was and how accepting she was of others, DiAntonio said. And two, that we could look at this situation and think about the patience we need. The relationships that you need when dealing with people and how important they are. Shes going to be missed.

West Chester Area School District Superintendent Jim Scanlon said in a statement posted on the districts website, Our thoughts and prayers are with the Roberson family and friends during this emotional time. We thank the West Goshen Police Department and Chester County District Attorneys Office for their diligence as well as the communitys outpouring of support.

The investigation of the incident remains underway while Desper is being held in jail without bail. A GoFundMe page set up on behalf of Biancas mother, Michelle Tiller Roberson, well exceeded its goal of $25,000. By Thursday the site had raised $42,763.

Biancas death has shocked many people in and around the region with many expressing disbelief and support.

The West Goshen Township Board of Supervisors extends its profound sorrow and heartfelt condolences to the family of Bianca Nikol Roberson, a statement from West Goshen Township read. This senseless and unconscionable act of violence is unacceptable in a civilized society.

This isnt the only tragedy the family has suffered as Biancas older brother, Mykel James Rowley, died in his early 20s from heart disease about four years ago, Roberson said.

[Bianca] always talked about her brother and how much she missed him, Roberson said. She wished he was there for her prom and her graduation.

Roberson yearned to see the type of woman she would become.

Im not saying this just because she is my daughter, but she brought a lot of special things to people, Roberson said. She thought she could save the world. She was a good girl.

Although he knows it wont bring Bianca back, Roberson is hoping for justice for his daughter, aka his twin.

I was looking forward to not only my baby succeeding, but her going to school, and I wanted to see her develop into a mature lady, he added. The person who did this should be brought to justice for taking my innocent daughters life.

Read more from the original source:
Father reminisces about last he had heard from daughter - The Philadelphia Tribune

Abby the search and rescue dog got a chance to show off her skills Thursday at a crime scene investigation summer camp being held on the University of Montana campus.

Abbys handler Dave Howe, assistant chief for Missoula County Search and Rescue, described for the class the process of training a rescue dog. The presentation was part of a three-day crime scene investigations summer camp put on by the spectrUM Discovery Area. About 15 kids between the ages of 8 and 11 were invited to learn about mapping crimes, examining forensic evidence and how to fingerprint a suspect, among other criminology topics.

Howe came to talk about Abbys specialty, which isnt bomb detection or drug identification. Abby is used to help find people in an emergency, Howe said. Her training is focused on finding and rescuing people buried after an avalanche.

Abby knows how to bark to alert other emergency responders, but she also knows how to help dig for a person buried under snow, Howe said.

One of the hardest things for Abby was teaching her how to dig, Howe said.

To help her, Howe would get down on the ground with Abby and start digging with her.

We made it a game. We were both digging and then I started digging harder, and she started digging harder, Howe said. If you dont make it fun, she wont do it.

Different dogs have their different specialties, Howe said. If a house collapsed after an earthquake, Abby could help. Her nose is what makes her such an asset, Howe said. To demonstrate this, Howe asked for a volunteer to hide from Abby.

Abby should find Abby, the kids called out.

Howe gave 8-year-old Abby Wright a towel to wipe on a special scent before she found a place to hide. As Howe let Abby lead him to Wright, the other students followed a few paces behind, watching as Abby kept her nose close to the ground. When Abby found Wright, Howe cheered the rescue dog, telling her several times what a good job shed done.

She went right past me, Wright said. And then she was like, 'Yay, I found her!'

Wright has her own dog at home, although despite Howe telling the kids how to use tuna and smelly socks to see if your dog could be a rescue dog, Wright doesnt believe her Jack Russell terrier would be interested in sniffing something out.

Olive would rather lay in bed, Wright said.

Bringing Abby out into the community helps to socialize her, Howe said.

Socialization with lots of little kids for a dog is wonderful and it gets me used to handling her around children, Howe said.

It also lets the community know Missoula County has a rescue dog, Howe said. Howe and his wife got Abby about a year ago. Howe has worked for Missoula County Search and Rescue for about five years and saw the need for a dog specialized in avalanche rescues.

This week's camp was being led by University of Montana student Annie Schmautz, who has worked for spectrUM for about six years. Schmautz is studying forensic chemistry and criminology and hoping one day to work for an agency like the FBI.

SpectrUM camps are a special place for students to learn, said Agatha Podrasky, spectrUMs camp and field trip coordinator. The camps dont just connect students with local speakers, but with parents, high school students, college students and college graduates from different educational backgrounds.

Kids can see the entire educational path, Podrasky said.

Allison Wiswell, 11, liked learning about how to correctly measure out droppers of liquid during the first half of the day Thursday. She isnt interested in being an investigator, she said, but she likes learning about math and animals.

I've done spectrUM camps before and its always fun. Were always doing something, Wiswell said.

See more here:
Abby finds Abby: Search dog shows skills at summer camp - The Missoulian

June 26 through June 29 Wayne Police hosted their 19th Junior Police Academy. Crime scene investigation was one of the courses offered to the junior cadets, who helped their senior officers solve a "burglary." Jessica Presinzano/NorthJersey.com

State Trooper Andrew Stephanic gives young cadets a tour of a police helicopter in Wayne.(Photo: Jessica Presinzano/NorthJersey.c)

WAYNE With a few days ofcrime-scene investigation, self-defense and police discipline lessons under their belts,Wayne's newest junior police made their first "arrest" last week.

The collar was a part of DetectiveJason Clemente's crime scene-investigation class with retired officers Detective Sgt. Matthew Dox and DetectiveJim Faber.

The annual Wayne Junior Police Academy, a weeklong event for township children ages 10 to 12, gives aglimpse into police work and police academy training with a slice of fun. This year, 79 children signed up to learn more about police work while bonding with local officers at Wayne Valley High School and Wayne PAL.

Eight squads of children witnessed a simulated break-in by Dox, who snuck into a "home,"rummaged through belongings and madehis exit with a utility bag.

The cadets were quick to build a description of their suspect and assisted with his arrest after officers "discovered" the suspectoutside.

The case doesn't close with a suspect's arrest, cadets learned, as detectives demonstrated how police gather evidence like shoe prints, fingerprints and interviews to build a case for a suspect's guilt.

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Dox didn't seem to mind as an eager young cadet placed him in handcuffs for being caught with the stolen property. It's his second time playing the bad guy.

"I just enjoy doing it," said Dox, a 34-year Wayne Police veteran, of volunteering in the junior academy.

For cadet Emmie Licamarca, 11, the best part of the academy was theself-defense class, she said.

"There was this guy in a red armor-like suit and we had to beat him up," said Emmie, who added it was her second year at the academy.

Her friend Alyssa Montero, also 11, said she signed up because of stories she heard from Licamarca.

"I wanted to do an extra activity this summer and [Emmie] said it was really fun," said Alyssa.

A junior cadet helps put "suspect" retired Det. Sgt. Matthew Dox in handcuffs at Wayne Police's 19th annual Junior Police Academy.(Photo: Jessica Presinzano/NorthJersey.c)

This is the 19th year Wayne Police have hosted the Junior Academy, with one of the largest enrollments, at 79 cadets, according to DetectiveMichael Zaccone, event organizer and Wayne Valley High School resource officer.

Zaccone said he is "so proud" of the showing of officer's from Wayne's own department, composed of 21 current and retired officers, eight student volunteers and officers from state and county agencies.

"I am really proud of all the guys from our department who have come to help with this," said Zaccone.

Sean Perrius,11, who will head to Schuyler Colfax Middle School in the fall, said his favorite part was meeting all the different squads.

Throughout the week, Wayne's newest cadets were visited by the Passaic County Sheriff's Department, including the bomb squad, hazmat, SWAT and mounted officers, as well as state police troopers, local fire companies and first aid personnel.

Det. Jason Clemente demonstrates how police can use a flashlight to find footprints at a crime scene at Wayne's Junior Police Academy.(Photo: Jessica Presinzano/NorthJersey.c)

Mohammad Asaad, 12, who was attending with his brother Baslan, said he enjoyed meeting the K-9 unit most of all.

In addition to the crash courses in crime scene investigation, self-defense and meet-and-greets with various law enforcement, cadets also did some team building.

Project Adventure, a belay activity all Wayne high schoolers take part in,was incorporated to build "trust" and encourage "cooperating and working together," said recently retired Wayne teacher, Lorene Bishop.

For the 10, 11 and 12-year-olds in the academy, their ascent on rock walls and rope ladders were assisted by eight experienced high school volunteers, who controlled their ropes to ensurea safe descent.

The cadets' navy blue uniforms were sponsored by Atlantic Stewardship Bank, which has two branches in town. It's their first year sponsoring the program, but Berdan Avenuebranch manager John Lindermulder said he hopes to increase the bank's involvement with the junior academy.

The week closed with a formal graduation ceremony held in WVHS' auditorium among family and friend. The hourlong ceremony includedthe Passaic County Pipes and Drums, remarks from police representatives and Mayor Chris Vergano and formal presentation of certificates to the graduates.

Email: presinzanoj@northjersey.com

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