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Fort Lauderdale Police Offers Home Security Workshop for Residents and Business Owners on October 24 Creole Translation will be Provided

October 16, 2002

Contact:
Alison D. Hibbert, Public Information Specialist
(954) 828-4749

Fort Lauderdale – Do your exterior lights illuminate all entrances to your home? Is there a peephole viewer on the front door? Are sliding glass doors secured with an auxiliary lock or pined, and are there screws in the track to prevent door removal? These are important questions that homeowners should be able to answer with a resounding “yes.” Unfortunately, most do not consider these tactics as crime prevention tools to protect their homes.

The Fort Lauderdale Police Department will offer a free home security workshop that will include topics on how to protect your home and home safety tips. The workshop will take place on Thursday, October 24 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Community Support Division, located at 533 N.E. 13th Street.

Creole translation will be provided. Seating is limited. For reservations, please call the Fort Lauderdale Police Community Support Division at (954) 828-6428.

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CSI Fort Lauderdale

October 21, 2002

Contact:
Alison D. Hibbert, Public Information Specialist
(954) 828-4749/alisonh@fortlauderdale.gov

CSI Fort Lauderdale: Utilizing Forensic Technology to Convict Criminals is one of FLPD’s Top Priorities Department’s Crime Scene Investigation Unit is Second to None

Fort Lauderdale – Forensic technology dates back to 1877 when Professor Edmond Locard, Founder and Director of the Institute of Criminalistics at the University of Lyons in France, stated that “every contact leaves its trace.”

Fort Lauderdale Police Detective Sergeant Karl Hirsch agrees with the statement, but believes that it is even more accurate today than ever before.

“Today it is practically impossible for an individual to commit a criminal act without leaving some trace or evidence of the act. What has changed in the last 125 years and continues to evolve on a constant basis, is forensic technology,” Hirsch said. “New techniques are being developed, existing techniques are being modified and the limits of detection are being expanded. Oftentimes evidence is invisible and forensic technology is improving our ability to detect and collect such evidence.”

Hirsch is the supervisor in charge of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department’s (FLPD) Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Unit, which is known for its accuracy, efficiency and use of state-of-the-art technology. The six-member unit is made up of seasoned veterans who have 108 years of experience combined.

Detective Tom Hill, a 30-year veteran of the department, has seen firsthand the changes in investigative techniques. Detecting fingerprints, shoe prints and blood is not as basic as it was many years ago, he said.

“We have always conducted crime scene investigations, but today we do it 100 times better,” said Hill. “The difference between then and now is that we have more resources in the way of chemicals and technology allowing investigators to locate and enhance physical evidence that would not have been possible in the past.”

Most recently, Hill was involved in a highly publicized homicide case in Lake Worth, Florida where five family members were murdered. Armed with an airbrush and a chemical called Leucocrystal Violet (LCV), he was able to develop prints that were not visible prior to processing with the chemical.

Hill, who instructs other investigators how to use LCV, says the chemical reacts instantly to the presence of blood causing faint or invisible blood prints to turn a violet color. Further color enhancement is done through the application of a second chemical called Amino Black, which is a protein dye stain that causes the violet ridges to turn a dark indigo blue. Further enhancement can then be accomplished through the use of tools in digital applications.

In many cases, criminals attempt to clean up bloody crime scenes to conceal their actions. Investigators will use a chemical known as Luminol in total darkness to illuminate a “cleaned up” crime scene area. Hill and fellow CSI investigators have successfully used Luminol to detect blood at a 25-year-old crime scene.

Another tool used extensively is an alternate light source, or ALS. This tool is designed to emit light at specific wave lengths creating a greater contrast between body fluids, trace evidence and fingerprints with the back ground they are on, allowing greater visibility to see the evidence.

“When we respond to a crime scene, we technically are going on a hunting expedition to find physical evidence that will tie a suspect to the scene. We look for fingerprints, shoe prints, body fluids, fibers, paint chips, glass fragments, firearms, gunshot residue, casings, projectiles, tire impressions, tool marks, questioned documents, drugs, bite marks, hair, computer-related evidence, etc.,” said Hill. “We’re not a crime prevention team, but we definitely put people in jail. In many cases where there are no leads on the criminal, we are able to develop fingerprints that lead to a suspect by way of AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System).”

“We take people off the streets in a round about way,” said Hill. “You just can’t argue with physical evidence – you can’t.”

In one particular case, two men entered a business and using handguns robbed a woman sitting behind a desk. During the robbery one of the suspects had ransacked her purse. Using a chemical known as Ninhydrin, a latent print was later developed from an envelope the suspect touched in the victim’s purse. This led to the identification of a recent parolee using the AFIS system. The 21-year-old culprit was recently tried and convicted for life with no chance of parole. The second suspect is still at large.

The CSI Unit responds to all homicides, suicides and suspicious or unattended deaths. They also respond to most robberies, burglaries, sexual batteries, and aggravated batteries (shooting/stabbings). Once the evidence is collected, the investigator will process fingerprints in the Department’s forensics lab. Investigators work closely with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office Crime Laboratory, FDLE Crime Laboratory and the Federal Bureau of Investigations on all other lab work.

For the members of the unit, constant training is a must.

“Training is a priority for this unit. We have to keep up with the developments and constant change in the handling of forensic evidence,” said Detective Hill. ”Oftentimes, we go to a crime scene to collect evidence, but there are no visible signs that a crime has been committed. However, as crime scene investigators, we know that the bad guy is always going to leave physical evidence behind. It is up to us to know exactly what to look for and how to find it with the use of chemicals and technology.”

The Fort Lauderdale Police Department has utilized technology such as DNA to not only convict guilty suspects, but to vindicate and release wrongly convicted individuals. The Unit is reopening and examining cold cases that have potential evidence sitting on shelves, said Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Bruce Roberts.

“Due to the increasing complexities of crime scene investigations, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department is committed to providing our investigators with the most advanced training and state of the art equipment available,” said Roberts. “We are extremely cognizant of the fact that we cannot convict criminals without the expertise of the Crime Scene Investigation Unit. This Unit is as modern as you’re going to get. We are at the forefront of crime scene investigations with the technology that we use and training the training we provide.”

In addition to Hirsch and Hill, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department’s Crime Scene Investigation Unit includes Detective Juan Cabrera, Detective Wally Mountz and Crime Scene Investigators Carol Coval and Kim Pavlik.

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