1. CHAPTER 16 – HANDWRITING & DOCUMENT ANALYSIS
Historical dating—the verification of age and value of a document or object
Fraud investigation—focuses on the money trail and criminal intent
Paper and ink specialists—date, type, source, and/or catalog various types of paper, watermarks, ink, printing/copy/fax machines, computer cartridges
Forgery specialists—analyze altered, obliterated, changed, or doctored documents and photos
Typewriting analysts—determine origin, make, and model
Computer crime investigators—investigate cybercrime
Kendall/Hunt

2. Document Examination
Chapter 15
Forensic document examination involves the analysis and comparison of questioned documents with known material in order to identify whenever possible, the author or origin of the questioned document.
Kendall/Hunt

3. Handwriting Handwriting analysis involves two phases:
Chapter 15
Handwriting analysis involves two phases:
The hardware—ink, paper, pens, pencils, typewriter, printers
Visual examination of the writing
Kendall/Hunt

4. Handwriting Characteristics
Chapter 15
Line quality
Word and letter spacing
Letter comparison
Pen lifts
Connecting strokes
Beginning and ending strokes
Unusual letter formation
Shading or pen pressure
Slant
Baseline habits
Flourishes or embellishments
Diacritic placement
Kendall/Hunt

5. Handwriting Identification
Chapter 15
Analysis of the known writing with a determination of the characteristics found in the known
Analysis of the questioned or unknown writing and determination of its characteristics
Comparison of the questioned writing with the known writing
Evaluation of the evidence, including the similarities and dissimilarities between the questioned and known writing
The document examiner must have enough exemplars to make a determination of whether or not the two samples match.
Kendall/Hunt

6. Handwriting Samples
Chapter 15
The subject should not be shown the questioned document.
The subject is not told how to spell words or use punctuation.
The subject should use materials similar to those of the document.
The dictated text should match some parts of the document.
The subject should be asked to sign the text.
Always have a witness.
Kendall/Hunt

8. Hand writing: Individual or Class evidence?
Class Characteristics:
Features and dimensions of letters.
Connection of letters to each other
Capitalization
Punctuation
Individual Characteristics:
Unique features of letters.
Is the letter “O” open or closed
Is the “n”written with a pointed tip
**Handwriting samples change about every seven years**

9. Basic characteristics for comparing Handwriting
Overall Form
The size, shape, slant, and strokes of the letters
Line Features
Writing speed, pen pressure, spacing between letters and words and how the letters are connected.
Margins and Format
Content
Grammar, punctuation and word choice

10. Handwriting Analysis – on a piece of loose leaf, copy the following passage. 2 minutes.
Writing is a form of expression and neat handwriting is important when writing anything that will be read by someone else. We are often judged by the quality of our handwriting and when our penmanship is poor we appear to be lazy or incompetent.

11. Handwriting Analysis
Look through the 5 indicator results (Emotional Indicators, Goals, Self-Image, Social Skills, Attitude)
Match your score with the profile
Do you agree with all of the results??
After looking at all of your results, write a brief reaction (quick write). Do you agree with the analysis? Do you think this form of analysis is useful? Explain. To be handed in.

12. Methods of Forgery
Chapter 15
Simulated forgery—one made by copying a genuine signature
Traced forgery—one made by tracing a genuine signature
Blind forgery—one made without a model of the signature
Kendall/Hunt

13. Types of Forgery Check fraud Forgery Counterfeit Alterations
Chapter 15
Check fraud
Forgery
Counterfeit
Alterations
Paper money
Identity
Social Security
Driver’s license
Kendall/Hunt

14. Credit cards
Theft of card or number
Art—imitation with intent to deceive
Microscopic examination
Electromagnetic radiation
Chemical analysis
Contracts—alterations of contracts, medical records

15. Document Alterations
Chapter 15
Obliterations—removal of writing by physical or chemical means can be detected by:
Microscopic examination
UV or infrared (IR) light
Digital image processing
Indentations can be detected by:
Oblique lighting
Electrostatic detection apparatus (ESDA)
Kendall/Hunt

16. Famous Forgers and Forgeries
Chapter 15
Famous Forgers and Forgeries
Major George Byron (Lord Byron forgeries)
Thomas Chatterton (literary forgeries)
John Payne Collier (printed forgeries)
Dorman David (Texas Declaration of Independence)
Mark Hofmann (Mormon, Freemason forgeries)
William Henry Ireland (Shakespeare forgeries)
Clifford Irving (Howard Hughes forgery)
Konrad Kujau (Hitler diaries)
James Macpherson (Ossian manuscript)
George Psalmanasar (literary forgery)
Alexander Howland Smith (historical documents)
Kendall/Hunt

17. Forensic Linguist
Chapter 15
Expert who looks at the linguistic content (the way something is written) of a questioned document
Language that is used can help to establish the writer’s age, gender, ethnicity, level of education, professional training, and ideology.
NZPk
Kendall/Hunt

19. Ink
Chapter 15
Chromatography is a method of physically separating the components of inks.
Types
HPLC—high-performance liquid chromatography
TLC—thin-layer chromatography
Paper chromatography
Kendall/Hunt

20. Paper Chromatography of Ink
Chapter 15
Two samples of black ink from two different manufacturers have been characterized using paper chromatography.
Kendall/Hunt

21. Chapter 15
Retention Factor (Rf)
A number that represents how far a compound travels in a particular solvent
It is determined by measuring the distance the compound traveled and dividing it by the distance the solvent traveled. 18
Kendall/Hunt

22. Paper Differences Raw material Weight Density Thickness Color
Chapter 15
Differences
Raw material
Weight
Density
Thickness
Color
Watermarks
Age
Fluorescence
Kendall/Hunt

23. Pencils Lead Hardness scale
Chapter 15
Lead
Hardness scale
a traditional measure of the hardness of the “leads” (actually made of graphite) in pencils.
The hardness scale, from softer to harder, takes the form ..., 3B, 2B, B, HB, F, H, 2H, 3H, 4H, ..., with the standard “number 2” pencil being of hardness 2H.
Kendall/Hunt

24. Evidence Class characteristics may include: general types of pens
Chapter 15
Class characteristics may include:
general types of pens
pencils
paper.
Individual characteristics may include:
unique, individual handwriting characteristics
trash marks from copiers
printer serial numbers.
Kendall/Hunt

25. There are 5 things that differ in these pictures! Can you find them all?B

26. Spot the Counterfeit

27. Spot the Counterfeit

28. Spot the Counterfeit (same 2 bills)

29. Counterfeiting
Chapter 15
In 1996 the government starting adding new security features to our paper money due to the advanced copying technologies that have raised the incidence of counterfeiting.
The $20 bill entered circulation on October of 2003, followed by the $50 in September of 2004, and then the $10 in September of 2005.
Subtle background colors have been added along with other features to discourage counterfeiting.
Kendall/Hunt

30. Know Your Money
Paper Consists of 25% linen 75% Cotton with red & blue fibers.
Federal Reserve Indicators
Check Letter/Quadrant Number
Watermark
Color-Shifting Ink (Copper to Green)
Face Plate Number
Series Year
Security Thread
Back Plate Number (on back of bill - right side)
Serial Numbers

31. Internet Crimes Computer intrusions Identity theft
Chapter 15
Computer intrusions
Identity theft
Transmission of illegal items
Extortion and harassment
Piracy
Cyberterrorism
Kendall/Hunt

32. More about Document Analysis
Chapter 15
More about Document Analysis
For additional information about document and handwriting analysis, check out truTV’s Crime Library at: Or learn about forgery cases at:
Kendall/Hunt