Forensic Document Examiners: The Tools Used by Professional Handwriting Analysts

Forensic Document Examiners can often provide important, even critical testimony in both civil and criminal legal cases. Their expert opinions can help prosecute or exonerate suspects accused of crimes such as forgery, identity theft, embezzlement, larceny and fraud as well as those facing such heinous charges as kidnapping or even murder.

But for their opinions to be considered credible in a court of law, Forensic Document Examiners must carefully and scientifically analyze the evidence in question. For this purpose, Professional Document Examiners rely on a number of key pieces of equipment and proven analytical techniques. Some of that equipment may include:

1) Specialized Light Sources, Magnifiers and Microscopes: While the single most important tools of the Forensic Document Examiner are their own two eyes, because of the intricacy of the materials they are evaluating, specialized lighting and magnification can be critical. For this reason, there are a number of pieces of equipment manufactured specifically for forensic applications, including microscopes, handheld halogen magnifiers, overhead projectors, etc.

Some specific equipment utilized by top Document Examiners: Stereo Star Zoom American optical 7x to 30x twin microscopes; American Optical Comparison Stereomicroscope; Micronta illuminated microscopes; incandescent battery handheld halogen magnifiers; a "reticle" or magnifying eyepiece with a built-in measuring devise; illuminated stand magnifiers, etc.

2) Cameras, Flat Copy Lenses, Overhead Projectors and Transparencies: Pictures may be necessary to further evaluate aspects of a document and Forensic Document Examiners may employ magnified copies of questioned writing on an overhead display both when analyzing and when presenting their findings in a court of law. Cameras such as the Pentex ME with the Pentex Macro 1.4mm lens are often utilized.