CHENANGO COUNTY – The Chenango County Sheriff’s Office will be among the first law enforcement groups in New York State to employ a new cutting edge crime scene investigations tool that could redefine how police collect evidence.
The Trimble X7 Laser Scanner is similar to a piece of precision survey equipment and looks like it.
It is essentially an imaging capture device that will take vast and detailed pictures of crimes scenes with a high tech laser scanner. Typically crime and fire investigators, along with accident reconstructionists, take a number of pictures during investigations.
The pictures are used to capture relevant evidence. They can also be reviewed after and used to check sizes, distances and other metrics the photographer is able to scale in the pictures.
Investigators often review pictures of fresh crimes scenes later on as new information comes to light. If they are lucky and the photographer thorough, the pictures could reveal evidence not initially understood when the photos were taken. Even if the do reveal new evidence, it may not be clearly focused on in the images.
“If there was a dead body and a short chance to capture the scene, including sizes to scale, you would need photography expertise and an understanding of how to record the correct information, such as distances, trajectory, angles, so they can be proved without a doubt in court,” explained Sheriff’s Sgt. Dustin Smietana. He said weather, traffic or other factors beyond an investigator's control could impact a scene.
He said as important as time was accuracy cannot be spared, since data that cannot be later verified may be useless.
“On the stand what sounds better to a judge or jury? Saying ‘From the photo I think it was about 30 centimeters more or less,’ or saying ‘I scanned it with a laser and it was 32.7 centimeters, within pin point accuracy.”
The Trimble X7 Laser Scanner takes 360 degree images using a laser and unlike a conventional camera that requires light exposures, the scanner takes just as detailed images in total darkness.
As it operates a piece of optical equipment mounted on a tripod slowly turns for several minutes shooting out invisible and harmless lasers that capture information including textures, distances and colors on a gigantic digital image in all directions for about 50 meters or more. It knows the exact distance between every object it sees.
Using software and with a couple or more scans it can generate 3D images of the environment. It can then allow the user to create such exacting blueprints of buildings at the crime scene that sometimes investigator are able to deduce hidden spaces in walls and floors.
Chenango County Sheriff Ernest R. Cutting Jr. said the department had been looking to join the program and saved for a year to participate. The equipment and basic software cost about $60,000 but since the office joined company’s pilot program they were granted full access to the company’s premium software. Cutting said this was a tremendous benefit and savings.
“Technology is progressing so fast, this will help us stay up to date on the most current methods for years to come,” he said. The sheriff said the equipment could do in one hour in what would normally take five or six hours and require more people.
“Instead of taking pictures those officers are asking questions and processing the scene in other ways during a very important time frame that could make the whole case later,” he said.
Smietana said the scanner sees great detail, including fine text on documents and even the grain patterns in wood can be detected.
The sheriff’s office is still testing the equipment and hopes to starting using it in investigations soon.