Southwestern Association of Forensic Scientists (SWAFS)

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October 22-26th in Fort Worth, Texas

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Meeting Registration information

Full registration includes a conference t-shirt, the opening meeting, the business meeting lunch, banquet, and all workshops, except as noted. Day attendee includes breaks and workshops; business lunch and banquet tickets are not included. For more conference information, please contact Michelle O'Neal at doneal@tarrantcounty.com.

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Registration

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Member $300

Non-member $350

Student Member $150

Student Non-Member $175

Day Attendee $200

ANAB Internal Auditor Course ($695, includes full conference registration) This is a 4-day course

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Do you plan to attend the Wednesday night banquet? *

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Will you be taking the ABC Exam? *

Yes (Please also register at http://www.criminalistics.com/application.html)

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Extra Event tickets

Tuesday luncheon $40 (This lunch is included if you are attending the whole week)

Wednesday banquet $55 (This dinner is included if you are attending the whole week)

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

Please check which workshops you would like to attend.

OPENING CEREMONY

Please join us for the opening ceremony Sunday from 5:00-7:00pm so we are all ready to enjoy the great training ahead!

Monday, October 23rd workshop schedule AM

INTRODUCTION TO MCMC METHODS FOR RESOLVING DNA MIXTURE, REBECCA KLEIN AND REZA ALAEDDINI, 8-12:00pm, The rules of courtroom admissibility mandate the reliability of each component submitted for jurisdiction. In the United States, for example, the federal rule of evidence (FRE) 702 mandates the reliability of data, methods and application of those methods to data. Therefore, every methodology has to be optimized before its' application for crime data processing. DNA Mixtures are commonly exercised in cases of sexual assault where the source of DNA evidence can include the victim, the consensual partner(s), and the perpetrator(s) source samples. The most documented methodology for interpretation of DNA mixtures is through Bayesian inference, leading mostly to a likelihood ratio (LR) which weights the DNA evidence in favor of two competing hypothesis. The DNA Commission of the International Society of Forensic Genetics (ISFG) recommends the use of the LR in mixture interpretation. As continuous probalistic genotyping software STRmix (TM) aims at interpretation of a wide variety of DNA profiles, including complex, low level mixtures with multiple contributors. The model uses the quantitative information from an electropherogram (epg), such as peak height data and molecular weight, to calculate the probability of the peak heights given all possible gentoype combinations, assigning a weight to each possible genotype set.

ACQUIRING TODAY'S TECHNOLOGY, KEVIN COHN, 8-12:00pm, With the progression of technology, it is getting harder to obtain an image of a device so that it can be examined. Following Moore's law, storage media is continually getting smaller and at the same time getting harder to locate within a device. On-board memory, different connection types, and device sizes, to name a few, are all technological advances that contribute to an examiner having to expand their toolbox of physical equipment with each new device. For devices without removable storage, unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) and secure boot have introduced unique hurdles now that boot loaders can be 32 or 64bit based. All of these challenges can be overcome, and as more arise we will be tasked with overcoming them as well.

ANAB INTERNAL AUDITOR COURSE, 8-12:00pm, Each participant will gain specific skills and abilities for designing an ISO/IEC 17025 compliant management system and for panning and conducting an internal audit within their own testing laboratory. Each participant will be prepared to test their own testing laboratory for ANAB testing Forensic Laboratory or ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation assessment.

NATURAL PRODUCTS IN DRUG CHEMISTRY, JEREMY MORRIS, 8-12:00pm, This workshop will provide an overview of natural products which have been past sources for psychoactive chemicals. These will include a review of well-understood controlled substances (marijuana, cocaine, psilocin/psilocybin) as well as less common controlled and non-controlled substances. The workshop will discuss general as well as specific extraction techniques when botanical substances are submitted for analysis. Specific analytical difficulties for several compounds will also be discussed.

TOPICS IN FORENSIC TOXICOLOGY: PHARMACOLOGY AND TRENDS, DR. ROBERT JOHNSON, 8-12:00pm, This short course will provide Forensic Toxicologists working in Crime Laboratories or Medical Examiner’s offices an overview of the pharmacology of drugs of abuse and prescription medications and how they affect the central nervous system as well as an update on the current trend towards the use of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS).

Monday, October 23rd workshop schedule PM

LOOKING BACK: HOW DRUNK WAS THE DRIVER?, SARAH SKILES, 1-4:30pm, This class will focus on alcohol retrograde extrapolation for toxicologists who would like a refresher course. A team of experienced experts will guide you through how they handle extrapolation and show you their favorite tips. You will work through problems so you can develope a method that works for you.. We will also look at dosing calculations that are common in court.

ANAB INTERNAL AUDITOR COURSE (cont), 1-4:30pm

FTIR ANALYSIS FOR THE DRUG AND TRACE CHEMIST, JEREMY MORRIS, 1-4:30pm, This workshop will provide a brief review of the theory of infrared spectroscopy. Topics to be covered include how infrared light interacts with molecules, different forms of vibrations and how there vibrations appear in an infrared spectrum, sample handling and analysis factors which can affect the resultant spectrum of an unknown substance. Topics specific to controlled substance analysis include polymorphs, differentiation between structurally similar compounds, and criteria to determine when a known and unknown spectra "match."

Tuesday, October 24th workshop schedule AM

FUNDAMENTALS OF MASS SPECTROMETRY AND HYPHENATED MS TECHNIQUES APPLIED TO ANALYSIS OF DRUGS OF ABUSE, EXPLOSIVES, AND BIOTERRORISM, DR. GUIDO VERBECK, 8-12:00pm, This 4-hour course will include the fundamentals of Mass Spectrometry as it is applied to the analysis of illicit chemistries. This focus will give a good overview of instrument resolution, sensitivity, and performance issues. Ion source options will be discussed within the confines of these forensic applications. Special attention will be paid to the trace analysis of illicit drugs, arson and explosive, paint and Chem/Bio weapons. Hybrid techniques (LC-MS, GC-MS, and CE-MS) and Tandem instrumentation (CID, Triple-Quad, and MSn) will be covered. Alongside the common issues with hyphenated techniques, direct injection (DART, DESU, Paperspray, DAPNe) will also be introduced. Two specific areas of interest will be focused on: The introduction to terrorism, and the future of chemical weapon analysis, and rapid synthesis of new drugs of abuse to stay ahead of the clandestine labs. These are fast emerging areas that need attention and training. Due to the increasing demand for field-portable instrumentation, the current state and limitations of this growing area will be another special topic.

ANAB INTERNAL AUDITOR COURSE (cont), 8-12:00pm

TRENDS IN DIGITAL EVIDENCE, RHONA WEDDEIREN AND KYLE GIBSON, 8-12:00pm, Digital evidence encompasses various disciplines of computers, cellular, and video formats. A forensic examiner must have an intimate knowledge of not only the various digital devices themselves, but also how those devices interplay with each other. We are no longer limited to simply pulling documents and pictures off of a hard drive. A proper forensic examination of multiple devices can provide an investigator with true insight into their suspect and victim. Combine cellular phone information with available surveillance video and a timeline of activities can easily be created. It does not however end with the forensic examination; the information must be presented in an easily understandable way to a judge or jury. Juries today expect to see what they see on TV crime dramas and you must be able to deliver it. This block if instruction will provide an overview of digital evidence specifically forensic practices involving computers, cellular device, and digital video. This course will further discuss a thinking outside the box attitude when dealing with vast amounts of digital evidence including creative methods of presenting this information in court.

APPLYING ETHICAL AND MORAL THEORIES TO GUIDE DECISION MAKING IN PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL LIFE, PAT A. WERTHEIM, 8-12:00pm. Typically, ethicists discussing forensic science rely on the Categorical Imperatives of Immanuel Kant to lecture on rules of professional conduct. But most people are aware of situations where such harsh ethical mandates themselves seem somehow unethical. This lecture will include discussion of the Utilitarianism of John Stewart Mill, the Prima Facie Duties of W. D. Ross, and more recent research into moral behavior by Jonathan Haidt. A number of cases from recent headlines will be analyzed in light of these varied philosophies. Anonymous contributions from class members will also be discussed with consideration of different moral and ethical perspectives.

Tuesday, October 24th workshop schedule PM

Analyzing Illicit Drugs from Start to Finish: Using State of the Art Techniques, 1-4:30, Ethan McBride:In this course, we will examine the different ways that research institutions can continue to outpace the thinking of the drug market. This includes uncovering and perfecting new synthetic routes, using faster techniques to analyze these drugs in the lab, and developing new technology that is portable and powerful enough to seek out illicit chemistry in the field.

ANAB INTERNAL AUDITOR COURSE (cont), 1-4:30pm

TRENDS IN DIGITAL EVIDENCE, RHONA WEDDEIREN AND KYLE GIBSON, 1-4:30pm, Digital evidence encompasses various disciplines of computers, cellular, and video formats. A forensic examiner must have an intimate knowledge of not only the various digital devices themselves, but also how those devices interplay with each other. We are no longer limited to simply pulling documents and pictures off of a hard drive. A proper forensic examination of multiple devices can provide an investigator with true insight into their suspect and victim. Combine cellular phone information with available surveillance video and a timeline of activities can easily be created. It does not however end with the forensic examination; the information must be presented in an easily understandable way to a judge or jury. Juries today expect to see what they see on TV crime dramas and you must be able to deliver it. This block if instruction will provide an overview of digital evidence specifically forensic practices involving computers, cellular device, and digital video. This course will further discuss a thinking outside the box attitude when dealing with vast amounts of digital evidence including creative methods of presenting this information in court.

RECENT BRADY/MORTON & TX FORENSIC SCIENCE COMMISSION ISSUES AFFECTING FORENSIC PROFESSIONALS, and COURT CHALLENGES - AVOIDING TRAPS IN FINGERPRINT TESTIMONY, DEBORAH E. SMITH, 1-430pm. A presentation on a few issues currently and soon-to-be affecting forensic professionals in Texas and across the US, such as the somewhat recent addition to the Brady requirements of disclosure, the Michael Morton Act, as well as the position that the Texas Forensic Science Commission may take on this act, and its potential implications. Additional discussion will be included regarding the Texas Forensic Science Commission’s position on the licensure requirement for forensic professionals, it’s position on accreditation of latent print (and crime scene) disciplines versus that of the Texas Department of Public Safety, and what this may, or may not, mean for latent print analyst testimony in court. (COURT CHALLENGES:) The quality of testimony provided by a latent print analyst can go a long way into the acceptance of not only that particular analyst, but of the science itself. Not only it is important for an agency to have competent latent print examiners, but they must also be able to competently articulate the science behind the examination – the whys and hows of the science. This is an interactive presentation for anyone performing fingerprint analyses (whether processing for prints at a crime scene or in a lab, or conducting comparisons) that will provide mechanisms for learning effective ways to articulate answers to the most challenging questions in court, including why the analysis works and how to articulate this information.

NATURE OF ALCOHOL, BLOOD VS BREATH, 1-4:30pm, Toxicology

Other:

Wednesday, October 25th workshop schedule AM

ANAB INTERNAL AUDITOR COURSE, 8-12:00pm

VENDOR DAY....PLEASE PLAN TO ENJOY THIS DAY AND VISIT WITH OUR SUPPORTIVE VENDORS. PLEASE NOTE All of the Technical Presentations will run throughout the day. Prize drawings for those who attend!!!

ABC EXAM 8-12:00pm

Thursday, October 26th workshop schedule AM

SURROGATE TESTIMONY: PERSPECTIVE AND PRACTICE, SHARLA HANKE AND LAURA HERNANDEZ, 8-12:00, Reanalysis of data by another qualified analyst allows for a blood alcohol expert to testify to another's results. The practivce has been updates by various courts, including the Texas and US Supreme courts. This presentation will focus on issues with testifying to another analyst's blood alcohol results. It will include various State and US court decisions, applicable accredidation standards, and provide hands-on practice in performing the reanalysis as well as court preparationi The

DIGITAL FORENSICS, BOB GILL AND MILES BRISSETTE, 8-12:00, Personal gidital devices such as cell phones and tablets are becoming increasingly common in our society. Video cameras are on every street corner watching our every move. Even our cars contain digital devices that can reveal information about us. Consequently, digital multimedia evidence is making its way into the courtroom in increasing volumes. The forensic issues i whether the digital evidence sought to be admitted in court is authentic and reliable. A related issues is whether all the relevant evidence was gathered and examined during the investigation. A competent examiner should have the proper training, the latest equipment and apply the proper methods when examining digital evidence. THe courts should subject digital evidence to the proper level of scrutiny before admitting the evidence. This talk will inform as to the diverse typoes of digitals devices that can contain relevant digital evidence, how that evidence is located and retrieved, and how the evidence is properly presented in a court of law. At the conclusion of the talk the attendee will be familiar with digital forensics and how the science is treated in the courtroom.

COURTROOM TESTIMONY, Glenn Roque-Jackson 8-12:00pm

THE CANNABINOIDS AND OTHER EMERGING DRUGS, TERRY DALCASON, 8-12:00pm, An extensive examination will be made of cannabis, cannabis oil, hashish, and hemp. History of cannabis, use, species identification, methods of hashish preparation, cannabinoids, and terpenes identified in marijuana, medical marijuana and recreational marijuana will be some areas examined. Classification and naming schemes of some of the synthetic "cannabinoids" will also be reviewed. In addition, a number of fentanyl analogs will be reviewed along with reported potencies and some of the synthesis techniques used to prepare them. Other newly (2015-2017) reported "emerging" drugs will be covered based on reported identifications, primarily from European sources.

ANAB INTERNAL AUDITOR COURSE, 8-12:00pm

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Check (Make checks payable to SWAFS 2017 and send them Attn: Michelle O'Neal, 200 Feliks Gwozdz Place, Fort Worth, Texas 76104)

Paypal (link to pay:http://www.swafs.us/subcat163.html)

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