Whether a prosecutor or defense attorney you should want to insure you have an answer for the following checklist of questions:

· Is the criminal History accurate? Does the State/Local rap agree with the FBI/NCIC raps?

· Is there a F/P card for each event shown on the rap?


· Was each card accurate and legally available?

· Were latents developed in the case?

· Procedures used to determine the quality of the latent image(s):
· No value?
· Identifiable?
· Search able?


· Experience and training of examiner making the latent quality determinations?

· Suspect(s) if any provided by an investigator and the results of the comparison(s)?

· Is there a latent identification in the case?


· Was the latent identified to a digitized or hardcopy image?

· Is the hardcopy available?


· Digital enhancements if any applied to the latent or exemplar?

· If identified by afis is the database image; a single event or a composite card?


· Was the afis a local, state or FBI system?

· Policies and procedures for latent searches:
· How many times and in what systems were the latents searched?
· Was the suspect produced by afis a regular latent search or and unidentified latent search?
· If unidentified search identification was the initial verification done by a qualified latent
examiner?

· Were all suspects generated by the afis search compared with the latent image(s)?

· On an afis search are non indents looked at by 1 or 2 examiners?


· Policy and procedures for an individualization(identification):
· ACE-V used?
· Is a blind 2nd. Verification used?
· Training and experience of the examiner(s)?

· What were the scores of the other suspects produced by afis that were not identified?


· Are there any unidentified or no value latents still associated with the case?

· Will a court exhibit be produced and the images selected for the exhibit?

· Are there other identified latents not being charted in case?


· Training and experience of the examiner on initial verification?

· Training and experience of the examiner on 2nd. Verification?


· Examiners proficiency test results and is testing done on a regular basis?

· Notes and reports generated on the identification including examiner bench notes?


· Any discrepancy of opinion by any examiner(s) on the identification or quality of the latent
image?

You do no want to be surprised at trial as is clear from this list of questions there are a significant number of ways for a case to be corrupted.


Bob McAuley
Dir. Operations/Training
Forensic Biometric Identification Solutions LLC.