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Porter, Glenn
- PublicationThe dimensions of ‘forensic biosecurity’ in genetic and facial contexts(Palgrave Macmillan Ltd, 2024)
; ; This article seeks to examine the co-productions of security and emerging technologies in the two contexts of forensic genetics and forensic facial identifcation. These surfacing co-productions, deemed here as 'forensic biosecurity', are evolving rapidly in both theoretical and practical terms. Defnitions and conceptualisations of security are contingent and multiple, impacting forensic biological techniques and innovations in both predictable and unpredictable ways. The military, counter-terrorism, law enforcement, immigration, customs, border patrol, mass disasters, cold case reviews, health, defence, private security, and biometric applications are just a few of the many security environments where forensic biological techniques are applied. The continual development of variations in forensic genetics and facial identifcation renders a futher blurring of traditional evidence with that of intelligence. Drawing in particular from Joly's (in: S. Hilgartner, C. Miller, and R. Hagendijk (eds) Science and democracy: Making knowledge and making power in the biosciences and beyond, Taylor and Francis, London, 2015) work on emerging technologies, forensic biosecurity is analysed from a science and technology studies (STS) perspective. An emerging technology in the initial stages is thought to be highly flexible with the potential impacts on society and criminal justice being possibly difficult to predict. Once the science and/or technology has become entrenched and mainstream, it may be difficult to change. The enthusiasm portrayed by law enforcement and security agencies regarding emerging technologies, shows that it is important to remain somewhat cautious about the proliferation of these techniques. While such science and technologies appear to be effective and innovative in the present, it is difficult to accurately forecast or predict the future consequences of such innovations.
- PublicationProfessor Adrian Walsh, Uralla 2020This image was taken at Professor Walsh's studio in Uralla, New South Wales. Walsh is a professor of philosophy at the University of New England. He built his rustic studio himself on his country property as a place for contemplation about matters philosophical, write scholarly work as an academic, in addition to writing and playing music in his self-described style of cowpunk. This portrait shows Walsh being reflective, within the mirror, while editing written philosophy work and his song titles written on the blackboard are from his latest band recording.
- PublicationAn anatomical and photographic technique for forensic facial identificationThe increase in the use of photographs on individual identification credentials such as driving licences, credit cards, security passes and passports has led, for the purpose of criminal activities, to the falsification of genuine documents bearing photographs of the perpetrating criminal. These photographs may be used as valuable physical evidence when compared with known photographs of a suspect as they form somewhat of a signature of the suspect that is left behind on the evidence. The comparison of ID photographs requires the cooperation of two predominantly visual disciplines; forensic photography and morphological anatomy. This paper describes a photographic technique which allows accurate anatomical measurement and tracing of facial features, which allows direct physical comparison of ID document images.
- PublicationModel forensic science(Taylor & Francis, 2016)
; - PublicationThe application of forensic artists to produce facial likenesses from poor quality surveillance images
This dataset was created during the research for the thesis 'The application of forensic artists to produce facial likenesses from poor quality surveillance imagesVan'. It consists of sets of data:
NEC NeoFace® Reveal search results - This dataset refers to the results of several searches completed across various experiments that were designed to investigate whether forensic artists could recapture facial likeness from poor quality surveillance images to be searched in a biometric database. Each of the experiment sketches were searched through the NEC NeoFace® Reveal software against a database probe to compare with their performance against the stimuli images that were provided to the artists.
Post Hoc Analysis Raw Data - This dataset refers to a series of facial likeness sketches completed by forensic artists being searched through NEC NeoFace® Reveal software. Each sketch was searched in its original state with and without contrast adjustments using the NEC software and with both the gender of the subject defined and undefined. This was then repeated with each sketch when treated with the image modification techniques of normalisation and equalisation.
Photo anthropometric Raw Data - This dataset refers to the photo anthropometric measurements that were taken directly from the subjects used in the experimental stimuli and the facial likeness sketches that were provided by the artists for each experiment.
- PublicationForensic PhotographyIn general terms, forensic photography can be described as any type of photography and imaging that pertains to the law. This means photographs taken by police and forensic investigators for the purpose of expressing evidence and concepts in court or used during the forensic analysis of physical evidence. However, the expression forensic photography has several different meanings, depending on the discipline for which it is used. Forensic photography may include the following practices: 1. Crime scene photography 2. Scientific photography 3. Optical enhancement of evidence 4. Detection of latent (invisible) evidence 5. Interpretation of photographs as forensic evidence 6. Detection of photographic fakery 7. Production of visual media for court presentation (photographs, posters and charts, and so on). This article will examine several different forms of forensic photography and describe the fundamental framework around forensic photography practices and their principles. The majority of images used in this article are those of shoe.mark evidence, used to highlight the level of variation of approaches within forensic photography as a discipline.
- PublicationPhotography: Marks, Impressions, and DocumentsPhotographic and optical enhancement of physical evidence is an important criminalistics function. It provides nondestructive methods of improving the visualization of evidence to allow further forensic examination. The key concepts and techniques involving optical, photographic, and digital imaging techniques are examined in this section. Critical foundation aspects found in quality forensic photography such as maintaining the dimensional integrity of evidence and the representation of scale are described to ensure forensic photography principles. Attributes required for optical enhancement including the relationship between the spectral distribution of the light source, the spectral properties of the specimen, and spectral sensitivity of the recording media are unpacked and provide a theoretical basis. Optic enhancement techniques such as absorption, reflection, transmission, and photoluminescence modes are discussed with samples illustrating those optical effects. Digital imaging enhancement techniques to increase the contrast and the modification of color using Adobe Photoshop™ are explained.
- PublicationDetection of latent bloodstains at fire scenes using reflected infrared photographyBloodstain evidence is an element of crime scene investigation often found at scenes involving violence. Setting fire to the scene is a method sometimes used by offenders of crime in an attempt to conceal evidence. Fire often produces thick soot as a by-product of the combustion and has the potential to cover bloodstain patterns rendering them latent. There is limited published material offering a method of detecting bloodstains hidden beneath dense soot deposits caused by fire. This project employed a modified digital single-lens reflex (SLR) camera to investigate the application of reflected infrared photography to detect latent bloodstain evidence beneath varying deposited overlaying soot densities. The potential of this technique was examined by photographing blood samples beneath soot from a scaled fire simulation. A qualitative evaluation was completed by comparing images taken of a series of samples using both reflected infrared and standard visible light photography and corroborated with quantitative image analysis to support the findings. Results indicate that infrared photography can reveal latent bloodstains beneath a dense layer of soot in excess of ρ2.3 (550 nm) density with substantial clarity. The success of this technique is dependent on specific optical and specimen parameters. These parameters include i) the reflective properties of the background surface, ii) the spectral absorption properties of blood and iii) the ability of infrared wavelengths to transmit through the soot layer. Reflected infrared photography may provide crime scene examiners with a specialised field recording method that is easily executed and non-destructive to assist in visualising and locating latent bloodstain patterns beneath dense layers of soot.
- PublicationThe investigation of a relative contrast index model for fingerprint quantificationThe quantification of fingerprint contrast is a relatively new concept in fingerprint enhancement research. It has emerged as a mode of fingerprint assessment to reduce the potential biased of visual qualitative assessment. Subjective qualitative methods that are currently reported in the literature include; side-by-side assessment, assigning a score to a treatment based on visible criteria and stating observed results without presenting supporting validation. These qualitative methods often do not state clearly the visual assessment parameters and produce a degree of ambiguity when defining the enhancement results. The relative contrast index model was constructed to empirically quantify the difference in contrast between fingerprint ridges and valleys, using measurements gained from a microspectrophotometer. This paper seeks to further investigate this recent research and test the model using three different microspectrophotometers. Data from these separate sources will determine whether the theoretical aspects of the model would pragmatically produce reliable and repeatable results across a range of microspectrophotometers found in forensic laboratories.
- PublicationA Novel Method for the Photographic Recovery of Fingermark Impressions from Ammunition Cases Using Digital Imaging(Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc, 2015-03)
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