FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK... Carol Henderson

This column is a synopsis of what NCSTL has accomplished during the fourth quarter and highlights what is new. This issue of It's Evident features articles related to "Biometric Applications & Civil Liberties".

• http://www.ncstl.org’s “one-stop-shop” database currently holds almost 115,000 records of which over 7000 are multimedia records. NCSTL continues to develop and consolidate forensic-based information including webcasts, podcasts, vodcasts, blog links, and training materials which focus on science, technology and law topics;
  
  
• Thousands of people search the growing database, read most current forensic-related news in the Spotlight section and It's Evident, locate events on the NCSTL Calendar, explore Education & Training resources, listen to talks given by forensic experts featured in the Multimedia area of the homepage, and subscribe to NCSTL's RSS Feeds.
  
  
• To inform NCSTL's constituency, which includes law enforcement, legal professionals, scientists, engineers, educators, and technologists, NCSTL representatives make presentations and offer training on a multitude of topics. NCSTL has trained more than 12,000 people thus far and is currently scheduled to conduct workshops on DNA for Defense and Capital Litigation. A DNA for Defense training workshop will be held on March 14-15, 2011 in Tampa, FL; 100 people will be trained.
  
  NCSTL was awarded a grant to conduct two trainings in 2011 for litigators who work with capital cases. One training will be for defense attorneys only from June 6-8, 2011 in Plano, TX at CAILAW. The other training will be for prosecutors only and will be held from August 29-31, 2011 in Tampa, FL. All practicing attorneys from capital states are eligible to apply. Applications will be available in late January-early February on NCSTL's website and national organizations for prosecutors and defense will also be apprised. Capital Litigation trainings were offered in 2009; two hundred and fifty people attended.
  
  NCSTL is also completing the development of an online course entitled "Law 101: Legal Guide for the Forensic Expert". The purpose of this module is to inform non-lawyers about policies, procedures, and protocols when serving as an expert witness and the ramifications and responsibilities therein. An extensive team comprised of legal experts, writers, editors, a graphic artist, a multimedia production company, an education specialist, and an instructional designer are producing this distance learning module. Two deliverables will be produced: an interactive web-based program and a text-based primer. The web-based program will be housed on DNA.gov.
  
  
• NCSTL receives regular media coverage. HOUSE M.D., the Emmy award-winning medical TV show, aired its October 11, 2010 episode on ghosting, a form of identity theft in which the perpetrator steals the identity of the dead. A researcher from HOUSE contacted NCSTL Research Attorney, Kevin Paget in May to inquire about ghosting. Paget had authored the article, Ghosting … grave robbery for the 21st century for the April, 2008 issue of It's Evident, NCSTL's quarterly digital newsletter.
  
  
• The NCSTL is pleased to sponsor its 2011 Guest Lecture Series held at Stetson University College of Law in Gulport, FL. On March 31, 2011, Dr. Henry Lee, renowned forensic scientist, will give a lecture in the Great Hall. It will be open to the public and the Stetson law community.
  
  
• Of special note, the NCSTL was awarded the August Vollmer Excellence in Forensic Science Award for the category of Innovation in Forensic Technology by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) on Sunday, October 24, 2010 at the IACP’s 117th Annual Conference in Orlando, FL. This award honors August Vollmer and his contributions to law enforcement and forensic science. NCSTL is recognized for outstanding achievements on behalf of the law enforcement profession and the citizens served.

The next issue of It's Evident will be published in April, 2011. The theme will be “Strategies Labs Use To Cope With Severe Budget Cuts”.

Wishing you all a very Happy 2011!
Carol

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT
The Use of Biometric Technology in K-12 Schools
Ellen Mizio, MSLS, NCSTL Fellow

Biometrics is defined as "the practice of digitally scanning the physiological or behavioural characteristics of individuals as a means of identification."¹ Facial images, fingerprints, handprints and hand geometry, eye structure, retina scans, iris identification, and vascular (blood vessel) patterns are all types of biological characteristics that can be used in biometric applications. Biometrics is used in law enforcement, healthcare, and many other industries. This article focuses on the use of biometrics in K-12 school systems, where systems have been used for controlling access to the facility, taking attendance, tracking time and attendance of employees, checking out library books, and ensuring that the right student gets on the right school bus. Full paper

Undocumented Immigrants and Biometrics: Secure Communities - Promoting Security or Insecurity
Erica Pless, J.D., NCSTL Law & Science Fellow

DHS has implemented a program called Secure Communities that utilizes biometric technology to help identify and remove unauthorized immigrants, focusing on those with criminal backgrounds. Secure Communities provides state and local law enforcement agencies access to integrated biometric databases maintained by DHS, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other law enforcement agencies. The biometric technology can easily and accurately identify an individual based on his or her unique physiological characteristics rather than relying on biographic information, which an individual can easily falsify or forge. While the technology provides law enforcement with a potential smoking gun, civil liberty watchdogs are on the prowl. Full Paper

CASES IN POINT
Full-Body Scanners: How TSA Made a Mess of the Message
Jeff Chesen, NCSTL Research Attorney

Full-body scanners became weapons in the continuing war against terrorism after an attempted airline bombing on Christmas Day in 2009. The scanners are designed to detect metallic and non-metallic materials that may be hidden under clothing including the explosive powder PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate) that is being used by terrorist organizations such as al Qaeda. Despite the terrorist concerns the introduction of the scanners and more intensive pat-downs by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) led to massive traveler opposition leading up to the busy Thanksgiving travel period. This was largely due to TSA's failure to communicate with travelers about the biometric technology's safety and benefits. Full paper

Airport Searches: A Concern Whose Time Has Passed?
Alan Balfour, J.D., Ph.D., is the Chair of Management Department and professor in the College of Business at the University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.

During the recent Thanksgiving season, a national furor arose over the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) airport security measures requiring extensive pat-downs or X-ray scans of passengers. Some of the public were outraged, calling the new procedures “a choice between a nude photo or being groped” or a “virtual strip search.” Protests were organized. Videos of uncooperative passengers went viral. The initial outrage and attention have largely worn off ... Full paper

FROM THE RESEARCH DESK...
Diana Botluk, Director of Research

NCSTL's website experienced outstanding growth in 2010. With a total of almost 134,000 website visits, traffic to NCSTL.org increased by 12% over the last year; visits to the site have increased by over 800% since the end of 2005; and new user registrations soared last year. While registration is not required to use the NCSTL site, many people registered anyway. More

TECHNOLOGY AND DISTANCE EDUCATION NEWS

Visit the NCSTL's Selected Books Added to the NCSTL Collection in the Stetson Library and the NCSTL's Special Collections. Borrow from the collections.

TECHNOLOGY AND DISTANCE EDUCATION NEWS
Dr. Susan Zucker, Director Technology & Distance Education and Publisher and Editor of It's Evident

2010 brought an important addition to www.ncstl.org. Resources have been categorized by professional specialty so NCSTL constituency can more easily search for information valuable to them. Many visitors to the site have been using this new feature. NCSTL invites you to become a fan on Facebook and a follower on Twitter in 2011. Happy New Year! More