Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew Snodgrass | Maj. Gen. John A. Toolan, commanding general of Regional Command Southwest, examines a...... read more read more
Subscribe
CAMP LEATHERNECK,Afghanistan - For coalition forces deployed to Helmand province, danger can take many forms. Determining who is behind the violence aimed at coalition forces can be a difficult process. Insurgents use guerrilla tactics, making distinguishing combatants from the Afghan public a challenge.
To help solve this dilemma, the civilian and military professionals of Joint Expeditionary Forensics Facility 7 help turn scraps of battlefield evidence into clues to determine who’s behind attacks.
“We take the evidence Marines collect from the battlefield and throw top-notch scientists with decades of experience at it in order to provide information that enables them to produce actionable intelligence,” said Maj. Erik Archer, JEFF 7’s officer in charge, and a Mundelein, Ill., native. “We utilize a full spectrum of forensic processes to exploit captured enemy material in order to facilitate coalition force intelligence and prosecution operations.”
JEFF 7 consists of six distinct departments: DNA, latent prints, firearms-tool marks, chemistry, evidence and case file management, and intelligence.
Collectively, the 23 scientists and service members working in these sections allow the lab to intake, exploit and derive intelligence from captured enemy materials from all over Helmand province, said Archer.
“Our caseload has risen significantly from January this year, when we received 169 cases, to July when we received 364,” said Archer. “We exploit evidence from a wide range of incidents, from buried weapons caches, to suicide bomber remains.”
The latent fingerprint analysis lab exploits battlefield evidence to extract, identify, and document fingerprints left by insurgents.
“Latent prints are prints that cannot be seen without using specialty lighting or laboratory enhancement methods,” said Gary Truszkowski, the latent prints lab manager at JEFF 7, and a Grand Rapids, Mich., native. “The prints we obtain through various methods are uploaded into a database that can match them against previously obtained prints.”
The process the lab technicians use to collect the latent prints depends on the surface of the captured material the lab receives.
“Almost every fingerprint we collect incorporates some form of chemical enhancements,” said Truszkowski. “We use photosensitive dyes and chemicals formulated to enhance residues left behind on surfaces when fingers or palms come in contact.”
Fingerprints are an important forensic link between battlefield evidence and insurgents.
“If we can match the prints to someone in the database, it helps identify who’s behind the threats the coalition forces face out here,” said Truszkowski. “Either as prosecutorial evidence or as intelligence, this gives our side an advantage.”
The DNA lab exploits battlefield evidence in order to link enemy combatants to the materials they leave behind.
Suspected insurgents are sought by and prosecuted by Afghan law enforcement, often relying on the evidence and intelligence coalition forces obtain.
“We extract DNA evidence from various things brought to us from the field, and attempt to identify, and link the evidence to samples in our database,” said Brittin McMahon, a DNA technician at JEFF 7, and an Oakland, Calif., native. “From these samples we can help identify insurgents for intelligence and prosecution purposes.”
DNA gathering is a highly technical process that requires sensitive equipment and ample patience on the part of the technicians. DNA technicians use a series of steps to extract, quantify, amplify and create a genetic profile of the DNA samples they obtain.
“The four-step process breaks down the cells to separate the DNA components, measures the amount of collected DNA, replicates the DNA, and identifies its genetic make up to be compared against other samples,” McMahon explained.
Brittin has worked over 1,800 cases for JEFF 7 since her deployment began in November 2010. The evidence the DNA lab collects can supply irrefutable evidence and intelligence on enemy forces, she said.
“With the proper amount of DNA, we can determine a person’s identity to a 1 in 600 billionth certainty,” said Brittin. “This evidence allows the intelligence and judicial communities to identify the insurgents with precision.”
The firearms-tools department at JEFF 7 collects data on the weapons captured by coalition forces.
“We do serial number restorations to identify the weapons’ country of origin, and conduct tests on the weapons and bullet casings,” said David Dellarosa, a forensic firearms examiner, and Brooklyn, N.Y., native.
Once this information is obtained from the weapons, the firearms department passes the data on to various intelligence agencies, Dellarosa said.
“The intelligence communities use our data to get an idea of who’s behind the supplying of weapons to our enemies,” said Dellarosa. “The information we get from the weapons gives our guys a better idea of what they’re up against out in the field.”
The chemical lab exploits materials seized in the field, to determine whether substances are narcotics or explosives. The chemical lab uses a three -step process to identify, confirm and document the substances collected from the field.
“Usually we get an unknown powder substance, and we run tests to obtain its chemical makeup,” said Kristen Schug, a forensic chemist at JEFF 7, and a Buffalo, N.Y., native. “We perform presumptive tests to determine the substance’s chemical makeup, then use instruments to confirm the exact chemicals in the compound. Once we have an exact chemical breakdown of the substance, we issue a report to the intelligence department.”
The results of the chemical tests help determine how insurgents, and drug traffickers are making the substances they use against coalition forces. Opium finances much of the insurgent activity in Helmand province, and IEDs account for much of the bloodshed.
“By identifying the narcotics or explosives, we help eliminate the means by which insurgents finance, and wage war against our troops,” said Schug.
In order to ensure the integrity and timeliness of the facility’s cases, the Evidence and Case File Management department oversees the documentation of all the evidence and data collected throughout the JEFF. Evidence and Case File Management oversees the chain of custody for the evidence and ensures it is properly analyzed and not compromised during the investigative process.
“We assign each batch of evidence a case number, and ensure that it gets to the proper departments to be analyzed,” said Lisa Foster, a forensic evidence custodian, and a Trotwood, Ohio, native. “We have to document every step of the process, and the results of the examinations, to maintain accuracy and efficiency.”
The cases also have to be ordered in accordance to precedence, she added.
“If there is an incident where one of our service members is killed, that case jumps straight to the head of the line,” said Foster. “We want to get that evidence through the system as soon as possible, to ensure the case progresses forward expediently.”
Foster said her civilian job with the Trotwood police department helped her understand how critical attention to detail is with processing evidence.
“I’ve worked as a SWAT officer, and as an evidence technician, both of which are very detail oriented,” said Foster. “For investigations, every piece of evidence has to mesh together to make the case work. Those jobs gave me a good foundation of knowledge for what I do here.”
The intelligence department collects and assesses the data the JEFF accumulates and makes determinations about enemy activity from the evidence.
“We operate closely with the Combined Explosive Exploitation Cell, the Joint Prosecution and Exploitation Cell, Tactical Documentation and Media Exploitation Brigade Support Team, and Regional Command Southwest intelligence section, to collaborate and produce a synchronized intelligence product to the Marines in sector,” said Archer. “Our individual puzzle pieces are well defined and interlock well with each other to translate hard science into actionable intelligence.”
Intelligence gathered from the JEFF positively effects Marines in the field, said Archer.
“The intelligence we provide, through forensics, denies the enemy anonymity,” he explained. “In one instance, a unit brought rounds in to our firearms team from an unknown weapon. The firearms examiner identified the rounds and they ended up being from a significant and unique weapon that the operators then deliberately searched, targeted, discovered, and attacked. Forensics translated into kinetic action.”
The battlefields of Helmand province are a treacherous place, where the face of the enemy is often masked and cannot be easily located. Coalition forces encounter dangers posed by insurgents who fight from the shadows and seek to avoid detection. The JEFF employees take pride in being a detective force on the side of the Marines and their ISAF and Afghan partners.
“Working at JEFF 7 is an immensely rewarding experience,” said Archer. “I’m able to watch my scientists exploit captured enemy material, which the intelligence professionals then analyze, and produce critical information for our warfighters. We truly see forensics translate into kinetics. The lab is proud of the support they offer to the Marines and coalition forces.”
| Date Taken: | 08.12.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 08.17.2011 01:51 |
| Story ID: | 75460 |
| Location: | CAMP LEATHERNECK, AF |
| Web Views: | 1,094 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, CSI Camp Leatherneck: Frontline forensics solve battlefield mysteries in Helmand province, by PO2 Matthew Snodgrass, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT