How Other People are Distributing Information Using askSam

askSam Gives Clues to Document Examiners

Reprinted with Permission

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A death threat sent through the mail.  A forged signature on a check.  A foreign intelligence agent trying to enter the U.S. with a counterfeit passport.  Sound like passages from a paperback?  Well, they're part of the job for "forensic document examiners."  Document examiners deal with documents ... all sorts of documents.  They are the expert witnesses that testify in court, and they are the behind-the-scenes players helping to point the police and FBI in the proper direction.

To keep their skills honed, the forensic document examiners rely on an askSam database containing over 4500 article abstracts.  The Questioned Document Article Database (called QDAD) was created by Jim Larner, a forensic document examiner with the INS.  The idea was to create a central repository for all articles relating to the field of document examination.  

The search began for a database program capable of organizing the articles.  First, Jim tried conventional databases like dBASE and Paradox.  He quickly learned that they were too structured for the variable length titles, authors, keywords, and abstracts.  A friend at the Library of Congress in DC suggested he try askSam.

askSam proved flexible enough to handle the information.  And full-text searches made it easy to find articles on any topic.  With that problem solved, Jim began spending weekends and evening entering the data over 4500 records.  He compiled what is perhaps the most comprehensive bibliography on forensic document examination.

For the last few years, Jim has been sharing this database with other members of the American Board of Forensic Document Examiners, the American Academy of Forensic Science and the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners.  The "QDAD" database is an invaluable reference tool, allowing document examiners to pinpoint articles on even the most obscure topics.  They can search by Author, Title, Location, Date or simply enter a full-text search for any word or phrase.

Jim continues updating the QDAD database with the newest publications in his field.  Along with other document examiners, he's also started using askSam to share information on other topics:  office equipment, photocopies, fax machines, members names & addresses.

As criminals become more sophisticated, it will be important for document examiners to stay abreast of the latest developments in their field.  With Jim's QDAD database and askSam they're ready to meet tomorrows challenges.

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For more information contact:

Grant R Sperry

Forensic Document Analyst

US Postal Inspection Service Forensic Lab

225 North Humphreys Blvd - 4th Floor

Memphis TN 38161-0003

Phone: 901-747-7757

Email: grsperry@uspis.gov

http://www.asqde.org