An analysis of police traffic stops and searches in Kentucky: a mixed methods approach offering heuristic and practical implications

Is race a significant predictor of being searched by the police? Is race a significant predictor of having positive search results during traffic stop? We address these two questions by analyzing traffic stop data (n > 93,000) collected by two state and 24 local police agencies in a single state during the 2001 calendar year. Our findings show that race does correlate with a fruitful traffic stop but not in the manner that may be commonly thought. To supplement and better contextualize our quantitative findings, an exploratory study was then designed that used the focus group interviewing technique with groups of officers from five of the participating agencies to explore their perceptions of (1) traffic stops and searches and (2) public allegations of racial profiling and bias-based policing. The findings from this qualitative phase of the study highlighted the officers’ perceived role as community problem solvers “who profile problems and not people.” In tandem, this mixed-method approach was instrumental in advancing our knowledge of both the patterns and results from related searches, in addition to better contextualizing the underlying perceptions of officers regarding the use of race in “solving” community problems. The results from this combination of methodological approaches offer important heuristic and practical implications.     

普通红外光谱法快速检验化学修饰后的毛发

该研究的目的是建立一种无损快速检验化学修饰后毛发的方法。将样品清洗后,染色使用仪器：傅立叶红外光谱仪水平ATR装置,扫描范围设定为4,000厘米-1到650厘米-1,扫描次数设定为32次,分辨率设定为4厘米-1;分别取适量毛发样品,置于水平ATR仪锗晶体表面上,并压平;样品扫描,采集样品红外光谱谱图;红外光谱谱图处理,基线自动校准,9点平滑处理。结果28种样品实验结果表明,重现性较好,能够区分不同处理的样品。     

大鼠死后脑组织的傅里叶变换红外光谱变化

目的应用傅里叶变换红外（Fourier transform infrared．FTIR）光谱技术分析大鼠死后脑组织随死亡时间推移的化学变化过程,为死亡时间推断的研究提供新的途径与数据。方法大鼠断颈处死后置于（30±2）℃环境下,在不同时间点提取大鼠脑皮质．运用FTIR光谱仪检测不同化学基团的变化。结果随着死亡时间的推移,大鼠脑组织FTIR光谱的主要吸收峰峰位没有明显变化．而其峰强有明显差异：（1）与核酸有关的谱带的相对峰强呈明显下降趋势;（2）酰胺Ⅰ、Ⅱ的峰强比（I1647/I1541）呈下降趋势;（3）1456和1398cm^-1谱带的峰强各自呈下降和上升趋势;（4）2852、2871、2923和2958cm^-1谱带的峰强相对于1647cm^-1而言．呈上升趋势。结论脑组织可以作为FTIR光谱技术分析死亡时间的适用检材。     

锦灯笼化学拆分组分的制备及抗菌作用研究

目的 研究中药锦灯笼各化学拆分组分的抗菌活性。方法 对锦灯笼化学组分进行拆分,检测其对金黄色葡萄球菌、耐药金黄色葡萄球菌、大肠杆菌、耐药大肠杆菌的最小抑菌浓度和最小杀菌浓度。结果 锦灯笼水提物组分、酸浆多糖组分、酸浆苦素组分对金黄色葡萄球菌和大肠杆菌有较强的抑制作用,且酸浆苦素组分还能抑制和杀死耐药金黄色葡萄球菌和耐药大肠杆菌。结论 锦灯笼各拆分组分具有一定的抗菌能力。     

使用危险化学品实施放火案件的物证检验1例

随着科技的发展,分析仪器在刑事技术领域的应用越来越广泛,有时往往会忽视对传统化学分析方法的应用。作为检验无机粉末的常用仪器,扫描电镜/能谱仪(SEM/EDS)和X射线衍射仪(XRD)受检出限的影响,无法准确分析样品中的低含量组分。本文在一起危险化学品放火案件检验中,为确定样品中含S元素的物质种类,利用化学分析法对其进行沉淀富集,再使用SEM/EDS和XRD检验,确认其中含有KMnO4和KHSO4,推测嫌疑人使用KMnO4和浓H2SO4等危险化学品实施放火,这在日常工作中比较罕见。通过总结相关工作经验,可为类似案事件的预防、物证提取和检验提供新的思路。     

Addition of an adipose marker to the organ tissue identification mRNA assay

At the Netherlands Forensic Institute, mRNA profiling for the purpose of organ tissue identification is frequently requested in casework. The previous version of the assay (denoted Organtyper) lacked markers for identifying adipose tissue, while this was occasionally questioned in casework. Here, three potential adipose markers are examined before incorporating one into the final Organtyper assay. The added value of the adipose marker becomes clear from looking at casework results.     

从心理迹证观点建构系统化现场勘察模式

本文从犯罪现场为基础,并以环境犯罪学观点,自国外实证研究结果就个人层级(理性选择理论)、社会互动层级(犯罪型态理论)、社会层级(日常活动理论)三种不同层次探讨性侵害加害者的决策模式(decision-making model)、犯罪空间型态(spatial patterns)、作案手法(modus operandi)与犯罪现场迹证(crimescene evidence)彼此关联性。并针对个案刘菖菖进行生命叙说之访谈,透过犯罪现场迹证及生命故事脉络交叉验证和修正对于心理迹证之假设,期盼形成有助于侦查实务的实践知识(practical knowledge)。     

Methamphetamine body packer: acute poisoning death due to massive leaking of methamphetamine

We encountered three methamphetamine (MA) body packers presenting simultaneously, one of whom died. Three Nigerian men (39, 35, and 37 years old) who attempted to smuggle were found to contain 35 (498 g), 21 (292 g), and 5 packages (73 g) of methamphetamine hydrochloride (MA-HCl) in their stomachs, respectively. Packages were wrapped with plastic film and Scotch tape. The 39-year-old man died with acute poisoning from c. 20 g of MA-HCl that had leaked from the packages into the stomach. His plasma MA concentration was 8.6 microg/mL when he was hospitalized (17 h before his death). Autopsy findings showed extreme pulmonary congestion and edema as well as moderate hepatic edema and several petechiae. Quantitative analysis was performed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Extremely high concentrations of MA and its metabolite amphetamine (AP) were found in cardiac blood (63.5 microg/mL and 1.2 microg/mL), urine (4,518 microg/mL and 72.4 microg/mL), gastric contents (8,490 microg/mL and 16.9 microg/mL), and in all other autopsy samples. These high concentrations confirmed that the cause of death was acute MA poisoning. Furthermore, impurity-profiling analysis of the seized MA revealed that the MA smuggled by the three suspects originated from the same batch.     

Concordance study between the AmpFlSTR MiniFiler PCR amplification kit and conventional STR typing kits

The AmpFlSTR MiniFiler polymerase chain reaction amplification kit developed by Applied Biosystems enables size reduction on eight of the larger STR loci amplified in the Identifiler kit, which will aid recovery of information from highly degraded DNA samples. The MiniFiler Kit amplifies CSF1PO, FGA, D2S1338, D7S820, D13S317, D16S539, D18S51, and D21S11 as well as the sex-typing locus amelogenin. A total of 1308 samples were evaluated with both the MiniFiler and Identifiler STR kits: 449 African American, 445 Caucasian, 207 Hispanic, and 207 Asian individuals. Full concordance between Identifiler and MiniFiler Kits was observed in 99.7% (10,437 out of 10,464) STR allele calls compared. The 27 differences seen are listed in Table 1 and encompass the loci D13S317 (n = 14) and D16S539 (n = 10) as well as D18S51 (n = 1), D7S820 (n = 1), and CSF1PO (n = 1). Genotyping discrepancies between the Identifiler and MiniFiler kits were confirmed by reamplification of the samples and further testing using the PowerPlex 16 kit in many cases. DNA sequence analysis was also performed in order to understand the nature of the genetic variations causing the allele dropout or apparent repeat unit shift.     

Preliminary investigations into tris(2,2'-bipyridyl) ruthenium III as a chemiluminescent reagent for the detection of 3,6-diacetylmorphine (heroin) on surfaces

The use of tris(2,2'-bipyridyl) ruthenium (III) as a chemiluminescent spray reagent spot-test for heroin is discussed. Two forms of the reagent are investigated an aqueous and an anhydrous where both were found to give vastly different results. The aqueous reagent giving slow, low intensity chemiluminescence whilst the anhydrous reagent gave a fast, bright response in the presence of 3,6-diacetylmorphine. The anhydrous reagent is less sensitive the slow, intensity response is characteristic of only two opiates tested 3,6-diacetylmorphine and 3-monoacetylmorphine.