Before acquiring the scanner, investigators manually documented the scene, which could take hours. New technology puts you in the middle of the scene.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Corpus Christi Police Department's Forensic Department is using new equipment to scan crime scenes faster than ever before.
3D crime scene scanners are cutting-edge technology that is changing the face of forensic science.
3NEWS spoke with Robert May, CCPD's Forensic Laboratory Manager. He said this advanced technology allows investigators to record crime scenes and later submit that data as evidence in court.
The Corpus Christi Police Department has invested in two new pieces of equipment: a 3D crime scene scanner and a GNS system to more quickly and accurately recreate crime scenes.
“When it comes to crime scenes, this changes things to a level that literally wouldn't have been possible with the traditional methods and methods and tried-and-true methods that we've been doing for years,” May said. .
Before acquiring the scanner, investigators manually documented the scene, which could take hours; with this new technology, they can get to evidence more quickly. It is now possible.
“We can now literally get millions of times more data in less time,” May said. “Instead of making point-to-point measurements, you get millions of data points in a single scan.”
Crime scene investigator Jennifer Gintoft said crews find the device more convenient and easier to use at the scene.
“The pictures that this generates are stitched together, so you can walk through the scene as if you were walking through an online apartment tour,” Gintoft said.
May said the technology could be really powerful in the courtroom.
“The game changes in that we can put investigators and jurors inside the crime scene. Because you can put it in the middle,'' he said.
May said the device could have an impact on serious criminal cases in the future.
“You can literally go back years later and find out exactly where you were in that scene,” he said. “This can be very important, especially in cases of crimes that have been going on for many years, because he can quickly return to within an inch of where he originally marked the scene.”
Currently, two scanners are in use in CCPD's forensic department. Their accident investigators use the other one.
