FORENSIC 4

QUESTION DOCUMENT
EXAMINATION
 Elements of Letter forms
• Body/ Central part - the main portion of the letter
which remain when the upper and lower projection,
upstrokes and terminal strokes and diacritics are
removed
- the part of the letter ordinarily formed by small circle
that usually lies on the line of writing

abdgop
• Diacritics - elements added to complete a
letter

t ij
• Eye loop or eyelet - the small loop
formed by strokes that extend in
divergent directions

e bcposvw
f
• Arc - the bend, crook, or curve on the inner
side of the upper loop
- curve formed inside the top curve or loop

c hmn
• Hump/ shoulder - outside portion of the top
curve
- the rounded outer side of the top of the
bend, crook, or curve

hmn
• Beard/ Embellishment - the slight up and
down introductory stroke or sort of double
hitch, seen at the beginning of many letters

M B D L
• BLUNT - the beginning and ending strokes of
letter, both small and capital, in which the pen
touch the paper without hesitation, beard,
hitch or knob

M B and au
• Buckle knot - horizontal and looped strokes
that are often used to complete some letters

A DF HA
• Dactus Broken or Junction Broken - the
disconnected and non-continuous stroke
between two letters

Pampula
• Dactus Link or Junction Connected -
the continuous line that joins two letters

Anthony
• Foot - the base, or bottom of a letter that lies
on the line of writing
- lower path which rests on the baseline*

Giliw
• Hitch - the introductory backward stroke
added to the beginning of many capital letters

Ramon Patumpik
• Hook - the bend, crook or curve on the inner
side of the bottom loop, or curve of small
letters

Hmit pX
K
• Initial stroke/spur - the long initial rising
stroke of a letter

Elsie L ove
• Terminal stroke - the last element of a letter

RH U l L
p
• Knob - found either at the beginning or end of
letters in which the pen touched or left the
paper so slowly that a tiny pool of ink spread
slightly

ARW AF
• Main Stroke, stem, shank or staff
- the long upright downward stroke
that is the trunk

BKPDb
• Loop

- an oblong curve;
-maybe formed at the upper or lower part of the letter

f g
-It can be blind or open loop

h l
 Elements of Writing Movement/ Distinctive
Features

1. Writing (Pen) Pressure

-the average force with which the pen comes in
contact with the paper or the usual force involves in
the writing

-weight of the hand or muscles on the pen during

the act of writing
-most personal but somewhat hidden characteristics
in writing
Classification:

•Light
•Medium or average
•Heavy
•Even
•Shaded
2. Pen Emphasis - the act of intermittently
forcing the pen against the paper surface with
increase pressure or the periodic increase in the
pressure of writing

Butterfly
 3.
Rhythm
• the balance quality of movement or
the harmonious recurrence of strokes
or impulse

• defined as the flowing succession of

motion, stresses or impulses in
handwriting
Essentials of rhythm:
•Regularity of slope
•Regularity of size
•Regularity of curvature
 4. Skill

• relative degree of the writer’s proficiency

• it cannot be accurately measured although it

can be grouped as poor, average and good

• dependent to many factors, manual dexterity

being the most important

• its basis is either legibility or symmetry

 5.
Speed
• cannot be measured precisely from
the finished handwriting but it can be
interpreted as:
1. slow and drawn
2. average or deliberate
3. rapid
 Indication of speed of rapidness in writing
• Smooth, unbroken strokes
• Misplaced and misshaped “i” dots and “t”
crosses
• Joining of initials of words
• Letters tapered illegibly towards end of words
• Mark difference in pressure contact and
downward strokes
• Wide writing and spacing
• Simplification of letters especially in capitals
 Indication of slowness in writing
•Broken strokes, wavy lines
•“I” dots and “t” crosses made and placed
perfectly
•Pauses, unnecessary marks and angles
retouching
•Carefully made final spacing
•Little difference in pressure on up and down
strokes
•Ornamentals or flourishing letters
6. Pen lift - an interruption in a stroke
caused by removing the writing
instrument from the paper

Removing
Hiatus - failure to complete the
junction between two letters without
lifting the pen

Hiatus
7. Shading - more obvious increase
in the width of the letter strokes or
the widening of the ink strokes due
to the added ink on the flexible pen
point
Classifications:

•Continuous
•Graduated
•Occasional
•Rough/ Irregular
8. Pen position (Pen
hold)
• location of the pen in relation to the paper
surface, which can be determined by the
presence or the emphasis or pen shading

• angle or inclination of the axis of letters

relative to the baseline

• slope or slant
Illustrations:

Vertically held
Slanting to left
Slanting to right
9. Pen Scope - represents the reach of the hand
with the wrist at rest
average scope or limits of the pen during the
process of writing with the wrist of the hand at
still

Narrow
Broad
10. Retracing – stroke that goes back
over another stroke

Barrel
11. Retouching or Patching - a stroke
going back to repair a defective portion of
the writing stroke

These
That
12. Size of Handwriting - the relative size of
the letters and length of ascending stroke in
relation to the size of another letter
Classifications:

Large
Medium
Regular
13. Ratio of Writing - the relation between the
tall and short letters

Regular Ratio

False
Irregular Ratio

F al s e
 Two Groups of
Letters:

• Short letters
-these are letters written entirely between the
line

• Tall letters
-letters with upper or lower loop or with the
projected portions
14. Connecting strokes - strokes that
connect between letters of the word

Connecting
 Classifications:

•Circular
• Oblong or elliptical
•Angular
15. Hesitation - the irregular thickening of
the ink line when the writing slow down or
stops while the writer takes stock of the
position

h S g
 16. Lateral Spacing

•S p a c e between letters

•Space between words

• Space between lines

 17. Alignment - indicates the line of writing in
relation with the arrangement of letters and words

Classifications:
•Ascending
•Descending
•Even
•Arched
•Irregular
Natural Variation - this may refer to deviations
or changes found between repeated specimen of
any individual handwriting
 Chapter 7

Signatures
and
Forgery Detection
Signature
-aname of person signed by him on a document as a sign
of acknowledgment
-somebody’s name written by him in a characteristics
way
-distinctive mark, characteristics, or thing that identifies
somebody

Genuine Signature - a combination of limited number

of letter and strokes that compose the name of the
author/writer
 Classes of Signature

•Formal or Complete - used in acknowledging

important document such as will, checks,
contract and business papers.
• Informal or Cursory
-class of signature for routinely executed
document or made for personal correspondence
• Careless Scribble
- used for mail carrier, delivery of goods,
purchase of equipments and others
Forgery
• refers to the act of simulating or copying or
tracing somebody’s signature without the
permission of the latter

• the act of falsifying and counterfeiting of

treasury or bank notes, paper bills or any
instruments payable to the bearer
•Documents containing disputed signature
occupies the highest level in the hierarchy
of questioned document cases. It is due to
this, that a specialized branch of
questioned document examination was
established -the Signature Verification.
Simple forgery
• forged signature made without any attempt on the
part of the forger to imitate or make a facsimile of
the genuine signature of the person purported to
sign the document
• simplest type for the forger need not have a
genuine signature at hand in order to make such a
forgery
• using his own style of writing, the forger executes
the name of the person who supposed to sign the
document
• also called Spurious signature
Simulated forgery

• the most skillful type of forgery

• through free-hand imitation a gifted forger will make a

practice over a scratch paper for several times before
signing it to the fraudulent document

• the forger should understand the characteristics of the

model signature of another person, execute the same,
while discarding his own writing style

• also called copied forgery

Model signature
- a genuine signature
which has been used
in preparing simulated
or traced forgery
 Traced forgery

• like simulated forgery necessarily requires the aid of a model

signature

• it is the result of an attempt of the forger to make a close

resemblance of the original by means of some tracing
processes so as to transfer it to the fraudulent document

Some of the tracing processes used in making traced forgery

are:
a. Carbon outline process
b. Indention or canal-like process
c. Transmitted light or projection process
Tracing Process
1.Carbon outline process
-most common means utilized by forger in making a
number of identical copies or records of certain entries

A piece of carbon paper is interleaved between the

genuine signature and the fraudulent document with the
genuine document placed on top. Using dry pen or
pointed instrument the outline of the model signature
will then be traced in order to make an offset print of the
carbon on the fraudulent document. The carbon paper
and genuine will be removed and the carbon outline will
be inked using a pen.
Tracing Process

2.Indention or Canal-like process

- similar to carbon-outline process, only that a carbon
paper is eliminated in the process

The genuine document is placed above the fraudulent

document, the forger will follow the outline of the
genuine signature using a pressure, enough to make or
leave an indented writing on the fraudulent document.
The depression or indented signature is thereafter
overwritten with an ink to finish the forgery.
Tracing Process

3.Transmitted light or projection process

- the fraudulent document is the one placed above
the genuine document, using a transmitted light,
these two documents will be placed on top of the
plane glass of the transmitted light. The image or
outline of the genuine signature will be projected
to the fraudulent document and later be traced
with ink.
 Drawbacks using simulated
and traced forgery
• Giving much attention to the conspicuous features of form and not
to other details that encompasses the execution of a genuine
writing.
• Imitation or tracing leads to disguised, and disguised leads to a
poorer result.
• Too much consciousness of the process leads to hesitation.
• Failure to identify significant characteristics of the writing of another
• Difficulty in eliminating or discarding his own writing habits
• It needs great muscular skills to produce the writing being imitated
• Awareness of criminal act, fear of discovery and anxiety to do the
work well
• The most basic and fundamental defect is not on the divergent form
but in the quality of the line strokes
Seven classes of disputed signatures/ questioned
signatures

• Simple forgery
• Forged signature of fictitious person
• Traced forgery
• Simulated or copied forgery
• Genuine signature which the writer honestly unwilling to
accept as genuine
• Genuine signature obtained by trickery
• Genuine signature written illegibly or in an unusual manner
to afford signatures some plausible ground for disclaiming
them should they deem it expedient
Tracing Process

4. LASER METHOD
- a new method of tracing which is a
product of advances in a field of
photography using coherent or aligned
spectrum of light which can trace more
accurately or writings called hologram
 CHAPTER 8
Care, Handling
and
Preservation of documents
 Do’s
•Keep documents unfolded in protective
envelope.
•Take disputed papers to the document
examiner’s laboratory at the first opportunity
•If storage is necessary, keep the document in
a dry place away from excessive heat and
strong light.
 DONT’
S
• Do not handle disputed papers excessively or carry
them in a pocket for a long time.
• Do not mark disputed documents.
• Do not mutilate or damage by repeated refolding,
creasing, cutting, tearing or punching for filing
purposes.
• Do not allow anyone except qualified specialist to
make chemical or do not treat or dust for latent
fingerprints before consulting a document
examiner.
EQUIPMENTS
AND
APPARATUS
HANDWRITING MEASURING TEST PLATES - this
instrument is about a foot or fifteen inches in length either plastic,
metal or glass made, an instrument with graduated scales in both
inches and centimeters

a. Handwriting slope b. Handwriting

measuring test plate comparison test plate
-design to measure -design to make a
degree of writing simultaneous
inclinations comparison of two
specimen handwriting,
showing their alignment,
slant or scale and
proportions
 Typewriting measuring plate
- designed to measure the
typeface pitch of a given
typewriting as well as determining
alignment and scale of proportion
of the type characters
Stereoscopic
microscope - it gives
the examiner three
dimensional
enlargement of the
specimen under
consideration making
it ideal for
examination of
writings, sequence of
strokes and disturb
fiber partly concealed
Forensic
Comparator
- the three-in-one
microscope that can
bring together two
objects into the
same field of view
so that they may
easily be compared
under the same
degree of
magnification
Camera and lens
• an S-L-R camera has its indispensable used in
questioned document examination for
discovering and proving in court
• one type of lens that is commonly used
especially for photographing handwritings,
signatures and type prints is that of the macro
lens or a specialized short focus lens that does
not only record image but also enlarged the
same in certain degrees.
 Special Lighting
Equipment
•The visible lighting application
1. Direct lighting
-this type of light examination generally
applies for photographing purpose

-useful in cases of erasures and

concealment of erased surface by addition
of certain substance after erasure has been
made
 2. Oblique lighting
- in this type of lighting process positioned the
lamp at one side with the source of
illumination striking the surface of the paper at
a very low angle

best used in indented writing and erasures

 3. Side Lighting
- in this process the paper is held vertically and
the light strikes the surface of the paper from
one side

-used in showing presence of disturb fiber due

to mechanical erasure and indention
 4. Transmitted lighting
-it gives a source of illumination that would
strike the back or bottom of the paper

useful in determination of watermarking in

paper, shows arrangement in paper as well as
sequence of strokes
 Artificial light
gadget

• X-ray or Roentgen
-can be used of making a transmitted light
photograph to show watermarking as well as
thinner surface of the paper like the site of
erasures

-not commonly used or practically it is more

applied in medico-legal examination
 Ultra-violet light gadget
- commercially termed as “black light” for at
times that the power is off the bulb is colored
black.

- one of its widest application is in detection of

counterfeit Philippine Currency notes
Infra-red lamp - means “below or beyond the red”
-has the longest wavelength among the
photographic rays and it is also called the heat rays

Uses:
1. Shows gun powder stains
2. Deciphering altered or faded writings due to age
3. Restoration of writing in charred documents
4. Decipherment of obliterated writing
5. Record subject in total darkness without being detected
6. Detection of addition, interlineations or insertion
CHAPTER 9
Examination
of
Typewriting
 January 7, 1714 - the first recorded
attempt to invent typewriter found in
the records of British patent office,
granted by her majesty Queen Ann, to
Henry Mill, an English engineer

1827 - the first US patent for a

mechanical writing machine was issued
to William A. Burt of Detroit, Michigan
 Important Terms in Connection with
Typewriting

• Typeface -the printing surface of the type block

• Typeface defect-any peculiarity of the typewriting

caused by actual damage to the typeface metal,
which may be actual breakage in the outline of
letters

• Characters -the letter symbols, numerals or point

of functions
• Pica typeface -typeface impression ordinarily
spaced ten characters to the horizontal pitch

• Elite type face -typeface impression ordinarily

spaced twelve characters to the horizontal pitch

• Transitory defects -can be eliminated by cleaning

the machine or replacing the ribbon

• Permanent defects -any identifying typewriting

characteristics of a typeface which cannot be
eliminated by replacing the ribbon or cleaning the
machine
 Typeface Defects

1. Vertical Malalignment
- a character printing above or below its proper
position
 2. Horizontal Malalignment
- an alignment defect in which the character
prints to the right or left of its proper position
 3. Twisted Letter
- letters become twisted that they lean to the
right or left of their correct slant
 4. Off-its-feet
- the condition of a typeface printing heavier on
one side or corner than the remainder of its
outline
 5. Rebound
- the character prints a double impression with
the lighter one slightly off-set to the right or left
 6. Actual Breakage
- any peculiarity of typewriting caused by actual
damage to the typeface metal which maybe
actual breakage in the line of the letters
 7. Clogged
- the typeface became filled with dirt and ink,
particularly in enclose letters