Indiana Authorities Use ACE 250

"Porter County police on Thursday continued searching for evidence in the case of a Portage woman's slaying.

 Amanda Bach was found dead Saturday in Union Township, a day after her car was discovered parked next to a store in Wheeler. She had been shot once in the neck.

Dustin McCowan, 18, of Union Township, was arrested and formally charged with murder.

But police on Thursday were continuing to search for evidence -- especially for the weapon used in the crime."

Read more HERE.


Image Credit: John Hendricks \ The Times

Students Learn Evidence Recovery

"When the "call" came into the West Manheim Township Police Department early Thursday morning, students in the Police Mentoring Program were ready.

The high school students, who are part of the program coordinated by the West Manheim Township, Penn Township and Southwestern Regional police departments, formed three investigative "units" outside the West Manheim Township Municipal Building to get to work.

The lead came from a 911 caller who saw a white SUV parked near the crime scene and the driver..."

Read more HERE.

Image Credits: Shane Dunlap / Daily Record

PA Police Search fo Evidence

Looks like a Tesoro to me :)

"Investigators from the Scranton Police Department - hoping to find new evidence - on Monday scoured the area off Saginaw Street where the body of a murdered drug dealer was found in December.

Police Chief Dan Duffy said Detectives Michael Schultz, James Pappas and Joseph Castellano, one of the department's crime scene investigators, sought to corroborate or disprove information gleaned from interviews conducted during the course of the homicide investigation."

Read more HERE.

Image Credits: Michael J. Mullen / The Scranton Time Journal

Evidence Recovery, FAIL!

I posted this on FMDF and got some great responses.

This image comes from a article in an online Bermuda news source and depicts what appears to be a Policewoman searching for evidence after a recent gang incident.

You should notice quite a few thigns wrong with her technique, and even the setup of her machine:

1) Coil is on backwards
2) Coil cord is just hanging loose, who doesnt wrap those things?

What else can you see that just doesn't seem right? See the full image by clicking on it.

Police MD Near OSU

"Corvallis police are continuing to investigate the firing of five or six gunshots near the intersection of Northwest 27th Street and Northwest Polk Avenue at 6 a.m. Wednesday in a residential area a few blocks from Oregon State University.

No injuries were reported.

Corvallis police canvassed the area for several hours Wednesday. A witness reported hearing the gunshots and then seeing two males running away. The two males were described as wearing hooded sweatshirts — one brown and one red."

Read more HERE.

Image Credits: Emily Gillespie/Gazette-Times

Wyoming Police Search for Evidence

"Jackson Police Department officer Jamie Colvin uses a metal detector Wednesday to search an area where a Jackson man was shot the day before in the Cottonwood Park neighborhood.

Police officers and deputies from the Teton County Sheriff’s Department combed the area for a weapon or other evidence, but came up empty-handed."

Read more HERE.

Image Credits: BRADLY J. BONER/JACKSON HOLE DAILY

Mass Authorities Search for Gun

"Police scoured snowbanks along Rte. 9 near Sherwood Plaza in Natick today, looking for a gun that may have been ditched following a reported road rage incident in Southborough.

Using a gun-sniffing dog, metal detectors and a thermal-imaging camera, police searched along the road from the shopping center to Speen Street but did not find a weapon, Natick Police Lt. Brian Grassey said.

Southborough Police Sgt. Sean James said police questioned a Natick man but did not bring charges against him because there was no evidence a crime was committed."

Read more HERE.

Image Credits: Allan Jung for Daily News and Wicked Local

Florida Police Use MD in Wake of Shooting

"...

Sheriff's investigators spent much of the overnight hours looking for clues into the Tuesday night death at the corner of Washington and Oak streets in the Mission City unincorporated enclave near New Smyrna Beach's west side.

Sheriff's officials are not releasing the victim's name, saying they were waiting until her family had been notified.

Neighbors living within sight of the crime scene said hearing gunfire in the neighborhood is not unusual."

Read more HERE.

Image Credits: Mark I. Johnson / Daytona Beach News Journal

St. Augustine Divers MD For Evidence

"...

Divers said the pond was at least 40 feet deep and were seen repeatedly clearing long green weeds off the tether rope as well as a metal detector being used to search for more weapons. The search was continuing Tuesday afternoon in the same section of the pond.

The Jacksonville and St. Johns County Sheriff's Offices would only confirm they were helping in a joint investigation."

Read more HERE.

Image Credit: Bob Self/Morris News Service

Northern CA Hobbyist Helps Authorities

"Humboldt County District Attorney investigators say they've made major inroads toward resolving the case of McKinleyville man Jerry George who went missing a year ago and is believed dead.

Acting on recently obtained information, investigators combed an area along U.S. Highway 101 near McKinleyville on Tuesday and Wednesday, clearing brush and searching for evidence using metal detectors. The activity follows the arrest of two relatives of accused murderer Jacob Charles Steele in mid-December, and the testimony of another man who said he initially helped dump George's body."

Read more HERE.

Image Credit: Times-Standard

Shotgun Dug Up at UK Playground

"Police responding to a tip-off used a metal detector and sniffer dog to search the Apples and Pears play area in the park on Pearson Street, Hackney.

The metal detector gave a strong reading in one part of the park and officers dug 20cm (8ins) down to reveal the Browning firearm with ammunition.

It was wrapped in cloth and broken into three working parts.

Police are now examining a database of firearms incidents to check if the gun was used in any crimes."

Read more HERE.

Caudwell Estate Hit, Authorities Scour with MDs

"One of Britain’s richest men was left bloodied and bruised after being attacked with a crowbar during a robbery at his £7.5million home.

Mobile phone tycoon John ­Caudwell – who is worth £1.3billion – was bound and gagged by the masked intruders.

After assaulting Mr Caudwell, the gang allegedly turned on his glamorous fiancee, former model Claire Johnson, during the raid at 50-bedroom Broughton Hall on Monday evening."

Read more HERE.

Image Credits: newsstream.co.uk

Michigan Authorities Get Their MD On

"Investigators are using a metal detector to search the front yard of a home at 416 N. Glassford St. where police said a man was shot multiple times this morning.

Police said the victim was taken to a local hospital and is in serious condition. St. Clair County Sheriff Tim Donnellon said a “person of interest” was taken into custody shortly after officers were called to Capac about 6:20 a.m. That person was found at his home in the 1200 block of Dunnigan Road in Emmett Township."

Read more HERE.

Image above is the front yard being searched.

TX Hobbyist Unearths Human Remains

"Rockwall County deputies are trying to piece together information that will help them identify the victim whose bones were found Wednesday in a wooded area in the northern part of the county.

Lt. David Davis of the Rockwall County Sheriff’s Office said the bones have been taken to the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office. A forensic anthropologist will be called in to help determine the sex and approximate age of the victim."

Read more HERE.

Bristol, CT PD Use MDs to Clear Park

"A day in the park was anything but for a Bristol parent who found an open pocketknife in Page Park on Friday morning.

Bristol police said they found about a dozen open pocketknives through the park.

Now the Bristol Parks Department is going through it with a metal detector to ensure that all knives are gone."

Read more HERE.

Image credits: DCPI

FOX's "Bones" and our Hobby

"An old man prospecting with a metal detector along the Jersey shore finds the remains of bodybuilder Richie “The V” Gennaro. Maggots are eating the remains at an accelerated rate due to ephedrine in Richie’s system. Particulates of plastic and concrete are found in his skull. His death may have had to do with steroids or any number of his friends’ partying activities.

I was skeptical when I heard Bones was doing a parody of Jersey Shore, mostly because theme episodes can get caught up in the theme and offer nothing to viewers who dislike or don’t know anything about the theme. I, for example, have never been a fan of reality TV. That said, I thought “The Maggots in The Meathead” played the Jersey Shore theme for the right amount of humor. For example, a very good suspect got off the hook because at the time of the murder he was watching the musical Billy Elliot with his mother, going against his cool tough-guy image."

Read more HERE.

Episode aired last night, Oct 7th, 2010 on FOX.

Authorities Search Belanglo W/ MD's

"INITIAL results from a post mortem examination on human remains found in the Belanglo State Forest could be released today.

A post mortem examination was carried out and DNA taken from on the remains last Wednesday, with authorities hoping the results will shed more light on the woman and how she died.

Police have been quick to quash any link between the remains and serial killer Ivan Milat, who infamously buried his victims in the forest."

Read more HERE.

Image credits: Western Advocate

Hobbyist Finds Alleged Murder Weapon

"A volunteer searcher found the handgun believed to have been used in Friday's shooting death of Jackson police officer Glen Agee.

Joe Barnett of Clinton - a 55-year-old metal detector hobbyist who works as a logistics coordinator for Entergy - located the 9mm Glock just before 9 a.m. Tuesday in a drainage ditch near Mississippi 18 and County Farm Road.

Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin said such help is a great example of how the private sector comes together to aid government in times of need."

Read more HERE.

Group Hunt Finds Stolen Jewelry

"A group of metal detecting enthusiasts helped the Black Mountain Police Department find some stolen jewelry last week.

The jewelry was stolen in a string of home break-ins last month. Five Black Mountain residents were arrested in the case.

The Black Mountain Police approached the metal detecting enthusiasts and gave them the approximate location of where they thought the suspected criminals disposed of some items."

Read more HERE.

Click HERE for a thread from one of the members involved, showing a few images.

Photo not of actual stolen jewelry.

Law Enforcement and Your MD

Throughout the past year I've seen many discussions on hobby related websites about the use of metal detectors to find things for law enforcement. Most of these discussions generally stem from curious hobbyists who wonder if by chance, anyone has ever dug up a body. I've heard stories of shallow graves being unearthed because of a watch found with a metal detector, or other personal effects made of metal. Surely, it's bound to have happened at some point, right?

Many police districts across the US that have forensic divisions, employ their own people, in what some call FET's, or Field Evidence Teams. These teams are law enforcement officials specially trained in gathering evidence. And many of these FET's have metal detectors in their inventory, and are trained to use them. A simple Google search of items such as, "Evidence Recovery + metal detector" will net thousands of results on the different types of FET's and the equipment they use. And let's not forget, this isn't just for use on land, they have dive teams trained in the use of dive machines as well.

In some instances, departments will employ third party volunteer teams, also trained in the nuances of evidence gathering. For the most part, these are known as ERT's, or Evidence Response Teams. And from what I have seen, most are made up of a select group of members from metal detecting clubs in the police departments area.

But how does one join a ERT? As a hobbyist, volunteering your services could surely get you in good with the authorities, and might open up some opportunities. I recently set out to inquire to a few of the local PD's in my area, just to see what they said. Out of the three I wrote to, only one had responded by the time of this entry. It was a one line, simple response about how they do not use third party ERTs as they have on staff personnel, who also happen to be recreational users, trained in evidence recovery with the use of a metal detector.

So I really see two options. One, go to local police websites and send them an inquiry about the use of ERT's. Maybe it will open their eyes to a new thing and it will land you some face time. Otherwise, become a member of a local group, and have the groups leaders contact the department officially showing interest. The worst they can say is no.

I wanted to end by giving some props to a few members of FMDF who are on call as members of an ERT, or otherwise have helped law enforcement personnel with their machines. If you guys are reading this, hats off. The image heading this entry was provided by Rudy, an admin at FMDF and ERT member who has been utilized by the FBI in searches. Thanks!

I've also provided two links to a couple of ERT events that actually took place. Nice pics and good stories.

ERT Link 1
ERT Link 2