Fred Tullerners, director of the university's graduate program in forensic science, told The Sacramento Bee while he couldn't list all types of crimes that have involved duct tape, the range runs from robberies to sexual assaults.
His department received a $150,000 grant to simplify the procedures crime labs use to trace the tape back to the criminal, the newspaper reported Thursday..
There are time-consuming ways to determine where duct tape came from and who used it. They include tracing the specific tape's manufacturer, matching fiber patterns, determining composition of adhesive layers and matching tear patterns
The study will attempt to improve the certainty of matches.
Two of Tullerners' students are working on better ways to match tears and believe they are on track to improve matching techniques.
Copyright 2009 by United Press International.
Post new comment