The future of forensic document examination
John L. Sang, Linton A. Mohammed, Carl R. McClary · 2019
This chapter provides a foundation for what the disciple of forensic document examiner (FDE) is and the scope of work of a FDE, and addresses cutting-edge research and technologies. FDEs conduct many types of examinations beyond just handwriting comparisons. The American Society of Testing and Materials International (ASTM) standard defined this work in the Scope of Work of Forensic Document Examiners in E444-09. From the inception of the International Association of Forensic Sciences (IAFS), FDEs has been one of the forensic disciplines represented at the Association's triennial meetings. By following the requirements and procedures in the standard, an appropriate trainee can acquire the scientific, technical, and other specialized knowledge, skill, and experience required to reliably perform the work of a FDE. The Scientific Working Group for Forensic Document Examination (SWGDOC) standards are available to all free of charge as SWGDOC continues to update and enhance extant standards and generate new ones.