One of the key tools used to solve the crimes in Speaking of Murder is video forensics. What's video forensics, you might ask?JB, Lauren's boyfriend, works as a civilian video forensics expert at the local police station. The tool he uses is dTective from Ocean Systems, developed by Grant Fredericks and used by police departments around the country, to clarify surveillance video and present video evidence in court.
The dTective software just happens to sit on top of Avid Media Composer, for which I wrote technical documentation for 14 years. Hmm, coincidence? You decide.
I knew I wanted to feature this software in my books. I was fortunate to be able to consult with the Raynham, Massachusetts police department, and also the Bristol County District Attorney's office. They each use this software in their daily crime-fighting. Chief Lou Pacheco of Raynham (and his video analyst Tim), and Kelli Hutchings of the DA office each spent a half day with me, demonstrating the software and talking about how they use it.
It was a fascinating look into some of the inner workings of the criminal justice system. I hope I've done justice to their expertise.
Several of the things you can do with this software:
- Apply a standard to see how tall someone is
- Lighten a dark image of a license plate
- Zoom in on a tattoo or other unique physical characteristic
- Compare a fingerprint left on a counter to one taken after arrest
- Note: I should have included (and now have) that Grant Fredericks developed the dTective software and was the generous soul who pointed me to Chief Pacheco in the first place. Thanks, Grant!
