Inspection Service Home Page
 
United States Postal Inspection Service
Forensic and Technical Services

 


Forensic Laboratory Services

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service maintains a state-of-the-art National Forensic Laboratory in Dulles, VA, comprising highly trained forensic scientists and technical specialists who play a key role in identifying, apprehending, prosecuting, and convicting individuals responsible for postal-related criminal offenses. Its mission is to provide scientific and technical expertise to the criminal and security investigations of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Laboratory services are divided into the units described below.

Photo of the National Forensic Laboratory
Questioned Documents Unit
The Questioned Document Unit provides technical assistance to Postal Inspectors who are investigating suspected violations of postal statutes. Document Analysts process requests from Inspectors to determine the authenticity of questioned or disputed documents. Analysts determine authenticity through the following procedures:

  • Comparing "questioned" and "known" handwriting, typewriting, commercial printing, and other machine or mechanical impressions.
  • Analyzing paper and ink.
  • Restoring eradicated and obliterated impressions.
  • Visualizing indented handwriting impressions.
  • Detecting altered and counterfeit impressions.
Fingerprint Unit
The Fingerprint Unit provides technical assistance to Postal Inspectors who are investigating suspected violations of postal statutes by identifying suspects who have handled items of evidence. Latent Print Analysts are responsible for the following activities:
  • Developing latent (invisible) prints on evidence.
  • Comparing a latent print to a known fingerprint, palm print or footprint of suspects.
  • Preparing charts demonstrating identifying features of "questioned" and "known" prints.
  • Testifying in court to latent print identification.

The Fingerprint Unit interfaces with numerous automated fingerprint identification systems nationwide to assist in matching latent prints with local offenders.

Physical Sciences Unit
The Physical Sciences Unit, which includes a Physical Evidence and a Chemistry section, provides scientific support to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service offices nationwide. Analysts in this unit are engaged in a variety of functions, as follows:
  • Conducting chemical analyses.
  • Performing physical examinations and comparisons.
  • Providing expert testimony in court.
  • Processing crime scenes.
  • Training Postal Inspectors.
  • Interacting with other forensic science professionals.
Analysts in the Physical Evidence section conduct chemical analyses, examinations, and comparisons of these materials:
  • Bomb debris and intact explosives.
  • Firearms, tool marks, shoe, and tire impressions.
  • Trace evidence such as adhesives, fibers, hair, paint, paper, plastic, rubber, and insulation from safes and tape.
  • An accelerant from suspected arson fires.
  • Serial number restorations.
  • Tampered U.S. Postal Service equipment and mail.
The Chemistry section supports Postal Inspectors across the country by analyzing materials suspected of being controlled substances. Some of the more common controlled substances found in the mail include the following items:
  • Cocaine
  • Heroin
  • LSD
  • PCP
  • Amphetamine
  • Marijuana
Forensic Chemists conduct a variety of chemical analyses and testify to their findings in court, including the following:
  • High-performance liquid chromatography (normal and reverse phase).
  • Mass spectrophotometry (chemical impact and electron ionization).
  • Gas chromatography.
  • Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry.
Forensic Photographers provide photographic support for laboratory staff and Postal Inspectors by preserving, enhancing and recording evidence for court presentations and investigative use. The photographers use a wide range of digital and traditional technology to accomplish their work, which includes the following activities:
  • Preserving latent fingerprints photographically.
  • Preserving evidence requiring special photographic techniques.
  • Preparing photographic enlargements for court exhibits.
  • Providing macro- and microphotography.
  • Providing crime-scene photography.
  • Providing investigative photography.
  • Teaching photographic techniques to Postal Inspectors.

Digital Evidence Services
The mission of Digital Evidence Services is to preserve, access, retrieve, and recover evidence stored on computers and similar media. Members of the unit are assigned throughout the country to assist Postal Inspectors in their criminal investigations by performing these services:

  • Analyze hardware, software, and files on seized systems.
  • Coordinate on-scene responses for searches and seizures.
  • Provide testimony on analyses, findings, and methods.
  • Enhance audio and video surveillance media.

Technical Services Division

Technical Services Division staff apply their expertise in four areas, as discussed below, to solve investigative problems and to develop solutions that support agency operations.

Technical Equipment Group
Program managers and technicians in the Technical Equipment Group develop new technologies for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in the areas of electronic surveillance, tracking, GPS tracking, and telephone intercepts. Staff conduct independent research and leverage resources to support these functions through interagency working groups, general liaison, and vendor relationships. The group also manages the National Mail-Screening Program for the U.S. Postal Service. Recent technology introduced by the Technical Equipment Group include portable video networks, video-over-Internet surveillance, IP-based video networking for Postal Service facilities, and miniaturized transmitters and recorders.

Communications Group 
Located at Dulles, VA, the Communications Group designs, procures, implements, and maintains the Postal Inspection Service’s two-way radio infrastructure. This includes a network of mobile, portable, and base-station radios and supporting components that are deployed nationally to the agency’s 18 division locations.

Polygraph Group
The Polygraph Unit provides scientific and technical expertise to help solve criminal investigations, support background screening of Postal Service job applicants, and assist with other investigations conducted by the Postal Inspection Service. The group comprises 10 Postal Inspector-Polygraph Examiners who are certified by the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute at Ft. Jackson, SC.

Postal Inspector-Polygraph Examiners play vital roles in solving armed robberies, registered remittance thefts, embezzlements, identify theft, burglaries, counterfeit postal money order cases, insurance fraud, workers’ compensation fraud, military mail theft, and child exploitation conducted via the mail.

National Law Enforcement Control Centers
The Postal Inspection Service’s National Law Enforcement Control Centers (NLECCs) are located in Dulles, VA, and Ft. Worth, TX. The two facilities monitor the agency’s national law enforcement radio network and intrusion-detection systems at Postal Service facilities. They provide after‑hours emergency phone coverage for all Postal Inspection Service offices and give Postal Inspectors access to law enforcement and intelligence information. Additional measures to enhance security for postal employees and facilities are in the planning stages.

Both NLECC facilities have identical functionality and can support the full load of the entire country should one center’s operations fail. In case of an electrical outage, the centers are protected by uninterruptible power supplies that provide at least one hour of backup power, plus a diesel generator that can accommodate an extended outage. The facilities meet the Underwriters Laboratory safety specifications for central station monitoring.

| Inspection Service Home |