The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) has announced a significant enhancement to its investigative capabilities through the acquisition of forensic 3D laser scanning technology from Leica Geosystems. The Department's crime laboratory is deploying two Leica ScanStation 2 laser scanners to support homicide, arson/explosive, and complex deputy-involved shooting investigations.
At a press conference Sheriff Leroy D. Baca, said, "The LASD has acquired two of the most technologically advanced forensic 3D laser scanning systems currently available. The laser scanning systems made by Leica Geosystems will provide our investigators with the forensic tools that they need to capture, document and record crime scenes with remarkable accuracy."
The ScanStation 2 is a fast, very accurate long-range, tripod-mounted, 3D laser scanner integrated with a high-resolution panoramic camera, and with a powerful set of software tools for creating detailed 2D scene diagrams and vivid 3D jury exhibits. The result from a completed scan is a visually stunning rendering of the scene in 3D from which any measurement can be made and any perspective viewed, even long after the scene has been released.
John Radeleff, Chief of the Technical Services Division for LASD, added, "It's not just time savings we will realize. It's more importantly the added value that it gives to our investigative abilities. Imagine what images like this can do for the jury to help them make decisions on their cases. To be virtually placed in the middle of the crime goes a long way to help them visualize and get a much better understanding of what actually happened."
"Due to the all of the CSI-type programming on television, jurors these days have much higher expectations about the quality and clarity of information that prosecutors present to them," said Tony Grissim, Forensic Account Manager for Leica Geosystems. "Leica recently launched its public safety and forensic web site and the response from the law enforcement community echoes Sheriff Baca's enthusiasm for the technology."
