JS 112- Arson Investigations

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JS 112- Arson Investigations

• Announcements and Assignments
• a. Exams will be returned next week
• b. Read Chapters 11 Arson 12 Drugs- Study for
  Quiz
• c. Extra Credit- Read NCJRS Document Fire and
  Arson Scene Evidence A Guide for Public Safety
  Personnel (http//www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/1815
  84.pdf)
• Write a 500 word summary with 3 essay questions
  and 3 answers
• Arson Investigation
• a. Definitions and Questions to Be answered
• b. Why, who and where investigate
• c. Proper gear, tools and equipment
• d. When and How to investigate
• e. Where to look for accelerants- Common
  accelerants
• f. How to detect and collect Arson dogs
• g. Fire origin, Burn Patterns, Wildfires
• h. Computer tools

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Resources and References

• Fire and Arson Scene Evidence A Guide for Public
  Safety Personnel (http//www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/n
  ij/181584.pdf)
• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
  (www.nfpa.org)
• Interfire online (www.interfire.org)
• http//www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mfireorigin.ht
  ml
• http//www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_03/pdf/03sec6.pdf
• http//caag.state.ca.us/cjsc/statisticsdatatabs/dt
  abscrims.htm
• http//www.sccfd.org/fire_investigation.html
• http//www.interfire.org/res_file/patterns.asp
• http//www.nifc.gov/stats/wildlandfirestats.html
• http//www.interfire.org/features/wildfires.asp
• http//www.uspcak9.com/training/accelerant.shtml
• http//www.interfire.org/res_file/aec_20ig.asp

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Definitions

• Fischer
• Arson
• The willful and malicious burning of anothers
  property or the burning of ones own property for
  some illegal purpose such as defrauding an
  insurer.
• Federal
• 15 USC 2221(a)(1)
• The term ''arson'' includes all incendiary and
  suspicious fires.
• California
• Title 13, Chapter 1, Section 451
• A person is guilty of arson when he or she
  willfully and maliciously sets fire to or burns
  or causes to be burned or who aids, counsels, or
  procures the burning of, any structure, forest
  land, or property.

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Questions to answer

• Where did the fire originate?
• How was the fire started?
• Was the cause of the fire an accident or was it
  intentionally set?

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Why Investigate

• Fire does not destroy all evidence
• 2003
• 71,319 arson incidents reported
• 11,942 per incident average damage
• 16.7 of incidents cleared
• 16,163 people arrest for arson
• 2003 California
• 13,677 incidents
• 181,035,865 in damage
• 10 of incidents cleared

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Who investigates

• Police
• Local/Regional Fire Departments
• State Fire Agencies
• Insurance Companies
• Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
• Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI)

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Where to Investigate

• Location of fire
• Entry/Exit locations
• Suspect vehicles
• Search suspects home for accelerants

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Proper Safety Gear

• Clothing
• Nail Proof Boots
• Coveralls
• Gloves
• Hard hat
• Jacket
• Raincoat

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Tools and Equipment

• Tools (additional)
• Ladder
• Chisel
• Rake
• Hoe
• Power saw
• Portable lights
• Continuity Meter (Ohm Meter)
• Magnet
• Sifting Screen
• Pipe Cutter

• Tools
• Normal crime scene tools
• Flashlight
• Shovel
• Knife
• Crowbar
• Accelerant Detector
• Dog, PID, MOS Sensor
• Saw
• Axe
• Screw driver
• Wrench
• Sealed canisters
• Compass

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When to Investigate

• IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!!
• Fire scenes deteriorate rapidly
• Evidence of accelerants evaporates
• 1978 Michigan v Tyler
• 436 U.S. 499
• "A burning building clearly presents an exigency
  of sufficient proportions to render a warrantless
  entry reasonable. Indeed, it would defy reason to
  suppose that firemen must secure a warrant or
  consent before entering a burning structure to
  put out the blaze. And once in a building for
  this purpose, fire fighters may seize evidence of
  arson that is in plain view.
• "... officials need no warrant to remain in a
  building for a reasonable time to investigate the
  cause of a blaze after it has been extinguished."

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How to Investigate

• First Responders
• Same as other crime scene investigations
• Secure scene
• Preserve Scene
• Coordinate Activities
• Investigators
• Same as other crime scenes
• Witnesses
• Firefighters can provide valuable information
  regarding origin and fire intensity

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Where to look for accelerants

• Porous or absorbent materials
• Seams, cracks or joints
• Low points in burned area
• Water puddles
• Many accelerants float on water

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Common Accelerants

1. Acetone
2. Carbon Disulfide
3. Coleman Fuel
4. Ethyl Alcohol
5. Ethyl Ether
6. Fuel oil no. 1
7. Fuel oil no. 2
8. Gasoline
9. Isopropyl alcohol
10. Kerosene

1. Lacquer
2. Lacquer Thinner
3. Methyl alcohol
4. Methyl ethyl ketone
5. Mineral Spirits
6. Naphtha
7. Paint Thinner
8. Toluene
9. Turpentine
10. Xylenes

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How to collect samples

• Air tight containers
• If liquid evidence or wet sample
• Collect in polyurethane bag inside of sealed
  metal container
• Collect uncontaminated (preferably unburned)
  sample

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Accelerant Detection Tools

• Photo Ionization Detectors (PIDs)
• Metal Oxide Sensors (MOS)
• Ultraviolet Light (UV)
• Illuminates petroleum products
• Accelerant Detection Canine (ADC)
• 0.01 Microliter of 50 evaporated gasoline 100
  of the time.
• Maybe more sensitive than lab detection techniques

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Arson Dogs

• ATF Accelerant Detection Canine Program (ADCP)
• Began in 1986 at Front Royal, Virginia
• 10 week program
• 5 for the dog and 5 with the handler
• Food and Praise reward conditioning
• Exposed to 5 explosive groups used in
  approximately 19,000 explosive compounds
• To pass dog must successfully detect 20 different
  explosive odors

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Arson Dogs

• ADCP (2)
• Currently 50 canine teams in US
• Trained over 300 canines for use in 13 different
  countries
• State and local agencies can get a Accelerant
  Detection Canine (ADC) for free from ATF.
• Requires a 5 year commitment from agency and
  handler
• Requires participation in National Response Teams
  (NRT)

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Arson Dogs

• Santa Clara County Fire Department (SCCFD)
• Rosie
• Handler
• Captain Dennis Johnsen
• Began service in 2004
• 2 year old Labrador Retriever
• Passive Alert dog
• came from Guiding Eyes of New York

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Arson Dogs

• In Court
• State v Buller
• Iowa, May 1994
• Case No. 146/93-701
• Reisch v. State of Delaware
• 1993
• Case No. 426, 1992
• State v Acevedo
• New Jersey
• Case No. A-1896-91T4

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Arson Dogs

• Benefits
• Detection of small amounts of flammables
• Reduced time finding the flammables at the fire
  scene
• Reduced time digging through the fire debris
• Reduced amount of fire debris to be analyzed by
  the crime lab
• Detection of flammables on humans
• Reduction of arsons

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Arson Dogs

• Limitations
• Olfactory Fatigue
• Can be distracted by scene commotion
• Bonded to handler
• Contamination of scene

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Fire Origin

• Burn Patterns
• Area of most damage is often the origin
• But NOT always
• Witness statements

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Burn Patterns

• Show where a fire has burned.
• Indicate the use of an accelerant
• Can help to determine origin of fire
• Help to determine intensity of fire
• Indicate cause accident or intentional

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Classic V
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Inverted Cone (Wall)
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Inverted Cone (Object)
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Protected Surface
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Clean Burn
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Rundown Burn
Liquid Pour
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Wildfires

• 2003
• Wildfires 85,943 burned 4,918,088 acres
• Suppression costs (federal) 1,326,138,000
• California
• Suppression Costs 252.3 Million
• Damage 948 Million
• Arson
• 400 fires burned 15,635 acres
• Suppression Cost 2,766,478
• Can be started by
• Arson
• Spontaneous Heating
• Natural Causes
• Accidental

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Wildfires

• Key considerations for investigating wildfires
• Types of fuels
• Geography
• Environment
• Suppression Techniques

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Lab Tools

• Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometer

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Resources

• National Response Team (NRT)
• ATF Arson Task Forces
• In 15 major US cities
• ATF's Certified Fire Investigator (CFI) Program
• 59 Special Agents
• ATF National Laboratory Center (NLC)
• 3 regional labs

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Computer Tools

• Wildfire Simulator
• http//www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/fire/simulation.html
• National Institutes of Standards and Technology
  (NIST)
• Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) and Smokeview
• A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model
• http//fire.nist.gov/fds/