 Today, the camera is an accepted tool in law enforcement. Photography can be used to great advantage in practically all phases of military police work and has yielded especially significant returns in criminal investigation. It is in fact questionable whether the CID could operate at its present efficient level without it. Photographs are taken to obtain a record of what may become evidence. It is therefore important for all military police personnel to appreciate the capabilities as well as the limitations of the photographic process. This is a badly underexposed photograph. Due to underexposure, the colors are not accurate. To be of value for any purpose, the photograph must be identifiable. Proper exposure of the film is up to you, the cameraman. Keep in mind that a camera is only a tool and can do nothing by itself. Your skill with it determines whether or not the photograph you take will serve its purpose and yours. Four types of cameras are available for military police work. The workhorse and best all-around camera is the 4x5 press type with synchronized flash. Since it is small and easy to conceal, you may wish to use the 35 millimeter camera for surveillance work. This camera comes with a variety of wide angle and telephoto lenses. It can also be used for both photomacrography and photomicrography. The fingerprint camera is especially designed for the photographing of very small objects on a flat surface. To obtain motion picture footage at both normal speed and slow motion, there is the 16 millimeter motion picture camera with both wide angle and telephoto lenses. No camera does everything equally well and that is of course why there are different types of cameras for different jobs. However let me say it is not so much what a camera can do as it is how you use it that produces results. Collecting well-exposed and effective photographic evidence that will be accepted in court calls for methodical coverage of every element which may possibly yield information. Get the case of arson for instance. Now what constitutes effective and adequate investigative photographic coverage? Well for one thing, the color of the smoke or of the flame at the fire's suspected point of origin may indicate the use of a particular accelerant. With color film and some of your film holders, get a record of this. Get as many external and internal shots of the fire as you can while it is still burning to demonstrate its progress and possible point of origin. Much or all of the conclusive evidence of arson may be destroyed by the fire. As soon as the fire is brought under control and has cooled enough to permit entry, a methodical search may still turn up some valuable clues. Photograph them when you find them. This five gallon can found in the ruins of a fire contain traces of gasoline and still bore a number of fingerprints. The investigator considered its value as evidence and so he photographed it. It led to an arsonist, tool marks on the broken lock of a door, and a fuse box obviously tampered with were photographed too. The alligator pattern on charred wood can often aid in tracing the fire to its origin. Photograph it. In the photo lab, take extreme close-ups of all items which may become evidence, including fingerprints if arson is definitely suspected. This will also include items already photographed at the scene. Black and white or color photographs give you a permanent record of perishable and often fragile evidence which may answer the question, was it arson or was it an accident? Arsonists frequently have a compulsion to view the fire they have set and often act irrationally while watching it. Get as many covert pictures of such people as you can, but don't jump to conclusions. Significant as it is, in suspected arson cases, complete photographic coverage is of even greater importance in the investigation of homicide. A major has been found dead on the floor of his room in a BOQ. A crime scene sketch must be made to record every detail of the scene. Each camera position should be marked so the photographs may be correctly interpreted. This was your first photograph on this case, the entrance to the BOQ. Include a data board wherever possible in every shot where it will not obscure possible evidence. On the data board, you list the time you made the shot, the date, the location and your initials. The data board serves to identify the negative and to ensure that it is not printed in reverse. Photograph the hallway from the entrance just inside the door. Then make a shot of the hallway from the other end toward the entrance. The door to the victim's room is next. It is followed by a close-up of tool marks on the door and door frame. These may indicate a forced entry. If there are fingerprints on the door knob, photograph them with the camera on a tripod before the knob is removed for further examination. Now photograph the room in a logical sequence of overlapping shots, beginning with a general shot from the door. Follow with a shot inside the door to show the opposite wall of the room. This one should overlap a part of the area covered in the first shot. The third photograph is of the wall with the door. The fourth overlapping shot is of the other side of the room. You have now covered the scene with general shots. Items of furniture and fixtures will act as reference points in evaluating the pictures. Photograph all of the items which may have a bearing on the case, the desk with the open drawer and the empty and apparently rifled billfold. Next, photograph the body as it was found, full length, first from one side and then full length from the other. Make sure all items are included exactly as they were found. The data board must not obscure any of them. Make sure you photograph the probable murder weapon, the bloodstained bayonet near the body, in close-up before it is examined and removed. Remember, take a picture of everything you think may be of importance. It is better to have too many photographs than not enough. The second phase of investigative photography consists of making additional close-ups of the items which may become evidence. This is best done in the CID photo lab. The suspected murder weapon is again photographed, this time with a measuring scale parallel to the bayonet to establish size and to show possible depth of penetration. At the lab, the press-type camera with its double extension bellows is also used to photograph the fingerprints on the doorknob after they have been treated with powder. Because of the curved surfaces, the fingerprint camera cannot be used here. The photograph may be an aid in identifying the fingerprints. You need not accompany the victim's body to the morgue, but you should be present at the autopsy to make one identification shot of the head and shoulders of the victim and two full-length photographs of the body. A jacket found near the victim's BOQ revealed nothing of value when photographed with panchromatic film and tungsten light. But by using infrared film and with a red filter over the camera lens, a photograph made with the same tungsten lights showed markings that were not visible before. Infrared film may also reveal writing on charred documents. Powder burns invisible in ordinary light. Apparently clear skin under infrared light may reveal old scars, tattoos, and subcutaneous bruises. Since the color red does not register on infrared film, this film is used to photograph documents such as bank checks where red rubber stamp marks obscure a signature. Infrared film is also used in so-called camera traps. A camera trap is a form of mechanical photographic surveillance. The camera and flash gun are activated by a tripping device. You set a camera, preferably a 4x5 press type camera, loaded with infrared film, in a location where an intruder will not observe it. An infrared flash bulb is used in the flash gun, synchronized with the camera and set off by the actuator wire. At night, leave a dim light burning to prevent an intruder from seeing that faint glow of the infrared flash bulb if he happens to be looking in that direction when the flash gun fires. Infrared film renders skin tones differently than other film emulsions, but nevertheless makes identification of the suspect possible. Another useful investigative technique is ultraviolet photography. It too can be used in many cases to reveal overwritings and alterations of documents. One method of ultraviolet photography is known as the reflected method. Its use is based on the different amounts of ultraviolet radiation reflected by different types of ink, ink eradicators, and other chemicals or chemical residues in the paper. The second method of ultraviolet photography is the fluorescent method. By putting a yellow filter on the lens, objects which fluoresce when exposed to ultraviolet light will produce an image which ordinary light cannot show. These objects are certain kinds of synthetic fibers, inks, dyes, and countless other everyday products, and also fingerprints dusted with fluorescent powder. The fingerprint camera, in addition to fingerprint photography, is also a very useful instrument for any kind of one-to-one ratio photography on a flat surface, for such items as hand writing specimens, paper textures, cloth and fabric patterns and textures, tattoo marks and small wounds. Hand writing specimens also frequently show fingerprints. Photomacrography is the enlargement of a subject directly onto the negative, enlarging it from 2 to 10 times. Photomacrography is used to magnify details such as glass fragments, paint flakes, fractures of metal objects, tool marks or other objects for easier identification. Photomacrography, normally accomplished in the crime lab, uses a microscope to greatly enlarge extremely small items. Sometimes a comparison microscope is used. Photomacrography is used to compare bullet striations and to examine such items as particles of dirt or dust, or cloth fibers, textures, human hair. The list is almost inexhaustible. They're small size, fast and interchangeable lenses, and especially the telephoto lens, make the 35 millimeter still camera and the 16 millimeter motion picture camera standard instruments for surveillance work. By its very nature, surveillance photography must be accomplished covertly. A surveillance team may need one or more cameras during either a fixed or moving surveillance. This surveillance photography provides a permanent record of the incident. The pictures taken surreptitiously with a 35 millimeter still camera and a 16 millimeter motion picture camera should be taken with a telephoto lens and be well enough exposed to identify the subject. Now, if it is handheld, a telephoto lens is apt to cause camera movement and blur on the film at shutter speeds of less than one two hundredth of a second. For best results, a camera with a telephoto lens should be mounted on a tripod or supported in some other manner. When necessary, a concealed surveillance may be made from a moving vehicle. The motion picture camera is particularly useful for this mission. A tripod or other fixed support is not desirable in this situation. This man has drawn attention to himself as a suspected narcotics addict, the kind of man the army has no need for. He and his friends have been kept under surveillance. After necessary coordination, CID investigators and agents from the Federal Bureau of Narcotics prepare to raid the meeting place. Investigative photography is sometimes presented in motion picture form. However, motion picture footage is rarely obtainable under such conditions and would seldom be of usable quantity. Here are some still shots that an agent got before an apprehension. In addition to the initial longer shots, close shots help document the evidence. Shots like this close up of the spoon, the syringe, and the matches that were used. A motion picture record of a situation like this can be very effective, especially if it is supported by a number of still pictures taken at the same time. This combination of motion and still picture photography is also of great value in the coverage of riots and disorders. Measures taken for the protection of key installations can be evaluated and improved if need be with the aid of pictures. Shots taken from vantage points during the rioting provide an important record of the actions of the mob and its response to military police formations and tactics. Instigators and ringleaders can be identified with the aid of cameras. As in any military action, aerial shots too are important for the discovery of situations on the ground. Any activity on rooftops obscured to observers and cameramen in the streets can be recorded from the air. The pictures taken during the event became a part of the official after action report. Such a photographic pictorial record can often help eliminate a great deal of the emotional controversy later. Any serious traffic accident the military police is called upon to investigate should be photographed if for no other reason it should be done to protect the government in case of future lawsuits. The 4x5 press type camera is especially useful for accident photography because of its versatility and large negative size. After securing the scene and administering first aid, take photographs. Begin by taking overall shots of the entire scene from all angles. These photographs should include the front, rear and both sides of the vehicles as well as the surroundings. If possible, compose your pictures to eliminate all that is irrelevant such as tow trucks and other vehicles. Take close-up photographs of damage to the vehicles involved. Photograph damage to fixed property too and make sure you include the identifying characteristics of each vehicle involved in the accident. If a fatality is involved, photograph the victim before his position is disturbed. Finally, photograph perishable and fragile items such as skid marks and debris at the point of impact or strewn along the road. Photograph both approaches to the scene of the accident. This is to obtain a record of road conditions, terrain features, general visibility and traffic control devices if there are any. If the accident happened at night, go back the very next morning and photograph the location of the accident scene a second time in daylight. You do this to provide a record of details that weren't visible at night. Most investigative photography is done with black and white film. Where color is an evidence factor, however, the slower color emulsion should be used. But I want you to remember that there are certain limitations to the use of color film. The exposure must be right on the button with hardly any room for error. By looking at the underexposed picture here, it is difficult to tell that this is the same person. Another important thing to remember is that color film has no brain and cannot make allowances for discrepancies in reflected light like you do in your evaluation of color. Film companies therefore make two types of color film. One balanced for daylight, one for artificial light. They can only be used interchangeably with the use of the proper filters on the lens. So, when you have to use color film, use the right film and expose it correctly. Otherwise you've gained nothing by its use. A hit-and-run case is a situation where the use of color film might be indicated. The color of the paint scrapes on the damaged vehicle may be the only clue to the identity of the offender's car. As you know, color photographs of a fire may help establish the fact that the fire was caused by arson. Mug shots in color aid an identification of persons. Color photography is valuable in presenting medical legal evidence. It may be used in the form of color slides, transparencies, or prints. It can be used to show anything from bruises and contusions to internal injuries as revealed by an autopsy and postmortem levidity of the body surfaces. When photographs are presented to a court of law, there are certain basic requirements that must be fulfilled to have them admitted as evidence. First, they must be identified. Anyone who is familiar with a scene or an object can identify a photograph. A photograph must be clear. Sharp, free of distortion, and material and relevant to the issue. When photographing a crime or accident scene, the camera should be at witness's eye level and show true perspective if possible include data boards in the shot. From each negative used to make an enlargement, a contact print must be made to accompany the enlargement if required. When you send black and white or color motion shots, when you send black and white or color motion picture film and transparencies to a processing firm, you should request that the processor furnish an affidavit which states that the film was normally processed and not altered in any way. Color slides should be shown in court in a logical sequence and on as large a screen as possible. Motion picture film must be shown as it came from the processor, unedited and without any dressing up of any kind. Photos may be marked to illustrate a point. However, if a great deal of marking is required, it is best to have several prints of each scene and put just a few marks on each. Chain of custody of negatives, prints, transparencies, and motion picture film is the same as that for any other type of evidence. Now, before we wrap up this orientation on the use of photography in military police work, let's sum up. Photography is a very valuable investigative tool. Its primary function is to preserve a record of what may become evidence, especially fragile and perishable items. Photography supplements your written reports and hand-drawn sketches and helps you make your case if you have one. And here let me stress one point. We are just as concerned with establishing a person's innocence as with bringing the guilty to justice. The application of photography to military police work is limited only to your imagination and your ability to handle the photographic equipment available to you. Use it properly and you will become a more effective member of the team.