DNAprint Genomics (DNAG)

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Worcester's Finest Use A Color Management Solution with MonacoPROOF Profiling to Solve and Prove Cases
The BCI (Bureau of Criminal Investigation), a unit within the Worcester Police Department, had to investigate the discovery of two bodies in the second week of May 2001. One of the bodies was ruled a homicide, while the other was undetermined. Worcester, Massachusetts-a city with a population of 180,000-is not considered unsafe. Those who know Worcester consider it to be a diverse yet close-knit, highly spiritual community populated with numerous religious affiliations. Worcester also boasts of having two of the best hospitals in the state, 10 colleges, and beautiful architecture. With all the city has going for it, it's no wonder Lieutenant David Grady of the BCI sounded weary and downtrodden when he said it was a very tough week in Worcester.

The BCI is responsible for conducting follow-up investigations of serious crimes against the person, crimes against property, check and credit fraud, arsons, homicides, and any criminal offenses which are committed within their jurisdiction or as requested by the Chief of Police and the District Attorney's Office.

Modern-day television and movies portray a detective arriving at the crime scene sporting a trench coat and a Polaroid instant or a standard 35mm camera in hand. NYPD Blue, a police drama that purports to be as accurate a police drama there is, shows its detectives taking pictures of the crime scene and victims with Polaroid cameras. Television shows like this are not far off the mark in terms of real-life police investigations, as detectives still use 35mm cameras and, on occasion, the relic Polaroid. Prints of crime scenes produced with these cameras are often used by the DA's Office as evidence in trying to gain a conviction. Or, in some cases, the prints are used for autopsies, where the medical examiner compares the photo from the crime scene to the condition of the victim.

What happens after the shots of the crime scenes are taken? Some police departments send their negatives to an outside photo lab, where color prints are produced and later used as evidence in court. Other police departments that want to avoid the time and cost of outsourcing their photography for color prints, produce their own prints in-house. They may have a workflow in place that includes devices like scanners, computer and monitors, and color printers. In addition to saving time and money, these police departments have complete control over the print process from beginning to end. The BCI had such a workflow, but it was not a perfect solution.

Workflow Was Not Perfect At First: Trial and Error Took It's Toll

Prior to adopting a workflow to produce its own prints, the BCI used a standard 35mm camera and sent the negatives to outside labs for one- to two-day service. The time it took the labs to produce the prints was problematic to the department, as was the quality expected from the unit. "Sometimes the DA's Office or the medical examiner wanted a picture that day," Lieutenant Grady says. "Or they wanted a certain aspect of a photo brought out or made lighter."

The BCI made the investment to purchase a digital camera, monitor, and color printer so that they could develop prints in-house. Although the unit no longer had to rely on outside services to develop their negatives, the workflow process didn't always go smoothly. There were times when a print was not adequate, so Lieutenant Grady would have to recreate a print, often many times. The problem he experienced was that he might see an image on the screen that looked perfect, but once printed, the photo was less than desirable. This trial and error resulted in a great deal of wasted time-time his busy unit didn't have. Lost time was not the only result of the trial and error of the process. Increased costs were also taking its toll on the unit, as the BCI often were forced to waste valuable paper and ink on the prints that were not deemed presentable for the DA's Office or the medical examiner.

Perhaps more importantly, the BCI realized that accurate color can make the difference between convicting a criminal and setting him/her free; therefore, quality of a print plays a large part in the outcome of cases. Lieutenant Grady states that a color-accurate print of an assault victim assures the court that the bruises and abrasions reflect the severity of the crime. For example, a victim may arrive in court healed and in better physical condition than when he/she was assaulted. The prints delivered to the DA's Office accurately depict the severity of the assault, and the jury is not swayed by the present condition of the victim. At first the quality of prints was unacceptable because matching the original with the output from the printer was dependent on human judgment. Initially, the quality of their prints relied on there being a person with a well-trained eye to determine whether the color, lightness, hue and saturation were of the highest quality.

Color Management Corrects The BCI's Workflow Problems: Improves Quality and Reduces Time and Costs

To improve its workflow, the BCI implemented a true CMS (color management system) that included device profiling with its workflow. An effective CMS allows the user to print exactly what he/she sees on the monitor. The profiling software the BCI implemented to make this possible was Monaco Systems MonacoPROOF.

The color management process begins with pictures (taken with a digital camera) being stored on the BCI's computer. In some cases photographs must be scanned and converted to digital files, but for the most part the BCI uses digital cameras. From the computer, the image files are outputted from a color printer. Profiling and device calibration are integral components of the CMS. To profile the scanner, monitor, and Fuji printer, an intuitive interface guides Lieutenant Grady through the process. Calibrating the devices for the best performance is also necessary, as their performance capabilities can change over time. A colorimeter is attached directly to the monitor where the target area flashes a series of colors. The instrument measures each patch, the profiling software collects the measurement data, and the data determines where any performance drift occurs. A spectrophotometer, in conjunction with profiling software, is used to ensure that the correct levels of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black colorants are printed-thus enabling Lieutenant Grady to accurately print the image he sees on his monitor. Color management also allows Lieutenant Grady to soft proof the image by correcting the saturation and/or lightness of the image so that the print can be presented clearly to the jury in court. Once he is satisfied with what he sees on his monitor, he prints the image, which looks exactly like the one on his monitor.

The CMS has made dramatic improvements over the previous workflow. First, it eliminated the vicious cycle of trial and error that existed before color management, thus saving the unit a great deal of time. Lieutenant Grady now sees an image on his screen and knows that the image and print will match each other. "I was trying to close the gap between the difference of what we were seeing on the monitor and what we were actually printing," states Lieutenant Grady. All developing of 8.5" x 11" prints can be done at the BCI within minutes. Larger prints must be sent to photo labs in Worcester, but this is rarely done.

Producing a higher quality print the first time not only saves time; it's a tremendous cost saver to the department. "There is very little guesswork between viewing an image on the monitor and printing it, which means we waste less paper and ink," says Lieutenant Grady. Moreover, there is no need to hire someone to profile the input and output devices in order to produce accurate prints. Lieutenant Grady states that profiling the devices is so easy that the BCI requires no dedicated employee to perform the procedures.

Finally, the department has better quality prints to present to the DA's Office and medical examiner. Says Lieutenant Grady, "MonacoPROOF has increased the accuracy of input to output dramatically. I was amazed with the difference the software made in the color management process." Lieutenant Grady maintains that inaccurate color in prints was, and still is, a serious problem in the outcome of many trials, as injuries suffered by victims or details of property crimes are not always accurately displayed in print. Lieutenant Grady believes this will change when other police departments implement CMS's and device profiling.

The City of Worcester Sets the Standard with Color Management and Device Profiling

The BCI of the Worcester Police Department is setting the standard for advanced forensic science. The unit switched from a 35mm to a digital camera and brought its film development in-house. This meant creating a workflow system that included scanners, monitors, and printers. Although there was some trial and error involved at first, Lieutenant Grady learned through reading articles and conducting research that color management with device profiling existed and that it could improve the unit's workflow tremendously. Lieutenant Grady knows that accurate color is important in the prosecutor's case, and he believes other police departments will come to that conclusion as well.

Color management has traditionally been a technology that serves the photo and art enthusiasts, newspapers, printers, service bureau, but, as Lieutenant Grady can contest, it has proven important to industries like law enforcement. Law enforcers like Lieutenant Grady, who have brought color management in-house, have complete control over the process. This control over photo processing assures Lieutenant Grady that he can present the most accurate prints to the DA's Office so that they can secure a conviction in court. Perhaps in the near future, we'll see Denis Franz of NYPD Blue clicking a digital camera instead of a Polaroid.