The collection of a handwriting exemplar is necessary in aiding a document examiner to determine the authenticity of a handwriting in a questioned document purported to be forged. According to Koppenhaver (2002), the determination of the genuineness of a handwriting of a person will depend upon multiple factors and not merely on a single factor thus making it necessary to collect as many handwriting exemplars as possible for comparison. Writing is a reflection of the subconscious habit of a person and it is recommended to gather informal writing samples than asking for a request writing of the person whose signature is under investigation on the alleged forged document.
The collection of handwriting exemplars involves the gathering of as many samples of the handwriting of the person concerned as possible in order to ensure that the normal variations in the questioned handwriting will be well represented. It is also important that the person whose handwriting sample is requested will not be able to view the other handwriting samples. It is highly recommended to have each writing sample to be written on a separate paper. Another process involved in the collection of the handwriting exemplar is to ask the person to write according to the dictated sentence and not by copying a sample phrase to write on a piece of paper. It is also important that the sample handwriting should include a word, phrase or sentence that is present in the alleged forged document. Houck and Sigel (2010) also emphasized that in case a misspelled word in the questioned document is present, the same word should also be included in the exemplar as well. Lastly, when collecting a handwriting exemplar, it is best to have the samples written on the same paper as the document and to make the person as comfortable as possible with adequate lighting. In any case when possible, non-requested writing exemplars may be taken by asking a sample of a handwriting that is taken from the normal or ordinary course of business or personal transactions of the person.
Forensic document examiners are also known as handwriting experts or analysts. They have the skill in comparing a spurious handwriting from an authentic one and they need to have an access to multiple handwriting exemplers in order to make accurate findings. The handwriting comparison is undertaken with the principle in mind that no two or more persons can write the same. There are various ways by which these experts conduct comparisons on the questioned handwriting which include the ink used in the document, dyes, and chemical composition of the ink (Brunelle and Crawford, 2010). They will also undertake to evaluate the indentations in the handwriting which is influenced by the pen pressure as well as the thickness of the paper used for writing the document. The document examiner is also keen in looking for the possible signs of obliteration which is clearly shown when the forensic document analyst uses an infrared illumination.
A forensic document examiner is able to identify the traces of evidence of an altered document by evaluating the various aspects involved when writing. The pen movement could leave signs of alteration because one can compare the continuity of the lines in the handwriting. The examiner also detect alterations by using the constructive method where they could evaluate the writing strokes when writing the letters which may appear long, short, wide or narrow. Ink lines are likewise evaluated together with the letter proportion that appears on the handwriting such as the angles of curvatures in each letter and how the stroke began when writing (Manning, 2011). Forensic document examiners need the aid of other tools like magnifiers, specialized light sources, lenses, cameras, microscopes, UV light and metric measuring devices that will help them evaluate the handwriting in the forged document more accurately.
Reference
Brunelle, R.L. and Crawford, K.R. (2010). Advances in the Forensic Analysis and Dating of Writing Ink. Illinois: Charles Thomas Publishing.
Houck,M.M. and Sigel, J.A. (2010). Fundamentals of Forensic Science. Oxford: Academic Press.
Koppenhaver, K. M. (2002). Attorney’s Guide to Document Examination. USA: Greenwood Publishing.
Manning, G.A. (2011). Financial Investigation and Forensic Accounting. Florida: CRC Press.
