| 5th Edition of the Wildlife Forensic Field Manual Overview
The Association of Midwest Fish and Game Law Enforcement Officers (AMFGLEO) is excited to produce a new 5th Edition of the Wildlife Forensic Field Manual. This updated 5th Edition of the Wildlife Forensic Field Manual will be a valuable tool in the day-to-day wildlife field enforcement and laboratory activities to protect, preserve, and enhance the wildlife resources in your province, state, or country. The manual consists of 244 pages from contributing authors willing to share their expertise on their respective subjects. The format of the manual is spiral-bound and is 5½ inches wide by 8½ inches tall and designed to lay flat on a surface as well as small enough to pack in the saddlebags on a horse, ATV or snowmobile as well in your vehicle or office.
This new 5th Edition of the manual is completely reorganized into the five recognized subfields of forensic science. The first section in this manual is CRIME SCENE/DEATH INVESTIGATIONS to include topics such as wildlife crime scene management and time-of-death estimation of wildlife. The second section is PHYSICS/PATTERN INTERPRETATION to include topics such as bloodstain pattern analysis, firearms and toolmarks, and footwear and tire impressions. The third section is CHEMISTRY/INSTRUMENTAL ANALYSIS to include topics such as toxicology (poisoning), geological materials and gunshot residue collection. The fourth section and largest section is BIOLOGY/DNA and include information on biological methods and biological data interpretation and reporting. It includes topics such as guidelines for collection and storage of evidence to be used in genetic analysis and sex and species determinations in birds. The fifth section is DIGITAL/MULTIMEDIA to include a new topic on digital evidence. There is an expanded and updated appendix on the common and scientific names of the 157 species of wildlife mentioned in the manual.
The 5th Edition of the manual has new updated replacement material for the topic on Guidelines for Collection and Storage of Genetic Analysis Evidence; and a new updated topic on Wildlife Attack on Human Investigation. There is new topics on Use of Drones for Crime Scenes; Forensic Soil Collection; Gunshot Residue Collection; Identifying Bald versus Golden Eagle Bones; and Digital Evidence Collection. All of the other topics were reviewed and several edits and minor updates were done to update the information contained in the 4th Edition to this current 5th Edition of the manual.
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Overview-2023 Edition of the Time of Death in Selected Wildlife Species (TOD) Manual
The TOD manual is a companion manual to the Wildlife Forensics Field Manual. The 2023 edition contains many edits and corrections from the previous 2012 edition and slight
reorganization for better flow of materials. The TOD manual is a 164-page spiral bound manual in 8½" X 11" format and covers the following species: deer, waterfowl, pheasant, cottontail rabbits,
black bear, otter, raccoon, moose and elk. Various techniques are used to determine TOD such as temperature, electrical stimulus, rigor mortis, physical changes in the eye, chemical changes in the
vitreous humor of the eye, and forensic entomology in various species.
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Bob Thompson
AMFGLEO Executive Secretary
amfgleo@gmail.com |
