@ UK cop developed EFIT system B Anna Marie D'Angelo News Reporter adangelo@nsnews.com YOU could call it art class, police style. Last. week, an international expert in computer composite depictions was holding training sessions at the North Vancouver RCMP detachment. Peter Bennett is now with a private company, but worked 174 years in criminal intelligence at New Scotland Yard, headquarters ‘for the London Metropolitan Police. Bennett was a police officer for 31 years. A brush with cancer during his career caused him to be caken off active police work in 1981 and placed in a desk job at New Scotland Yard. Bennett worked in a section dealing in “photo fits” where bits of photos were placed into slots to form a composite face of criminal based on a witness’ information. “Quite simply, F couidn’r do the job using photo fit. I just couldn’t give the s what they wanted,” said Benn a recent interview in a forensic identification section o} ‘North Vancouver detachment. Bennett started “agitating” for better equipment and training. Bennett convinced his superiors at the Home Office (British internal affairs involving justice and police issues) to re-exami A the concept of FFIT or Electronic Facial Identification ‘ Technique. In the late 1970s, the Home Office had looked at the EFIT concept that involved using a variety of facial features to produce computer generated depictions. Bennett said that nvo universities in England had been working on EFIT, but the mainframe com- puter cost was too high for practical use by police. By the mid-1980s, personal computers were on the scene and EFIT computer programs were affordable. Bennett said that the first EFITs were produced with 286 DOS-based computers. Bennett lobbied for a paintability feature to EFITs to fine-tune the image. “I'd done some research that showed with artistic enhance- ment, you could actually get much closer to the person you were looking for,” said Bennett. > Like everything in the computer world, EFITs have come a long way. These days EFITs run on any Windows operating plat- form linked with a powerful paint program. > Last week, police from Kentucky, Washington 1D.C., Peel Regional (Toronto area), Vancouver, Surre In Great Britain, a police weeks of intensive training. Bennett, 38, is currently managing director of Aspley Identitving Solutions * based in Hatiield, England near London. Bennett emphasi most EFFT program rs do take some ar ¥, Coquitlam, North Vancouver and New Westminster took part or observed Bennett's EFIT training sessions. (us officer can become a qualified EFIT operator after nwo EFIT (top) led to identity and conviction of this NV gas station robber. NEWS photo Mike Wakelleid PETER Bennett is an internationa! expert in computer composite criminal faces. He worked in criminal intelligence at New Scotland Yard, UK, for 17% years. pictures or photo lineups. that you don’t have to be an artist co do quality EFFTS. But s along the way. a Knots are a forensic science Anna Marie D‘Angelo News Reporter adangelo@nsnews.com NORTH Vancouver RCMP Cpl. John Van Tassel is Gften tied up in cases. “Van Tassel is the Canadian expert in knots used in crime. He is also'a member of the North Vancouver RCMP"s forensic identifi- cation section. A 29-year veteran of the RCMP, he has been work- ing in forensic knot analysis tor 10 years. He got into the area by accident. . '. Van Tassel admits to being a “bit of a practitioner in knot wing.” His hobby gor che attention of his superiors. Van Tassel was called in the carly 1980s to assist in a Calgary crime investiga- tion involving ligatures. He was no expert then and couldn’t find anyone locally who was. “Van Tassel began to research and study knotted ligatures and crime, With the support of Ottawa RCMP and RCMP headquar- ters in B.C. and his North Vancouver Mountic supervisors, Van “Tassel became an expert in forensic knot analy ©The one thing you can say positively is that knor identification cannot individualize,” said Van Tass He is extremely busy worki bout 20 cases involving lig- ies as Well as his other forensic identification work in North Vancouver. I timates he | involving ligature “report, Var Lasse! has opinion abour the sigs “ex tod, comprehen: en reguited to testify ia court ep his cance of Knots ane ligatures, reiating te me from Canada and the United s. The ligature cases have pert referral list. He is currently where he is on the FBI’s consulting on a case in Holland. Van Tassel was asked to assist in the Jon-Benet Ramsay investi- gation in Colorado in which the brutally murdered child had been bound. No charges have been laid in that case. “More often than not, most knots found in crimes are a com- pilation of very simple knots,” said Van Tassel. He said suspects don't usually think about tying a knot to cry to fool police when tying to restrain someone during a violent crime. “When they are tying, they are tying under duress.” People tend to tie knots by habit, based on what they know, whar they have practised or what they’ve been taught. Van Tas fies people to tie their shoelaces in a different way after they have tied them the same way for years. A knot can reveai: M the tver’s skill at knot tving; . @ whether a bound. dead person could or could nor have tied the knots himself; B the amount of time and activity required to tic the knot (useful in showing if'a murder victim was ticd quickly or struguled while lot of people are “cross twers.” that for cxample, that they have both sailing and mountain climbing skills. Knots dan’t reve: wor the handedness ofa person. The majority of cases Van ! Gnvestigates tor knor analysis Ste Kuats pate V2 Bennett said the officer creating the EFFT images ide: view techniques, a system developed ata United States university. “Tt is simple enough for complete beginners, that is complete non computer }and non artists to get somewhere,” said Bennett. EFITs are done before a victim or complainant has gone through police mug, uses cognitive later ° EFIT of a pet food store armed robber led to a See Composite page 12 charge and conviction. photo courtesy North Vancouver RCMP NORTH Vancouver RCMP Cpl. John Van Tassel is the — Canadian expert on knots found at crime scenes.‘