LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Little Rock Police Department has a new tool for murder investigations complete with graphics straight out of the latest video game: A laser scanner that can create a three-dimensional rendering of a crime scene.
The Leica Geosystems 3D Laser Scanner was first used in a Dec. 13 homicide investigation on Asher Avenue, and the department is using the equipment as part of an agreement with the producers of the Arts and Entertainment network show Crime 360. Data from the scanner are used to create graphics for the show, which may feature the investigation.
At the end of filming, the department will have the opportunity to buy the equipment at a discount, police said. New from the manufacturer, the equipment would cost between $250,000 and $300,000, said Lt. Terry Hastings, the department spokesman.
Detective Tommy Hudson is the lead investigator on the Asher Avenue homicide into the death of Anthony Fogle, whose body was discovered in a parking lot outside a convenience store and car wash.
"It's a great tool for us," Hudson said. "We've joined the 21st century and have equipment that any major metropolitan police department should have, in my opinion." Before the equipment could be used, however, detectives and crime scene specialists had to be trained.
Crime scene specialist Reagan Zomaya, said the equipment was initially created for surveying, but its manufacturer has found it can be useful in fo- rensic work.
"First, it takes a panoramic photograph of the entire scene," Zomaya said. "Then we use it to scan in all the evidence." The end result of the scan is a three-dimensional capture of the entire scene, complete with evidence markers. Once the information is plotted into the computer, investigators can manipulate the scan to get a helicopter view of the scene, or a view of the scene from any vantage point in the scan.
"That's where it's really helpful for us," Hudson said. "If we have a witness that says they were at a specific location and saw something, we can go back to the scan and check if it was possible to see from that spot." The real advantage of the equipment may be in the courtroom, Hudson said.
"We can give a jury a look inside the crime scene that you can't get from photographs," he said. "We can virtually walk the jury through the crime scene." Crime scene specialists say the scanner doesn't replace anything they already do at crime scenes.
"We still photograph everything and measure everything," said crime scene specialist Nathan Smith. "But we do the scan in addition to everything else." Leica says the scanner uses a laser to collect data – called a point cloud, which is made up of millions of individual measurement points. The firm says that data from the scanner have been accepted as evidence in court.
The scan of the crime scene on Asher Avenue shows a pile of clothes where Fogle was discovered, because he had been taken to the hospital before the scan was taken. A patrol car parked near the body and even the crime scene tape is visible in the scan, made up of thousands of red dots. A ghostly image of police officers is visible and bloodstains appear black in the digital image.
Zomaya said the scanner places digital markers closer together for higher-resolution looks at specific areas. In other areas with no evidence, the digital markers are farther apart. The digital rendering of the scene can be combined with the 360-degree photograph to provide a snapshot of the scene.
The equipment can be used indoors or outdoors, and the 40-pound scanner itself can be used without the tripod.
"We can place it on a table, or on the floor, if that's where the evidence is," Zomaya said.
Hudson said that when he is a lead detective on a homicide, he is often unable to remain at the scene for very long. Often, he said, he is off to the hospital or interviewing witnesses while the crime scene specialists do their work.
"With this equipment, by the time I get back to the office," he said, "I can have a virtual crime scene on my computer and I can do my own walk-through of the area."
