How forensic scientists fight crime by analyzing handwriting

Analyzing handwriting to help solve crimes. It's not just something you see in the movies. It's real. And tonight, Washington's Most Wanted, Pella Lewis, gives us a rare look at how forensic scientists do it and why our imprints are so unique. It can be, um, writing on a wall, writing on an object. So, a variety of things. Brett Bishop is one of only three forensic scientists in the state specializing in document examinations and handwriting. We're looking at things like, uh, proportions in the writing, style, letter formations, uh, spacing, slant, uh, connections between letters, um, stroke direction, clockwise, counterclockwise. The process to do his job takes years of specialized training before they're handed documents, forged checks, or even ransom notes for analysis. And if you think you can throw him off by writing with your opposite hand, he says, "No way." Generally speaking, that master pattern still exists. Whether they're writing with, uh, the pen in their mouth, between their toes, left hand, right hand, it's still coming from that same mental copybook image. Brett demonstrated a technique used to recover writing from something other than the original source or just write anything. I quickly jotted down the first thing that came to my mind. It's a ransom note. Then I was asked to do it again. So now on this piece of paper, just write anything. And with that, he goes to work. Turn this on. Try and get the wrinkles out as much as possible so they don't interfere with the image. This part of the process is pretty fast. Place this on top. So now I'm going to turn on toner. And toner is going to be dispersed in this hood and you'll see it collect in the areas where your writing was. And within minutes, my text from underneath the paper appears. And that's it. He uses this technique for several things, including fraud. Here's an example of a document changed to add an extra zero. So, this is what it looks like to the naked eye. And then this is under the VSC. Annie also trains election officials to verify signatures. Some things that are significant or what to evaluate in signatures, what kind of handwriting characteristics to look at, kind of this curved, um, downstroke. He fights crime one word at a time and brings those to justice who could otherwise be written off. I think it's very important, um, from, you know, those threat letters, harassing letters, bank robbery notes to even, for example, these financial crimes. Um, for justice to be brought forward in some of these instances where something as simple as, you know, taking money from somebody else, it's still wrong and there's still a penalty to be paid for that. Pella Lewis, Washington's Most Wanted.

wall, writing on an object. So, a variety of things. Brett Bishop is one of only three forensic scientists in the state specializing in document examinations and handwriting. We're looking at things like uh proportions in the writing, style, letter formations,

uh spacing, slant, uh connections between letters, um stroke direction, clockwise, counterclockwise. The process to do his job takes years of specialized training before they're handed documents, forge checks, or even ransom notes for analysis. And if you think you can throw him off by writing

with your opposite hand, he says, "No way." Generally speaking, that master pattern still exists. Whether they're writing with uh the pen in their mouth, between their toes, left hand, right hand, it's still coming from that same mental copy book image. Brett

demonstrated a technique used to recover writing from something other than the original source or just write anything.

I quickly jotted down the first thing that came to my mind. It's a ransom note. Then I was asked to do it again.

So now on this this piece of paper just write anything. And with that, he goes to work. Turn this on. Try and get the wrinkles out as much as possible so they don't interfere with the image. This part of the process is pretty fast.

Place this on top. So now I'm going to turn on toner. And toner is going to be dispersed in this hood and you'll see it collect in the areas where your writing was. And within minutes, my text from

underneath the paper appears. And that's it. He uses this technique for several things, including fraud. Here's an example of a document changed to add an extra zero. So, this is what it looks like to the naked eye. And then this is

under the VSC. Annie also trains election officials to verify signatures. some things that are significant or what to evaluate in signatures, what kind of handwriting characteristics to look at, kind of this curved um downstroke. He fights crime one word at a time and

brings those to justice who could otherwise be written off. I think it's very important um from you know those threat letters, harassing letters, bank robbery notes to even for example these financial crimes. Um for justice to be brought forward in some of these

instances where something as simple as you know taking money from somebody else, it's still wrong and there's still a penalty to be paid for that. Pella Lewis, Washington's most wanted.