What Can We Do?
HANDWRITING IDENTIFICATION
Handwriting identification is a comparison of questioned writing with
known writing for the purpose of identifying the author. Identification
of handwriting is based upon the fact that no two people have ever been
proven to have the same handwriting. Thus, handwriting is as
identifiable as fingerprints.
DATE OF CREATION
Occasionally, it becomes important to know when a document was created,
or if the date on the document is accurate. Document examination can
often answer these questions.
PHYSICAL MATCH
Torn documents can be examined for matching edges. If the edges of two
torn documents match exactly, we can say that they were once part of the
same document.
ALTERED DOCUMENTS
A document can be altered in two basic ways. Something can be added,
like a clause at the end of a contract. Or something can be deleted or
obliterated, like the amount of medication prescribed to a patient. Of
course, these alterations can be combined, as in the case of a word
being erased and replaced with a different word. Quite often, document
examination can determine not only that an alteration has taken place,
but what the document originally said.
