PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia investigators are using a new virtual reality tool to help them better visualize and investigate homicide scenes.
When Philly crime scene officers are called to a homicide, they can now use the FARO Focus laser scanner, which looks like a large camera on a tripod, to conduct a 360-degree sweep of the scene, taking in every detail with up to 2 millimeters of precision.
“It can capture up to 1,000 feet of data in each direction,” said Officer Christine Hilbert, training coordinator with the Crime Scene Unit. “You can look at any aspect of the scene in real visual reality.”
Three laser beams record all the information while simultaneously taking full-color photographs.
Investigators had been using an older type of scanner that required several pieces of equipment to set up and take apart. This new one is more streamlined.
Officers will still conduct their usual investigative methods, like photographing each detail and placing yellow markers on ballistics and other evidence. The new tech just gives investigators, prosecutors and defense attorneys a better idea of the entire picture.
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“We can go back and return and review the virtual scene any time we need to, over and over again,” said Hilbert, “and we can evaluate the evidence within the scan.”
For now, the scanner will be used for both indoor and outdoor homicide scenes, with the hope of expanding to other incidents, like shooting investigations or burglaries.