Monday, September 29, 2008

The science behind identifying postal crimes

Recently, my family and I visited the National Postal Museum on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. One exhibit, Postal Inspectors: The Silent Service caught my attention from a science perspective. This federal law enforcement agency monitors the U.S. mail for postal crimes: mail fraud, sending toxins by post, identity theft, mail bombs.

Members of the United States Postal Inspection Service have solved cases by analyzing handwriting, studying fingerprints, conducting chemical analyses, and using good old fashioned detective work. The Forensic Laboratory Services of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service include a Questioned Documents Unit, Fingerprint Unit, Physical Sciences Unit, and Digital Evidence Unit.

Would you like to be a Postal Inspector? Can You Solve the Case?

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