Forensic document examiner is a profession that requires patience and an eye for detail – two traits that Tracy Newling possesses and which led her to train in the field.
Newling is one of the few document examiners in TT, and wants to make the service more accessible to people. She said many people are not aware that these services were available locally.
Growing up in Woodbrook, Newling said she had always been interested in the sciences and became interested in forensics through what she called the CSI effect, where the surge in crime shows such as CSI: Miami, NCIS, Criminal Minds and others piqued her interest.
“I was trying to figure out what field I wanted to go into. I knew I didn’t want to go into medicine because I’m too squeamish for that. I considered doing radiography, X-rays and stuff like that, but when I started getting into forensics I realised there were so many different fields, and I saw I could get exposed to the different options and specialise later.”
After graduating from the Professional Institute of Marketing and Business Studies Ltd in Barataria, she went to Keele University in the UK in 2011.
“We were exposed to DNA analysis, toxicology, I even had an opportunity to do forensic anthropology, which is where you work with bones and skeletal remains, we did crime scene investigation, and a wide range of stuff.
“The document analysis part of it always fascinated me because of how different it was to the other disciplines. It’s very subjective, whereas in other areas the machine does the majority of the work and produces a result, so it’s more objective.”
She said at the time she was looking to do post-graduate studies, the government was offering scholarships in the area of forensic pathology and forensic document examination. She was able to access the latter, studying at the University of Central Lancashire, UK, in 2016.
Newling said unlike many other forensic professions which use machines and diagnostic tests, in her area the examiner is the one analysing the document.
[caption id="attachment_1070708" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Tracy Newling’s job entails using magnifying glasses to examine the inks used, the nuances in handwriting, and the inks used in printing to determine whether documents are authentic. PHOTOS BY Faith Ayoung[/caption]
“For example, with forensic chemistry and biology, you prepare a sample, you put it through a machine, and it prepares a graph or a spectra. In document analysis, we sit down, we watch the document, we might use microscopes and magnifying glasses to enhance what we’re seeing on the paper, and we’re drawing and making notes. So we are the machine.”
Her job entails using magnifying glasses to examine the inks used, the nuances in handwriting, and the inks used in printing to determine whether documents are authentic.
“If you’re looking at questionable signatures, you can use a filter to turn one red and one green. Because the combination turns black when you place them on top of each other, you know it was traced.
“We can’
