SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS AS A FORENSIC DOCUMENT EXAMINER

Business Information

Name:     GRANT R. SPERRY
Address:  7859 Cross Pike Dr. Germantown, TN 38138-8117
E-mail address: fdes1951@gmail.com
Phone: (901) 289-9933       
Website:  www.fde-sperry.com

 

Position and Responsibilities

Forensic Document Examiner with over 44 years of continuous training and experience:  Responsibilities include the examination and comparison of known and questioned handwritings, hand printing, and machine produced documents for the purpose of identifying or eliminating an individual or machine as the source of the questioned material. Additional examinations conducted involve altered, obliterated, dated, erased, charred, water soaked, and indented documents.  Experienced in digital image acquisition and processing.  When requested, written reports of findings are prepared and testimony with demonstrative exhibits are provided at judicial or non-judicial proceedings.  Over 40 years of continuous training, education and experience as a forensic document examiner.

Training

a. Completed two year resident training course in the Examination of Questioned Documents at the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory, Ft. Gordon, GA.;  November, 1980. Continuous training and experience (since 1985) in the forensic applications of Digital Image Processing.

b. Completed U.S. Secret Service Questioned Document Course,  Washington, D.C.

c. Completed Federal Bureau of Investigation Fundamentals of  Document Examination Course, Quantico,  VA.

d. Participated in and received training at:

1)   Georgia Bureau of Investigation Laboratory, Atlanta, GA.

2)   Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory, Wash.  D.C.

3)   Royal Canadian Mounted Police Laboratory, Montreal, Canada

4)     International Symposium of Questioned Document Examiners,

Washington, D.C.

5)   Immigration and Naturalization Service Laboratory, Washington, D.C.

6)   Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Laboratory, Washington, D.C.

7)   Bureau of Printing and Engraving, Washington, D.C.

8)   First European Conference of Handwriting Experts, Wiesbaden, Germany.

9)   Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY. (Digital Image Processing)

10)   Mead Paper Knowledge Seminar, Chilicothe, OH.

11)   FBI Digital Image Processing Seminar, Las Vegas, NV

e.  Continuing education received on an annual basis through attendance and participation at numerous conferences, training seminars and workshops of recognized forensic organizations such as the:

1)  American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

2)  American Society of Questioned Document Examiners.

3)  Southeastern Association of Forensic Document Examiners

4)  American Board of Forensic Document Examiners (ABFDE)

5)  American Society of Testing and Materials International (ASTM)

f.      Received and engaged in ongoing research and study in the field of Forensic Document Examination, presenting results at professional meetings and seminars.  Lectured on forensic document examination subject matter throughout North America and Europe at conferences, workshops, and training seminars attended by judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, investigators and civil service personnel.

Publications and Papers:

“Applying Specific Digital Enhancement Techniques to ESDA-Developed Impressions,” Journal of the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners, Vol 4, No. 1, June 2001

“Survey of Handwriting Habit Areas Used by Forensic Document Examiners: Degree of Use and Discriminatory Power,” Journal of the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners, Vol 2, No. 1, January  1999

“Platen Information Revealed: A Technique for Locating Latent Text on Typewriter (or Printer) Platens,” Journal of Forensic Sciences, JFS, Vol. 39, No.1, January 1994

Numerous unpublished papers on Forensic Document Examination subject matter written and presented at professional meetings and seminars.

Experience

• Private Practice as a Forensic Document Examiner since 1993.
• Forensic Document Examiner with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Forensic Lab, Memphis, TN. from 1992 to 2006.
• Forensic Document Examiner with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory System from 1979 to 1992; assignments at Ft.Gordon, GA; Ft. Gillem, GA. and Frankfurt, Germany.

Examined questioned documents in conjunction with thousands of criminal and civil cases submitted by attorneys, corporations, all branches of the U.S. Department of Defense, NATO forces, and numerous other Federal, State, and local  investigative agencies. In excess of one million comparative examinations conducted.

Court Testimony and Quality Assurance

Qualified and testified as an expert witness in the scientific field of Forensic Document Examination and Digital Imaging in excess of 380 occasions in Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force, Federal District courts, International courts, and various state courts and hearings (criminal and civil) throughout the United States.

b.  Laboratory reports accepted frequently in lieu of testimony.

c.  Results of examinations periodically technically reviewed for accuracy. Undertake third party proficiency testing on an annual basis.

Professional Certifications

a.  Certified as a “Questioned Document Examiner” by the U.S.  Department of the Army and Criminal Investigation Command (CID); November 1980.

b.  Certified by examination through the American Board of Forensic Document Examiners (D-ABFDE) and awarded diplomate status as a certified Forensic Document Examiner. Re-certification maintained through continuing education credits.

Professional Associations

a.  American Society of Questioned Document Examiners  (past President)

b.  American Academy of Forensic Sciences (Fellow, Questioned  Documents Section).

c.  Charter member of the Scientific Working Group on Imaging Technologies

d.  Southeastern Association of Forensic Document Examiners  (Member).

e. Director, American Board of Forensic document Examiners (ABFDE)

Related Investigative Experience

a.  Conducted and resolved numerous fraud and economic crime investigations as a Criminal Investigation Agent (CID) and  Military Police Investigator between 1973 and 1979.

b.  Received extensive formal training in economic crime  investigation through Department of Defense funded courses  and seminars.

Formal Education

Bachelor of Science Degree, University of the State of New York (Albany).

Graduate studies through Central Michigan University.