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Bevel Gardner & Associates forensic consulting and education providing instruction across the country and around the world. Located in Oklahoma, we are the largest independent forensic consulting company in the US. Follow our blog.

IABPA 2016 Conference in Review

The International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts held its annual conference in Salt Lake City, Utah October 4-7th. There were approximately 100 attendees from across the U.S. and around the world. Ross Gardner and Tom “Grif” Griffin of Bevel, Gardner and Associates conducted two four-hour workshops about the examination and analysis of bloodstains on fabrics, including clothing. Each workshop averaged 26 participants.  

During the workshop, participants were able to:

  • examine fabrics with respect to impact and directional angles
  • explore the use of various methods for visualization of blood especially on dark fabrics
  • employ the use of the BGA decision tree for classification of bloodstain patterns on fabrics
  • use magnification as a means of possibly determining contact versus spatter stains.

The last hour of the workshop allowed participants to put what they learned into practice. Each team examined a different set of clothing, all sets created under identical circumstances, to decide if the analysis supported or refuted a suspect's statement.

This workshop is a small portion of the BGA course dealing with BPA on fabrics. More information on full BGA courses can be found here.