2021 Symposium Schedule

Video Investigation Units – How the Media is Leveraging Open Source Intelligence to Conduct Forensic Video Examinations

12 PM EST

Grant Fredericks, Certified Forensic Video Analyst

Examining many of the highest profile cases that have formed the current rhetoric about police Use of Force, this session will explore how effectively the news media collects video evidence, analyzes it, and turns it around for public consumption. Without constraints for accuracy and accountability, many broadcasters deliver their own powerful spin on the visual evidence, often determining the public mood and consolidating opinion against police. Participants will discover how some media outlets have developed their own forensic video teams with specialized capabilities, ensuring their subscribers often get the visual information even before investigators are aware of its existence. The visual investigation of the attack on the US Capital will be highlighted by exploring many of the Open Source online portals that delivered a treasure trove of evidence to federal investigators.

Civilian Oversight: The Influence of Video on Public Perception

2 PM EST

Lisa Judge, Inspector General, Seattle
Josh Guthrie, Partner at Force Analysis and Multimedia Review

More and more cities around the world are creating Civilian Oversight boards or expanding the funding to existing groups. Video evidence plays an increasingly important role, and cases that include video evidence have higher closure rates. Although video evidence is believed by many to be the silent witness, this is not the case. This session will explore the role video evidence plays in civilian oversight, common pitfalls to avoid, and how video evidence can help civilian oversight boards work with police to determine the facts and produce positive outcomes for the community.

Video Examination and Admissibility in the Courtroom – Are you an Expert?

12 PM EST

Eric Daigle, Principal at Daigle Law Group, LLC

This session will focus on the good, the bad, and the ugly related to legal issues and video admissibility in Court. We will review how the judicial system is using and relying on video to assist in determining the truth. What are the challenges, the pitfalls, and guidance on how to protect your credibility?

Fusion of 3D Technologies and Imagery

2 PM EST

Eugene Liscio, 3D Forensic Analyst

With imagery available from body worn cameras, mobile phones, and security cameras, the role of 3D technologies in forensic investigations continues to evolve with many different types of equipment, software and techniques. The laser scanner has become a workhorse when it comes to documenting crime and crash scene events, while photogrammetry has become commonplace for close-range and aerial applications using drones. The beauty of utilizing 3D technologies are that they fuse well with video and digital still images. Techniques such as reverse projection and camera matching can all be used for calculating vehicle speeds, position, pose, suspect height, bullet trajectories, and other applications where it is not possible to put evidence back in place. This session will provide an overview of the laser scanner, photogrammetry, and different types of applications that can be fused with various sources of digital images.

Advancements in Technology for Calculating Speeds

12 PM EST

Michael Jorgensen, Accident Reconstruction Specialist and Forensic Expert
James Kennedy, Director of Forensic Video/Multimedia Services
Andrew Fredericks, Technical Director at iNPUT-ACE

From Expert to Expert Witness – A Defense Attorney’s Perspective

2 PM EST

Solomon Friedman, Criminal Lawyer and Partner at Friedman Mansour LLP

Criminal defense lawyer Solomon Friedman will discuss the finer points of serving as an expert witness in the field of forensic video analysis.

He will provide tips and best practices from the defense perspective, including: maintaining your independence and avoiding claims of bias, courtroom setup and procedure, side-stepping common pitfalls, educating the less tech-savvy counsel and judges, advice for jury trials and more.

Solomon will draw on his experience having litigated cases where forensic video analysis was central, including the effective cross-examination of prosecution video experts and challenges for bias and partiality.

Defending Against Recent Challenges to Video Evidence

12 PM EST

Andrew Fredericks, Technical Director at iNPUT-ACE

Certified Forensic Video Analyst Andrew Fredericks testified for 4 straight days during a homicide trial in 2019 after the defense counsel filed a last-minute 35 page motion to exclude his evidence. The motion followed a “template” based on a previous ruling and sought to discredit his video evidence – and the field of video analysis as a whole. In this session, Fredericks will break down the strategies that were used by the defense in their attack. The format is designed to guide attendees through the lines of questioning used by the defense, unmask their hidden agenda, and highlight the logic of the judge’s ruling based on Fredericks’ responses to those questions. Attendees will also be provided a PDF copy of the judge’s positive ruling, which may assist anyone who encounters a similar motion to exclude in the future.

Fast Forward: Emerging Trends in Video Evidence 

2 PM EST

Panel of Experts

The data is clear – video evidence is playing an increasingly important role in investigations. In this session, we’ll bring together a panel of experts to discuss the latest trends. We will look at several key data points and then discuss what the implications are for investigators around the world. 

Hands-On Workshop (Optional Add-On)

12 PM EST

Brandon Wahl

 In addition to the Symposium sessions, we are excited to announce our new hands-on workshop!

This workshop will be 4-hours long and is only available to Symposium attendees. It will be a great opportunity to get some hands-on experience working with actual case footage. Thanks to our innovative online learning platform, participants will receive virtual access to an iNPUT-ACE machine (no software license required) and apply course concepts to real world examples that reflect current challenges.

This optional add-on experience will have a limited class size, with available time slots both the week before and the week after the Symposium. You will need to register for both the Symposium and the Workshop to participate.

Available time slots include: