I contacted this organization a few years ago.
They were kind enough to send me their manual. The manual is marginally useful, but is overly general. A large portion of this manual has to do with automobile theft and arson investigations--because so many vehicles are stolen and then torched, either as owner fraud, or because they were used in crimes. This necessarily requires a determination whether a key was used, force was applied (normally clearly visible), or some surreptious means was used.
The manual has some investigative forms to help conduct burglary investigations and ways to document entry/exit. It also covers basic criminal investigation--which seems to be a copy of the FBI's Forensic Laboratory Handbook (available at
www.fbi.gov). There is also a section on legal procedure, and proper evidence photography--both seem overly detailed.
There is one section which covers lock evidence--including examination of pins and cylinders under a microscope. However there was little information about how to write reports of findings, preserving the lock evidence, presentation of evidence in court, etc. What is missing is a good protocol for handling evidence and keeping a detailed chain of custody.
IMHO, the organization should have included a copy of the ASTM Standards and Practices for Evidence and Proper Collection--which are good guidelines for preserving evidence in civil cases.
The organization seems to make the assumption that a locksmith with enough training, can testify as an forensic expert. I disagree. If such a determination is required in a criminal case, it would be performed by a law enforcement laboratory. I think that people interested in this field would be better off with an organization like AFTE (Assoc of Toolmark and Firearms Examiners). In fact, AFTE and the Journal of Forensic Sciences have published articles on the subject--which are peer-reviewed by other scientists.
And "No"--I cannot share this manual with anyone else. It is copyrighted and contains someone's work product.
