The Forensic Document Examination section (or Questioned Documents section) examines evidence in order to determine the origin, authenticity or authorship of documents in a variety of crimes including, but not limited to: forgery, fraud, homicide/suicide, threatening correspondence, tampering with government documents and counterfeiting.
The Forensic Document Examination section conducts several types of analyses in these cases including: handwriting identification, paper batch match and reconstruction, envelope batch matching, examination/preservation of charred and saturated documents, latent writing impression restoration, image enhancement, identification of conventional and digital print processes, document authentication, spectral ink comparison, examination of carbon ribbon evidence (typewriters), and other miscellaneous document examinations.
Where necessary, questioned items submitted must be accompanied by known standards for comparison.
The laboratory offers this service in the Austin Laboratory for the entire State of Texas. For information regarding the collection, handling and submission of forensic documents, please refer to the Laboratory Customer Handbook (PDF) or contact our examiners at DPSForensicDocs@dps.texas.gov.