The Incriminator forensic laser system from Coherent has been featured in the long-running NBC television crime drama, Law and Order
This unique laser-based tool was scripted into mid-2004 season shows.
The laser was chosen for use in Law and Order by Ron Stone, property master at Wolf Films, in association with Universal Network Television.
According to Stone, "One of the keys to the continued success of Law and Order is its emphasis on authenticity; we show how crimes are solved and prosecuted at the nuts and bolts level.
"Our use of this laser tool enables us to realistically show forensic work, while entertaining the viewer with a taste of laser-age technology.
The Incriminator utilises the 532nm output from a frequency doubled Nd:YV04 laser to reveal fingerprints that have been glue-fumed and highlighted with rhodamine 6G.
This is also an optimum wavelength for exciting ninhydrin - another fluorescent material commonly used to find and image fingerprints on porous surfaces that are not compatible with glue fuming.
The Incriminator is based on Coherent's award-winning, all solid state Verdi laser.
Light is delivered to a trigger-grip handpiece through an armored fiber-optic enclosed within a waterproof umbilical connector.
This umbilical also incorporates a link between the handpiece and the laser, allowing a safety shutter inside the laser to be controlled by the handpiece trigger.
The Incriminator can be used in a conventional forensic laboratory or easily incorporated into a mobile crime lab, thanks to its low power consumption and self-contained cooling system.
Its high output power and 532nm output provide a significant advantage for finding faint prints.
A number of crime labs currently employ the Incriminator, including numerous police departments as well as federal law-enforcement groups such as ATF (US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms).
