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The Institute for Linguistic Evidence (ILE) announced today that proficiency certifications in linguistic evidence are being offered to law enforcement, investigators, questioned document examiners and linguistic researchers. The web-based training will teach users how to access and use ALIAS, the Automated Linguistic Identification and Assessment System, which contains modules for handling many different types of language evidence which can play important roles in criminal, civil, security and terrorist investigations. ALIAS modules include threat assessment, suicide note assessment, linguistic profiling, witness collusion analysis, document similarity scoring, and authorship identification. After successfully completing the training, certified users will be able to leverage court-worthy linguistic technology in real time from their computer desktops. Linguistic evidence based on ALIAS has already been admitted into Federal and State Courts throughout the United States.
Developed by a leader in forensic linguistics research, Carole E. Chaski, Ph.D, ALIAS produces admissible linguistic evidence through the combination of automatic linguistic pattern recognition and statistical analysis. Like other successful biometric processes, ALIAS is built on key features resulting from years of validation testing. ALIAS modules are scientifically reliable and meet the criteria for admissible evidence. Now, with the web-accessible version of ALIAS, a virtual linguistic evidence laboratory is available to police departments, crime laboratories, independent forensic laboratories, security professionals, and government agencies who handle documentary evidence. Certain modules are especially useful for handwriting identification, while others answer investigative questions such as who wrote it? Is this a real suicide note? Is this a real threat letters? What is the age range and/or gender of this document’s author?
“We are acutely aware that validated and court admissible linguistic methods, efficiency and cost containment are the priority now more than ever before”, said Dr. Carole Chaski, executive director of the Institute for Linguistic Evidence. “By developing ALIAS modules in an on-demand, web-based processing venue, the user has no software to download, install, or maintain. The user interacts with ALIAS as software as a service (SaaS). By going this route, we can now support necessary training and certifications so that law enforcement, investigators and other forensic scientists can access our ALIAS lab solutions. Our goal is to provide the legal and investigative communities with increased effectiveness and reliability in a time- and cost-saving model as they review potentially threatening communications, crime scene evidence, or civil and criminal case issues."
Sponsored by the Institute for Linguistic Evidence, members of TALE: The Association for Linguistic Evidence, the courses and certifications are currently offered monthly, free of charge, beginning November 15, 2009. Advance registration is required and is on a first come, first served basis. For more information and a registration package please visit the training section of the Institute for Linguistic Evidence on the web at http://www.linguisticevidence.org/
