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| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| How the FBI identified Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks within hours |
| 2024-07-19 |
| Guess facial rec doesn't work for head shots. [Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Experts are sounding the alarm about techniques used to identify the assassin who tried to kill Donald Trump, saying the methods raise grave concerns about privacy. The gunman, 'loner' Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was not carrying an ID, had no criminal record, nearly zero digital footprint and no friends, forcing the FBI to resort to DNA analysis to identity him. As Kevin Rojek, the special agent-in-charge (SAIC) for the FBI's Pittsburgh field office, told reporters just hours after the shooting on Saturday, 'We're trying to run his DNA and get biometric confirmation.' While the FBI declined to answer DailyMail.com's requests for details on how they did this DNA analysis, experts say it has often included scouring consumer genealogy databases like Ancestory.com and 23andMe — which store tens of millions of Americans' biometric data each. And now, newer private DNA database companies have entered the market, firms that cater explicitly to the federal government and law enforcement as their clients. SAIC Rojek added that the Bureau was also 'looking at photographs' to help ID the shooter, part of a multi-agency effort to put a name to the dead would-be assassin. As experts told the DailyMail.com, a state-level facial recognition database held by Pennsylvania's Department of Motor Vehicles, fingerprints held as part routine criminal background checks by Crooks' employers and other government registries — while unnamed by the FBI — likely also played a role. One parallel effort conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) 'completed an urgent trace' that ultimately led to the 'business records from a closed gun dealer,' according to an ATF statement. That effort, a frantic, manual search through the closed gun shop's paper records, helped trace the rifle to the Crooks' father, according to a report by CNN. 'Results were provided to the FBI and Secret Service in less than 30 minutes that helped identify the shooter,' ATF reported a day after the FBI's DNA announcement. Civil liberties advocates, however, noted that the increasing reliance on DNA databases by police not only raises privacy concerns, but the tactics have also led to false identifications and wrongful arrests, court records show. An attorney who overturned one such case told DailyMail.com that these sprawling DNA databases can lead to misidentifications because today's crime scene forensics can recover DNA from extremely small and too often unrelated human debris. |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
| #12 |
| Posted by: Jack+Creanter7508 2024-07-19 21:38 |
| #11 #9 is spot-on. You have no expectation of privacy and the DNA data banks are open for exploitation of familial connections for investigations of known suspects. It will allow the ID of remote family members who might be confederates or accessories of know criminal suspects. |
| Posted by: NoMoreBS 2024-07-19 13:41 |
| #10 A local cop recognized him. |
| Posted by: Grom the Reflective 2024-07-19 13:33 |
| #9 Ancestry and 123 and Me DNA registries are gold mines for investigators - familial DNA links |
| Posted by: Frank G 2024-07-19 12:28 |
| #8 Possible Ways. Fingerprint comparison to abandon van. prints. Vehicle License Tag used for Owner ID discovery. Address of tag used to verify home and parents. Firearm Serial # used to acquire possible ID then from there use to trace/track. |
| Posted by: NN2N1 2024-07-19 12:28 |
| #7 Is it any less likely they were already on a first name basis? Given the present state of things, a possibility that cannot be discounted. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2024-07-19 11:44 |
| #6 Seems like the long way round. Is it any less likely they were already on a first name basis? |
| Posted by: Cesare 2024-07-19 11:37 |
| #5 DNA sample from caller (parents) compared to perp ? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2024-07-19 11:23 |
| #4 I saw a roof pic where an officer is holding the arm up to what looks like a device possible for finger prints and/or dna collection. |
| Posted by: Jefe101 2024-07-19 11:11 |
| #3 The DNA stuff is sexy but dubious. What database would you be checking against? More likely fingerprints, the fact that the parents called in a report earlier, and a vehicle license plate. Facial recognition with the Dept of Motor Vehicles database would depend on having a mostly intact face. Mining ATF records for ammo and gun sales could turn up some leads. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2024-07-19 10:30 |
| #2 Well, once thay've taken your life and have your body, your identity is kinda an afterthought. |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2024-07-19 10:08 |
| #1 As we have been warned. The Fed's don't need a warrant, since Social Media and many Commercial / Internet companies supplement their income by selling user / customer data. All the FED's or anyone (China, Russia, Iran and etc.. ) else needs is $$$$$ to buy the data. Even Politico ran an article back in 02/2024 on this. |
| Posted by: NN2N1 2024-07-19 09:47 |