4 SAFE & VAULT TECHNOLOGY | September/October 2023 www.savta.org SPOTLIGHT INVESTIGATIVE W hat a great ALOA 2023 convention in Orlando, especially for IAIL! We had six days of superb classes that were well-attended, with excellent instructors and great feedback from students. All three days of CFL credential mandatory classes (Investigative Lock- smithing and Photography for Locksmiths) were on offer as well as two advanced tool mark classes plus How to Prepare to Be a Forensic Investigator. This was an unprec- edented opportunity for investigative students to make real progress on their CFL credential and obtain deep learning on the essentials from experienced instructors who have been actively performing forensic examinations. It was also extremely gratifying to see several younger members interested in IAIL as well, as some who were primarily interested in the Investigative membership, separate from ALOA membership. We are deliberately working to add value that ap- peals to a broader cross-section of membership — both those locksmiths educating themselves on the field of forensic locksmithing in hopes of entering this lucrative and interesting field of endeavour, and those already working as forensic investiga- tors who want to expand their understanding of forensic locksmithing. The secret plan is that we both benefit and learn from each other while interacting and sharing, the true benefit of any healthy association. In addition, we also had the chance at Convention to have an open IAIL Board Meet- ing, combined with an open membership meeting. It was a great opportunity for board members to meet and hear from association members. A lot of good ideas were pre- sented, and updates on our various initiatives were given. More on that next month. Upcoming Events For the month of August, we were not planning a Forensic Friday webinar for con- vention month. However, Dawne Chandler pulled out the stops and was — along with our own ALOA Attorney, Barry Roberts, Esq. — able to help organize a new webinar, How to Act as an Expert Witness. We were fortunate to have Barry Roberts give a one-hour excerpt of his eight-hour class on qualifying as an expert witness, tips and traps, what to expect, what to avoid and a few examples from his past case work on how expert witnesses can get disqualified. Coming up in September, we are working on another great webinar series from our colleagues overseas. This is a father/son team who will present two sessions on forensic tools and setup, organization, and management of case materials and — drumroll please — examples from their extensive collection of photographic “We also had the chance at Convention to have an open IAIL Board Meeting, combined with an open membership meeting.” samples of lock cylinder tool marks for different types of attacks, especially picking and bumping! Stay tuned for more on that as well. Enjoy the vestiges of summer! Clyde T. Roberson, CML, AHC, CPP, CMST, CFMST, AMKS, President, International Asso- ciation of Investigative Locksmiths [email protected] Get Published! IAIL members: Submit your articles for the Investigative Spotlight department. Send your information to Tom Demont at [email protected]. Post-Convention Update
