MARANA, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Marana Police Department recently received new 3D laser technology to help in crime scene investigations.
The department has wanted a Trimble X9 3D scanner for several years and finally received it at the end of last year, because of a grant through the Department of Justice.
MPD Crime Scene Specialist, Taylor Pitzer, explained that the scanner can create a 3D rendering of a scene, which helps in accurately documenting it.
“It sends a laser out and using the speed of light, it knows the distance of the item or object that it hits,” Pitzer said. “So it does a bunch of math really quick and then it knows and it sends a bunch of dots out and creates a point cloud and then it takes photos and then it lays the photos over top of the point cloud.”
This helps in mapping out a crime scene.
“We can essentially walk the jury through the crime scene and we are also able, on the back end, to make a 2D diagram that helps show what the crime scene looked like to scale,” Pitzer said.
Pitzer said renderings are accurate within a millimeter. This is work they previously had to do by hand, which wasn’t as precise.
“Showing where a potential weapon or the decedent or anything like that – how far away, apart that is, that’s really important to know, especially if there’s shell casings or other items that are really important to measure that we can get accuracy as well as trajectory,” she explained.
The first investigation it was used in was for the plane crash at the Marana Regional Airport in February.
“We used this (scanner) to scan the entire crash site and then we used the GPS module to plot points. We essentially built the airport in a 3D rendering,” she said.
She said it can also be used during homicide, questionable suicide and officer-involved shooting investigations.
In addition to the scanner, the department also received a GNSS, which helps plot outside scenes. Pitzer describes it as the Trimble X9 3D scanner’s sidekick.
“It is essentially what the surveyors use when you see people on the side of the road plotting points to show exactly where the road is,” she said. “This does exactly that.”
She says they are now one of four southern Arizona law enforcement agencies that have technology like this.
——
Madison Thomas joined KGUN 9 in July of 2023 as a multimedia journalist. She graduated from Arizona State University in May of 2023 with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She has lived in Arizona her entire life and grew up in Douglas. Madison is thrilled to share the stories from the community she grew up in. Share your story ideas and important issues with Madison by emailing madison.thomas@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
