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New Mexico police tapping 3D scanners to archive crime scenes

New Mexico police tapping 3D scanners to archive crime scenes

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Faro 3D crime scene rendering (youtube)
Faro 3D crime scene rendering (youtube)

Police in Roswell, NM are now capturing some crime scenes in 3D to preserve them as evidence. The equipment, made by Faro 3D, costs $86,000 and creates a 3D rendering of an area that can be inspected by investigators long after it's cleaned up or altered. According to detectives who spoke with 3Ders, the scanner is able to pick up details down to "a couple of millimeters," and can be viewed on myriad devices, like cell phones and tablets. The local department spent a week learning how to use the technology, and now plans to use it to archive large car crashes and crime scenes. Those scans will be used not only in investigations, but also as evidence in court.

Save a crime scene to view years later

The Roswell Police Department is not the first to tap 3D for crime scene investigation and archiving. Investigators in Georgia have used similar technology from Leica that also maps out scenes in both 2D and 3D at up to 900 feet.