Queensland Police’s forensic division will soon be able to reconstruct crime scenes in 3D using the native LiDAR scanners embedded in iPad Pro.
The force’s Forensic Services Group (FSG) recently deployed 497 11-inch iPad Pros.
A LiDAR scanner was introduced to the devices in early 2020, mainly to aid augmented reality use cases.
The devices are able to track and capture forensic responses at everything from break-and-enters to “more complex and protracted” murder crime scenes.
Speaking to iTnews, FSG Superintendent Commander Philippa Kemp said the devices were already streamlining crime investigation time and resourcing through the use of basic crime scene photography and note dictation.
In addition, she said that the LiDAR scanner “is new technology for forensic staff.”
“We expect the use will extend to simple and complex forensic crime scenes, providing forensic staff with the ability to reconstruct the 3D geometry of a scene.
“LiDAR scanning will value add to our forensic response and ultimately provide investigating with a better understanding of crime scenes and suspect identification.”
Led by Queensland Police’s Mobile Capability Centre, the iPad rollout replaced the FSG’s 15-year-old ruggedised Panasonic Toughbooks.
According to Kemp, the Toughbooks were good for notetaking, but offered limited forensic crime scene functionality, besides the ability for staff to enter and edit crime scene notes.
“Compared to Apple devices, Toughbooks were cumbersome, weighty and less easily manoeuvred in challenging crime scenes,” she said.
“They were also limited to vehicle allocations only and not personal issue.”
Queensland Police has been using iPads for over a decade but received a significant boost of 5000 extra devices in 2020 from the Labor government’s election pledge.
The iPads – known as QLiTE devices – allow officers to send and receive information and access core systems.
The forensics group first piloted the iPad Pros over three months in 2022.
Having completed the deployment means FSG now aligns with all remaining Queensland Police frontline staff who have access to Apple devices and its “approved applications and device camera[s]”.
David Johnson, Commander of mobile capability centre, said the force had made “huge strides” with the iPad Pros, but added that “there are still opportunities to bridge the gap between the QLiTE system and full Windows-based access to core systems like QPRIME [Queensland Police’s records and information management exchange].”
“The iPad Pro has already proven invaluable in remote and challenging environments, and we’re eager to explore further enhancements to forensic workflows,” he added.