OFFICIAL INQUIRY FILES and DOCUMENTS
MARTIN GRIME PERSONAL PROFILE

This information belongs to the Ministério Público in Portimão, Portugal.
It was released to the public on 4 August 2008 in accordance with Portuguese Law

2262 to 2268 Martin Grime personal profile ( English)
2813 to 2835 Martin Grime Personal Profile
09-Processo 9..Pages 2262 to 2268  
11 also Processo XI 2813 to 2835
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Personal Profile

I am an U.K.A.C.P.O. accredited police dog training instructor in post at the

Operational Support Services. I am a Subject Matter Expert registered with N.C.P.E.

and specialist homicide canine search advisor. In support of the national Homicide

Search Advisor, Mark Harrison, I advise Domestic and International Law

enforcement agencies on the operational deployment of Police Dogs in the role of

Homicide investigation. I develop methods of detecting forensically recoverable

evidence by the use of dogs and facilitate training.

I am a Special Advisor to The U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of

Investigation, in relation to their Canine Forensic Program.

I am regularly deployed to assist in high profile homicide cases within my portfolio

and form a 'Specialist Canine Homicide Search Team' including the S.A.M dog

teams from Dyfed Powys.

My core role includes the training and operational handling of specialist search dogs

in the fields of Human Victim Recovery and Forensic Crime Scene Investigation.

I have trained and handle two operational specialist search dogs. 'Eddie' is a 7-yearold

English Springer spaniel dog. 'Keela' is a three-year old English Springer spaniel

bitch. I also have a six-month old English Springer spaniel dog, puppy, in training,

'Morse' .

Search Asset Profile

'Eddie' The Enhanced Victim Recovery Dog (E.V.RD.) will search for and locate

human remains and body fluids including blood to very small samples in any

environment or terrain. The initial training of the asset is conducted using pig as the

subject matter for solid hides and human blood for fluid. The use of human remains

for the purpose of training dogs in the U.K. is not acceptable at this point in time. The

dog has however considerable experience in operational recovery of human remains

and evidential forensic material and has trained exclusively using human remains in

the U.S.A. in association with the F.B.I. The enhanced training of the dog involves the

use of collection of 'Dead body scent' odour from corpses using remote technical

equipment which does not contact.

The E.V.R.D. will locate cadaver, whether in the whole or parts thereof; deposited

surface or sub-surface to a depth of approximately 3-4 feet shortly after death to the advanced stages of deposition and putrefaction through to skeletal. This includes

incinerated remains even if large quantities of accelerant have been involved.

The dog will locate human cadaver in water either from the bank side or when

deployed in a boat where a large area may be covered using a gridding system.

The dog has also been trained to identify 'dead body' scent contamination where there

is no physically retrievable evidence, due to scent adhering to pervious material such

as carpet or the upholstery in motor vehicles. Whereas there may be no retrievable

evidence for court purposes this may well assist intelligence gathering in Major Crime

investigations. This may be completed by the dog being deployed directly to the

subject area or by scent samples being taken on sterile gauze pads and the scent check

being completed by scent discrimination exercise at a suitable venue.

The dog will alert to the presence of 'dead body' scent whether it is at source or some distance away from a deposition site. This enables the use of the dog to identify the exhaust of the scent through fissures in bedrock or watercourses.

A geophysical survey of the area will then reduce the size of the search area.

The dog may be used to screen clothing, vehicles or property in a suitable

environment. This is completed in a scent discrimination exercise where controls may be included to increase assurty.

I have developed the training of the E.V.R.D. to include the screening of scent pads

taken from motor vehicles, property or scenes by a ST100 Scent Transference Unit.

The unit is designed in a two-part design. The main body is a battery operated

elect.rica1 device that draws air in at to the front and exhausts through the rear. There is no 're-circulation' of air within the unit. The second part is a 'grilled' hood that fits to the main body. A sterile gauze pad is fitted into the hood. When operated, the ST100 draws air through the hood and the sterile gauze pad and exhausts through

ports to the rear. 'Scent' is trapped in the gauze, which may then be forensically

stored for use within scent discrimination exercises.

The ST 100 unit is cleaned following use in such a manner that no residual scent is

apparent. This is checked by control measures where the dog is allowed to search a

given area where the S 100 is secreted. Any response by the dog would suggest

contamination. Tests have shown that the decontamination procedures are effective in this case with the dog NOT alerting to the device when completed.

Use of the ST 100 is recommended when subject vehicles, property, clothing, premises

are to be forensically protected from contamination by the dog, and for covert

deployment. At a11 other times best practice would be for the dog to be given direct access.

Operational use of the STü100 is in a developmental stage.

'Keela' The Crime Scene Investigation (C.S.I.) dog will search for and locate human

blood to such small proportions that it is unlikely to be recovered by the forensic

science procedures in place at this time due to its size or placement.

She will locate contaminated weapons, screen motor vehicles and items of clothing

and examine crime scenes for minute human blood deposits. She will accurately

locate human blood on items that have been subjected to 'clean up operations' or

having been subjected to severa1 washing machine cycles.

In training she has accurately located minute samples of blood on property up to

thirty-six years old.

In order for the dog to locate the source the blood must have 'dried' in situ. Any

'wetting' once dried will not affect the dog's abilities.

Blood that is subjected to dilution by precipitation or other substantial water source

prior to drying will soak into the ground or other absorbent material. This may dilute

the scent to an unacceptable leve1 for accurate location.

It is possible however that the EVRD will locate the scent source as it would for 'dead body' scent. Forensic testing may not produce evidence but any alert may provide

intelligence to support other factors in the investigation of a crime.

The assets may be deployed upon request of an Senior Investigating Officer (S.I.O.)

following consultation with the appropriate S.M.E.'s and advisors.

The project team makes decisions on suitability for case deployment. Due to the very

nature of the dog's presence, cross contamination and preservation of vital evidence at

crime scenes must be considered prior to any deployment in consultation with the

senior crime scene coordinator.

Both dogs and I are licensed as two separate working teams. We are independently

tested and licensed annually, normally at six monthly intervals as a 'rolling'

programme to ensure best practice is maintained. They are tested to units of

assessment prepared as a stand-alone system as these dogs are the only assets of their

type in the world. Training records are maintained and are available if required.

POINTS TO ASSIST

Whilst it is stated that the E.V.R D. is originally trained using pig the following notes

of guidance should be considered when assessing indications:

P In six years operational deployment in over 200 cases the dog has never

alerted to meat based foodstuffs.

> The dog has never alerted to 'road kill'

P Alerts given by the dog where no obvious human remains are found are

supported by forensic evidence I anecdotal witness accounts.

> The dog, a scavenger, uses its olfactory system to locate food sources, identify

its young and other pack members, enemies and predators over large

distances. It can track its prey identifying a direction of travel. This entails the

dog being able to discriminate the time difference between footsteps using the

sense of smell !

> The dog is an animal that's basic function in the wild is to scavenge food and

procreate.

> In a domestic environment it responds to humans as a food source and bonds

in the manner it would with other pack members.

> The reward of food and protection / close comfort provides the basis for a

system to be adopted where the dog shows a willingness to respond in

response to the reward. We are thereby able to 'train' the dog using

conditioned responses to stimuli. Repetition and reward then ensure

efficiency. Positive and negative reinforcement then shape the required

behaviour in their role.

P Pavlov's theory is used in the case of the E.V.RD. system of alert. He has

been 'conditioned' to give a verbal alert when coming into contact with 'dead

body scent'. The presence of tangible material is not required to produce the

response.

> Although the dog is 'trained' using reward based methods the behaviour

shaping and enforcement regime produces an asset that does not false alert

unlike electronic devices.

> Pseudo scent is a chemically produced product that its manufacturers claim to

resemble 'dead body scent'. Although some trainers have had limited success

when tested on my dogs they showed no interest.

> Operational finds backed by forensic corroboration have shown that the

system adopted by me in the training of the dogs is both effective and

efficient. Acting in my role of advisor to the U.S. Justice Department I have

facilitated assessment of numerous cadaver search dog teams in the United

 

 States. These dogs are exclusively trained using human cadaver sources. When I introduced

pig based products into training assessments 100%! of the animals alerted to the medium.

> The result from scientific experiment and research to date would tend to

support the theory that the scent of human and pig decomposing material is so

similar that we are unable to 'train' the dog to distinguish between the two.

That is not to say that this may not be possible in the future.

> The odour target of cadaver is scientifically explained through 'volatile compounds" that in a certain configuration are received by the dog as a

receptor. Recognition then gives a conditioned response 'ALERT'. Despite considerable research and analytical investigation the compounds cannot be replicated in laboratory processes.

Therefore the 'alert' by dogs without a tangible source cannot be forensically proven at this time.

> 'Dead body scent' cannot be removed by cleaning. The compounds adhere to

surfaces. The scent can be 'masked' by bleach and other strong smelling

odours but the dog's olfactory system is able to separate odour and identify

specific compounds' and mixes to cellular level. A similar system would be a

device similar to an electron microscope.

> In training the dog has accurately alerted to a 1 cm cube of pork soaked in

petrol for 1 week and then burnt until only a residue remains.

>The dog's olfactory system is so highly developed that it continues to be efficient at cellular level:

Distinguish the time difference between footprints to give a direction of travel.

Distinguish live from dead within minutes.

Distinguish human blood from other species where the chemical constituent parts are identical.

Identify the EXACT location of blood so small in size that when forensically recovered will NOT provide

a full DNA strand despite low copy DNA analysis.


> Scientists accept that there is no forensic testing equipment as discriminatory as the dogs olfactory system at this present moment in time.

>All research and training of the dogs within this program is completed in conjunction with a team of scientists for differing fields of expertise.

They have in the past and will continue to endorse the dogs uses

within the field of homicide investigations.

 
Page 2267

APPENDIX.... (To Martin Grime Profile Report)

ATTRACTA HARRON.

A missing person, last seen returning from church, on foot, in N. Ireland.
A missing person search did not reveal her whereabouts.
The search of a suspect's 'totally burnt out vehicle' by forensic scientists did not reveal any evidence.
A 'one minute' search by the EVRD identified a position in the rear passenger footwell where the dog alerted to the presence of human material.
A sample was taken and when analysed revealed the victim's DNA.
The enquiry then concentrated it's efforts on the suspect and the EVRD located the body of the woman in a river bank deposition site.
Further searches identified a location where the EVRD alerted in the front bedroom of the offender's empty next door dwelling house.
When interviewed the suspect admitted that the body had laid in the room for 1 hour prior to disposal. Forensic teams were unable to extract any forensic evidence despite being shown the exact position.

AMANDA EDWARDS

A missing person abducted by her ex-boyfriend.
Intelligence suggested that her ex-boyfriend had taken her to his house.
A search of the house resulted in small blood stains being recovered.
A search of nearby waste land identified a mattress. Checks revealed it came from the house.
The suspect, a builder, was in possession of a van. This was searched and the dog alerted to a 'wacker plate', spirit level, and shovel.
A site was identified where the suspect had been working. The EVRD then located
the body deposition site in an area of a garage base that had been prepared by the suspect. He had returned with the dead girl, dug a grave in the centre, placed the body in the hole, replaced the spoil and then used the shovel, wacker plate and spirit level to return the ground to its original state.
Forensic scientists were unable to confirm using chemical analysis.

Page 2268 CHARLOTTE PINKNEY

Charlotte Pinkney was abducted by an ex-boyfriend and has never been seen since.
An initial search by the EVRD revealed a 'classic' secondary deposition site near to a sighting of the suspect in suspicious circumstances.
The investigative team distrusted the dogs opinion until a full forensic search revealed a small button off of the girls clothing in long grass.
This evidence was put to the suspect who fully admitted the offence.

There are many instances such as this.

The most poignant being :
When 'Keela' was nine months old she was tasked to search an open fishing boat, contaminated by rotting fish flesh and BLOOD.
A missing person was believed to have killed on the boat.
The dog located and alerted to a blood sample that was so small that when LOW
COPY analysed was reported as being PRIMATE and an uncompleted sample.
There are only two scenarios to suit this find. The blood was either human or a gorilla went out in a boat fishing ! !

Should you require further examples or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Mark Harrison

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