Online Editor’s note: This copy is for our archives. Please visit this page to see our web feature.

Editor’s Note: This story is the first of a three-part series about the men and women who serve with the Ames Police, the Department of Public Safety and the Ames Fire Department.

Over the years, technology in the police department has rapidly evolved both in and outside the station.

Dave Konopa has been a detective at the Ames Police Department for 24 years. He is assigned to general investigations and works on any type of case needing follow-up work done.

Konopa also tests plant material suspected to be marijuana and analyzes latent fingerprints in criminal case work.

Many Iowa police departments send plant material suspected to be marijuana to be processed at the Department of Criminal Investigations in Des Moines, which often equals a long wait, Konopa said.

In an attempt to remedy the problem, in 1981, police departments had officers trained in detecting marijuana, which quickened the turnaround time, Konopa said. He and one other officer at the Ames Police Department are trained to test for marijuana.

In addition to testing for their own department, Konopa said they also test plant material for ISU Police, the Story County Sheriff’s Department and various other police departments in Story County.

When plant material suspected to be marijuana is seized, it’s first logged in as evidence. After that, the plant material is sent to Konopa to be weighed, undergo a microscopic examination and processed through chemical tests.

Detecting marijuana

During the microscopic test, the leaves and seeds are of primary interest when examining the plant material, Konopa said.

Marijuana leaves have little hairs at their tops called systolic hairs, which look like tiny bear claws.

The bottoms of the leaves have long, thin hairs called non-glandular hairs. The backs of marijuana leaves contain little veins which branch off all the way through the ends of the serrated edges.

During the chemical tests, the plant material is put into a test tube and covered with chloroform. The material is left to soak, and then a small sample of the material is transferred to another test tube and left to evaporate.

Next, four drops of duqenois rea and four drops of hydrochloric acid are added. The plant material will turn a bluish color and then more chloroform is added.

Throughout the testing process, the plant material is constantly compared to a known marijuana sample.

Konopa said it only takes a small amount of plant material to complete a successful test.

Konopa said he may do 20 to 25 tests in one week. In some cases, if the plant material checks out as marijuana, he may be obliged by law to testify in court and describe the testing process in detail.

Every once in a while, the DCI will conduct a proficiency test on the department. Konopa said he tests more plant material suspected to be marijuana now than he did in the past.

“Alcohol’s the biggest drug here in town,” he said. “But I’d say there’s more marijuana we test now than we used to.”

Getting a grip on fingerprints

“Fingerprints are the most absolute way to identify a person,” Konopa said. “No two people have the same fingerprints.”

Konopa said fingerprints are used as an identification technique because they’re unique and won’t change. Konopa said it’s procedure for officers to search the scene of any crime for physical evidence, such as fingerprints.

“We’ll look for fingerprints at the scene, and if there’s a chance of a print on an object then we’ll bring it back to the department, where we have more resources to analyze,” he said.

Fingerprints aren’t always visible to the naked eye, Konopa said. In many cases, investigators are searching for “latent fingerprints,” which Konopa defined as “a chance reproduction of a fingerprint” and, in most cases are “barely visible.”

Most of one’s fingerprint is 98 or 99 percent water and oils from the skin, Konopa said. He added that the likelihood of a print being preserved and obtained often depends on the condition the print was left in, such as the weather.

Other factors that can wreak havoc on a fingerprint’s seizure can be if gloves were worn during the crime, the surface is wiped clean or if the surface itself isn’t a good surface to leave a fingerprint on, like brick.

Latent fingerprints must first be made visible before they can be used for identification. One technique that is used to develop and enhance a latent fingerprint is called cyanoacrylate fuming, or the “super glue method.”

This process involves placing the object suspected of hosting the latent print into an airtight tank with a small heater. A tray of super glue is then added to the tank, where it evaporates and creates an environment of gaseous cyanoacrylate. As the gas contacts the print, the fingerprint is developed. If a latent print is detected, the glue will adhere to the fingerprint ridges.

“If a fingerprint is there, it will show up and be white,” he said. “Then we photograph it, and if there’s a suspect, we can compare the two and maybe make an identification that way.”

Another method of recovering and preserving a latent fingerprint is by using black fingerprint powder.

“If a latent print is there, the powder will adhere to the fingerprint ridges, he said.

Technology on the go

Members of the patrol division of the Ames Police Department have various high-tech gadgets and systems within the confines of their squad car, which allows officers to work faster and more efficiently.

One of the most technologically advanced and helpful devices the cars are equipped with is a computer with track system software, said Ames Police patrolman Jason Tuttle.

The computer track system — which is also equipped with a keyboard, printer and hand-held scanner, which can be used to take pictures — can process several things such as accident and arrest reports, electronic warning citations, OWI reports and vehicle towing inventory sheets, Tuttle said.

The squad cars have had the computer and track system software for nearly two years.

“It’s been really useful,” he said. “Before, we had to do everything by hand.”

In addition to computers, all squad cars are furnished with a recording camera, which records footage onto a VHS tape, Tuttle said.

The camera system can be turned on manually inside the car and is also activated when the top lights of the car are turned on, he said.

“The camera system is very useful,” Tuttle said. “I use it on all traffic stops I make. It’s a liability for me if someone tries to say that I was derogatory or made statements that weren’t ethical. This way, both their statements and actions and mine are all captured on tape.”

All squad cars are equipped with radios, which are used to converse with dispatchers in the communication center at the police station, Tuttle said. The radio is also used to communicate with various departments within the city, such as ISU Police or the fire departments on the radio.

All squad cars have a siren box, side car spotlights and an opticon system.

The opticon system triggers stop light sensors and automatically turns a stoplight green in the direction the car is traveling. This device is used only used in emergencies.

Of course, no police car is complete without a radar system to detect a vehicle’s driving speed.

Tuttle said patrol officers frequently test the calibration of the radar unit to ensure accuracy.

“Before I start my shift, I always test the radar unit and then I usually test it right after I make a traffic stop for a speeding violation,” he said. “Then I can show the radar was functioning properly when I made the stop.”

Tuttle said the patrol division’s ultimate goal is to acquire mobile data terminals, which would connect their computer system to the computer system at the communications center in the police station. This would allow officers to run driver’s license and vehicle checks from the car, as opposed to calling in for the information.

Another goal for the dispatch center is to be able to communicate via computer, which would allow for the dispatcher’s call to appear on the car’s computer screen, Tuttle said.

This would cut down on radio traffic and open the dispatch line up for more emergency calls.