Patricia Siegel Explains the Process of Document Examination

My work, as a certified document examiner, is to determine if documents are authentic.

Each forensic document case presents a puzzle that needs a solution. My responsibility is to apply objective methodology to come to an opinion regarding authenticity and to present the basis of my opinion clearly and accurately.

Most often, this involves handwriting identification regarding the validity of signatures. I compare the known signatures of an individual with the questioned signature to evaluate whether it is genuine, not genuine, or in some cases, disguised. A similar process applies to discovering who executed an anonymous note or other writing.

I also look for alterations, insertions, erasures, or evidence that a genuine signature or text had been mechanically transferred or superimposed onto another document, any of which brings into question the validity of the entire document.

When a signature is challenged, the first step is to acquire sufficient known signatures of an individual to reliably proceed with the examination.

Known signatures are compared with each other to determine overlapping patterns and variations among them. This process allows comparison with the questioned signature and helps confirm that the known signatures presented to me were written by the same person.

Comparing and analyzing known with questioned handwriting involves identifying and contrasting significant similarities and differences in order to come to an opinion. The more individualized or subtle the graphic features, the more significant they are.

There is a diagrammed signature of “Lena” on my Home page for your review. It is an example of how the graphic characteristics of a signature can be measured and demonstrated on an exhibit.

I hope this explanation has been helpful. Please contact me if you have any questions or would like to know more.

(516) 487-5287