$65,000 scanner is the first of its kind in Kentucky

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KSP unveils 3D crime scene scanner

Kentucky State Police revealed a 3D scanner that could cut crime and crash investigation times in half.

Sgt. Chad Mills of the Kentucky State Police Collision Analysis and Highway Safety Branch talks about the capabilities of the new Leica ScanStation C10 during a press conference at KSP headquarters.Commissioner Rodney Brewer said the $65,000 scanner – purchased with a grant provided by the Violence Against Women Act and asset forfeiture funds – is the first of its kind in Kentucky, and has been used at nine crime scenes, including three from a murder-suicide in Powell County Tuesday night.

The new equipment, displayed at a press conference at KSP's Frankfort headquarters, will also help during accident investigations by allowing roads to open more quickly after wrecks. Brewer said the time and personnel at a road accident could be cut by 40-50 percent.

The scanner – about the size of a small suitcase – sits on a 5.5-foot stand and rotates to take 3D images of a scene. Sgt. Chad Mills, part of the state police crash reconstruction team, said it can take about 50,000 measurement points per second – an operation that used to be done manually.

Mills said he can walk away while the scanner maps the area, and he can control it from an application on his smartphone.

“It’s amazing how far technology has come,” he said during a press conference Wednesday morning at state police headquarters.

The collected images are put into a software program that recreates the crime scene and can be used throughout the investigation and during a jury trial.

“It allows us to take the jury back into the crime scene,” Mills said.

By Kayleigh Zyskowski
The State Journal