SOFTWARE TRACKS CLUES FROM CRIME SCENES

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A fan blows inside the evidence vault at the Department of Forensic
Science, aerating the undeniable smell of marijuana that lingers in the air.

There are endless possibilities as to what else is inside the vault in the
Virginia BioTechnology Research Park. The large room contains virtually
every piece of evidence collected from crimes in the central part of the
state: shotguns, broken windowpanes, auto parts, upholstery, grocery bags
and buckets full of pot.

In laboratories upstairs, forensic scientists scrutinize narcotics, run
blood tests from drunken-driving cases and analyze DNA evidence from
possible rapes.

Technicians can fire rifles and handguns in the department's shooting range
to determine bullet trajectories and the type of weapon used.

So how does this central office, not to mention the three other forensic
divisions in the state, keep track of all the evidence that passes through
the vaults and laboratories? A Midlothian company has developed the
computer software that tracks all of the evidence -- the blood, guns, drugs
and so on -- that is handled by technicians inside the department.

The Computer Solution Co. Inc., or simply TCSC, has developed a program
called Forensic Advantage -- Case & Evidence.

"For all intents and purposes, that product, from the time a law
enforcement office brings their evidence for analysis [to the end of the
chain of testing], it tracks that whole process," said David P. Romig II,
president and co-founder with his father of the 24-year-old company.

The state's four forensic laboratories Norfolk, Roanoke, Fairfax and the
central lab off North Fifth Street in Richmond -- all use Forensic
Advantage to enter and track evidence from local, state and federal law
enforcement agencies.

Forensic labs in Colorado and Michigan also have signed contracts with TCSC
and plan to have the system running sometime in the next year.

Not bad for a company that started out making customized accounting systems.

The firm was founded in 1981, the same year that IBM Corp. introduced the
first personal computer.

TCSC found its original niche in Unix-based accounting software, but
branched off to develop computer network infrastructures for companies. The
company watched closely throughout the 1980s and early 1990s as Microsoft
Corp. became a major player in the increasingly affordable PC market.

TCSC, which now has 35 employees, decided to shift its focus, developing
applications and add-ons to Microsoft's programs, mainly its Exchange
Server e-mail messaging software and other technologies.

The journey into forensics began in the late 1990s, when the company
developed a database that tracked and stored Breathalyzer records from all
over the state.

After success with that program, TCSC rewrote the application for the
state's DNA databank, which stores information on Virginia's convicted
felons. Law enforcement agencies across the country can compare their
information to that in the FBI's database, allowing "hits" that link crimes
to one another and to offenders.

In forensics, evidence must be tracked through a chain of custody, which
includes information on who touches each piece and the tests that were run
on them, if any.

A proper chain of custody ensures the evidence has been maintained with
integrity and is defensible if used in court.

Since the early 1990s, the state had been running an IBM program to track
the chain, and the forensic labs went to TCSC a few years ago for an upgrade.

"Virginia essentially bought the product from us before it existed," Romig
said, and in 2002, the company began developing the software.

The partnership began with Romig and his gang asking the most basic
questions: How do you get this from here to there? How can you get rid of
paperwork?

"I think the most difficult piece is truly understanding the needs of the
client," he said.

"Just because it's logical [in terms of programming] doesn't mean that's
how we get organized," said David J. O'Neil, forensic science supervisor at
the central lab, just before measuring 2.01 grams of marijuana. The 34-year
veteran at the state lab worked closely with TCSC to develop Forensic
Advantage.

Romig and his crew became highly familiar with how the forensic processes
work. Once the business layer was down on the software, developers at TCSC
could interject algorithms let the math take over the rest.

Forensic Advantage was set up to look and feel like the user is running
Microsoft Outlook e-mail program. "And that gives them an additional level
of productivity, reducing the amount of training that's necessary," Romig said.

Even now, the forensic department's main chain of custody is still paper.
Computers provide a backup tracking system.

"I think we just haven't gotten used to being electronic yet," said Doug
Chandler, information technology supervisor at the Richmond lab. "That's
our main goal."

By the end of this year, Romig estimates, there will have been 50,000 work
hours put into Forensic Advantage, which will translate into about $2
million in development costs.

Romig is projecting revenue of $5 million this year.

"This will probably be the best year ever," Romig said. "By the end of this
year we will be to a point where we've recouped the original investment" on
Forensic Advantage. The company is in the process of developing a version
2.0, which will allow arresting officers to submit evidence online.