National Tribal Clearinghouse on Sexual Assault

A Forensic Examiner’s Role in the Sexual Assault Survivor's Story

NTCSA Season 1 Episode 6
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This episode provides a brief insight on what a forensic examiner is and the service they provide in the multifaceted case of survivors.

Presenter Bio:
Lesley Hammer is a Forensic Examiner from Anchorage Alaska, currently in private practice, with experience in forensic casework, laboratory supervision and examination instruction.  She has performed analyses, reported and testified in latent print, footwear and tire track, crime scene and controlled substance disciplines, for the past decade she has focused specifically on the disciplines of footwear and tire track evidence.   Ms. Hammer has published articles, performed research and provided forensic evidence related instruction to law enforcement, crime laboratory personnel and others throughout the United States and in Canada.  She holds a BA in Environmental Science from Alaska Pacific University, an MA in Teaching from the University of Alaska, and an MSc in Forensics from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, and is a Certified Footwear Examiner with the International Association for Identification. She is the current Education Planner and a past President of the International Association for Identification and a member of the US DOJ Forensic Laboratory Needs Technical Working Group.

Interviewer Bio:
Blaze Bell is a lifelong Alaskan, Speaker, Singer, and Transformational Coach, who has turned her pain into her purpose. She is on a mission to help others heal, in the ways that she has, from trauma and addiction. Blaze has a popular podcast highlighting healing tools and a new video series interviewing leaders in the healing industry. She is the Board President of Victims for Justice and also frequently works with Standing Together Against Rape (STAR), a rape crisis intervention service in Anchorage, Alaska. As a certified holistic health coach and award-winning singer, Blaze combines her unique skill set to bring the world healing through mindfulness, health, music, and joy.

This project was supported by Grant No.2019-SA-AX-K001 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this presentation are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women or the International Association of Forensic Nurses.