Of the many methods used in forensic science to identify a person, odorological examination stands out. The detector of individual differences in it is the service-search dog, or rather, its olfactory apparatus. The relative stability of a person's odor makes it possible to confidently draw a conclusion about his involvement in a crime.
Odorology in the service of forensic science
The methodology for the examination of odor traces in forensic science has been worked out in sufficient detail by forensic experts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. Unfortunately, there is currently no well-developed and universally accepted theory of odor. Therefore, the reliability of identification of a person's personality by smell is questioned by many experts in the field of forensic science ("Criminalistic Encyclopedia", RS Belkin, 2000).
Work is underway to ensure the possibility of instrumental verification of the results of odorological examinations.
Odorological examination solves the problem of diagnosing and identifying a person by his odor-containing secretions. These volatile substances are found in human blood and sweat. They are stably secreted by the body and accurately reflect its unique features. It is for this reason that it has become possible to identify a person by their inherent smell.
Smell is an essential property of material objects and substances contained in these objects. The smell is perceived by the olfactory apparatus of humans or animals. The threshold of perception of odor traces in service-search dogs is several orders of magnitude higher than the capabilities of the human sense of smell. In the examination, not just good bloodhounds are used, but specially trained, trained and trained dogs.
Features of odorological examination
The subject of odorological examination is the identification of a person by smell samples from the traces left by the subject. Sometimes odor samples are taken from blood stains. The smell examination is carried out permanently.
The experts are comparing odor samples from carriers seized at the scene of the incident and those obtained from those tested in the case.
It should be noted that the subjects of research in odorology are not service dogs, but experts. The search dog is just a detector, a kind of instrument, a "biological device". The animal is not able to assess the forensic signs of odor samples - this work is carried out by specialists who issue an expert opinion.
The means of research in this type of examination are specially trained laboratory dogs, which are assigned the role of odor detectors. The detector dog's reactions to pre-prepared sets of similar objects with a scent make it possible to identify individual odorological signs in the samples, indicating that the scent belongs to a particular person.
