New Mexico police capture and preserve crime scenes with 3D scanners

Police in Roswell, New Mexico are now capturing some crime scenes in 3D to preserve them as evidence. The equipment, made by Faro 3D, costs $86,000 and creates a 3D rendering of an area that can be inspected by investigators long after it’s cleaned up or altered. According to detectives, the scanner is able to pick up details down to “a couple of millimeters,” and can be viewed on myriad devices, like cell phones and tablets. 

Police in Roswell, NM are now using 3D scanners to virtually map crime scenes, allowing investigators, jurors, judges, and lawyers to inspect the environment from any angle with a 3D, panoramic image. The Roswell Police Department is just one of many police departments currently using Faro Technology‘s 3D imaging hardware to analyze crime scenes. In other words, you’ll probably see this kind of crime scene scanning on one of your favorite TV shows very soon. This could play a significant role in solving crimes, as well as prosecuting crimes in the court room. The ability to see the crime scene from any perspective gives jurors more insight into the case than any 2D picture could.