$57,000 technology is paying off for Harford County crime investigations

The Harford County Sheriff's Office can capture crime scenes more easily with the use of a Faro Laser Scanner, which helps detectives preserve a scene exactly as it was when a crime occurred.

This technology is pivotal in the investigation, and when a case goes to trial.

How the Faro Laser scanner works

The Harford County Sheriff's Office purchased the Faro Laser Scanner in May 2024, with a nearly $57,000 price tag.

Det. Michael Wilsynski says it's already been worth the investment.

"Once we leave a crime scene, that is a scene we cannot go back to," Det. Wilsynski said. "Things change, move, grow. So when you have a scan of that scene, you have how it looks like when you were there to process it for whatever event occurred. And you can look at those days, weeks, or months down the road and nothing will change."

The Faro Scanner uses a laser to capture a 360-degree view of a crime scene, calculating exact measurements, distances, and trajectories that can be revisited by detectives later on.

Each scan takes only about three to four minutes and eliminates the need for protractors, measuring tapes, and complicated math that investigators used to have to do by hand.

"In the past, it could have been hours to get out there and measure particular items and figure out where they go," Det. Wilskynski said. "We're still going to document those pieces of evidence that we're picking up, but if there's any question about distance or space, we can go back to the scan to see and figure out where it was exactly."

Creation of 3D rendering

Multiple scans can then be linked together to create a 3D rendering of the scene exactly as it was on the day the crime occurred.

"It connects from Point A to Point B, and in this particular case, when all of those links are put together, we can tell it to show me a view as if somebody was flying through, and that's what this is," said Det. Wilskynski.

Scanner used in the case of murdered Joppatowne student

The Faro scanner was used during the investigation into the Sept. 6, 2024, deadly shooting at Joppetowne High School.

Harford County State's Attorney Alison Healey says the technology helped her bring the jury to the crime scene so they could visualize the events that took place without entering the school.

Healey said it may have helped convince the jury to convict 16-year-old Jaylen Prince in the shooting death of 15-year-old Warren Grant in a school bathroom.

"It was helpful in this case," Healey said. "I think it can be very helpful in a lot of cases."

Optimistic about the technology

The Joppatowne High School murder trial was the first case Healey said she has prosecuted using the Faro Scanner technology, and she's optimistic about what this technology will do in the future.

"In cases where we have to talk a lot more about the scene and locations, and it can measure distance, it does so many things that I think it is going to be a very useful tool in prosecution. I'm very happy that the sheriff's office obtained one," Healey said.

Faro has been put to work

Within the past year, the Harford County Sheriff's Office has used the scanner at four scenes. Three of them were shootings, and the fourth was a workplace incident, where the Faro scans were sent to the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Administration to assist in their investigation.

While this may be the first you're hearing of the Faro Scanner, it likely won't be the last.

"We're going to look for this to be used when there's any question as to what happened, if there's any doubt as to something looks out of place at the scene, and we're probably going to use it for all homicides that occur," Det. Wilsynski said.