CASE STUDY: Comparing the Benefits of 3D Laser Scanning vs. Total Stations
Over the years, many crash and crime scene investigators have embraced the total station; a device used by land surveyors to capture distance and slope measurements of individual points. But now, investigators are putting their old total stations in the closet and adopting a new method of capturing measurements at crash and crime scenes - 3D laser scanners.
Assistant Chief Bobby Jones, a 30-year veteran of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee, is one of those investigators. Chief Jones recently stated, “[Laser] scanners are going to become a way of life for all of us investigators. They’re accurate, reliable, efficient and NOW they are affordable.” Jones has used total stations to map hundreds, if not thousands, of crash and crime scenes. In 2013, Jones gained access to a FARO® Focus 3D Laser Scanner, and it changed the way he gathers data at crash and crime scenes forever.