Webinar on Operational Perspectives Connecting Radiological Crime Scene Management and Nuclear Forensics

Date and Time

Wednesday, 20 October 2021

15:30 Vienna (Austria) time

Duration: 1,5 hours

Register for the webinar→

Background

The IAEA Nuclear Security Series (NSS) No. 22-G Implementing Guide on Radiological Crime Scene Management, published in 2014, presents guidance on the safe, secure, effective and efficient operations at a crime scene where nuclear and other radioactive material are known or suspected to be present.

NSS No. 2-G (Rev. 1) Implementing Guide on Nuclear Forensics in Support of Investigations, published in 2015, provides national policy makers, competent authorities, law enforcement and technical personnel with guidance on the role of nuclear forensics in the context of investigating a spectrum of possible nuclear security events involving nuclear and other radioactive material out of regulatory control.

The purpose of this webinar is to provide the participants with an overview of the operational perspectives of radiological crime scene management that impact the subsequent conduct of a nuclear forensic analytical plan. This webinar will include a narrated interactive session where participants will observe an evolving radiological crime scene in a fictitious city as law enforcement is responding to a report of radioactive material discovered in an apartment building. As the scenario develops, participants can actively engage (virtually) with the evolving scenario by anonymously responding to polling questions. The questions are designed to generate discussion about key themes and good practices for radiological crime scene management and how these practices can impact the conduct of nuclear forensic analytical measurements.

A panel of three experts will provide their insights and perspectives in real-time, and participants can engage with the scenario by participating in virtual polls and asking questions. The panel will include law enforcement and nuclear forensics practitioners.

Objectives

The objective of this webinar is to provide the participants with an understanding of good practices on how to collect and process evidence in the presence of radioactivity at a crime scene, as well as key linkages between of radiological crime scene management and nuclear forensics.

The webinar will:

• Introduce participants to radiological crime scene management operations, preparedness, and sustainability for nuclear or radioactive material found out of regulatory control;
• Explore the key elements of priority evidence recovery, collecting evidence in the presence of radioactivity, and preparedness for radiological crime scene operations;
• Improve participants’ awareness and understanding of how good practices in radiological crime scene management and operations help subsequent nuclear material forensic measurements and analyses;
• Emphasize the need for interagency cooperation and exercises in radiological crime scene management prior to a nuclear security event.

Webinar Programme

Opening Remarks

Ms Elena Buglova, Director, Division of Nuclear Security, IAEA

Introduction

Mr Peter Burton, Nuclear Security Officer, Crime Scene Management and Nuclear Forensics, Nuclear Security of Materials outside of Regulatory Control Section, Division of Nuclear Security, IAEA

Narrated Interactive Session on the Conduct of Operations of Nuclear Forensics

Dr Frank Wong, Senior Scientist, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, United States of America

Dr Ed van Zalen, CBRN Programme Manager Netherlands Forensics Institute, The Netherlands

Panel Discussion with Q&A

Subject matter experts

Dr Frank Wong, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Frank Wong has a B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is currently a Senior Scientist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory leading and supporting several nuclear security efforts of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. He served as the Director for Nuclear Defense Policy at the National Security Council (NSC) at the White House from 2014 to 2016. Dr. Wong was a member of the U.S. Sherpa Team for the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit. He also created scenario-based policy discussions for the Nuclear Security Summits, the 2016 and 2020 International Conferences on Nuclear Security (ICONS), and the 2019 IAEA Technical Meeting on Nuclear Forensics. Dr Wong has chaired consultancy meetings that developed IAEA NSS 2-G (Rev. 1) Nuclear Forensics in Support of Investigations.

Dr Ed Van Zalen, Netherlands Forensics Institute

Eduard van Zalen, graduated at the University of Utrecht in analytical chemistry, specialized on environmental methods. Van Zalen joined the Netherlands Forensics Institute (NFI) in 1991, and has held the position of Head of Environmental Crimes, Project Manager for New Laboratory Facilities and Location Manager for a collaboration unit between the NFI, the Dutch Police and the Prosecutors Office. Since May 2008 Van Zalen has been a CBRN Programme Manager at the NFI. In this position he has been in charge of developing the Dutch Generic Integrated Forensic Toolbox Basket for the Nuclear Security Summit 2014, he has been Coordinator of the European Commission funded project GIFT (Generic Integrated Forensic Toolbox), co-chair of the Outreach and Training working group and vice-chair of the Forensic working group of the OPCW’s Scientific Advisory Board. Since August 2021, he has been serving as the co-chair of the Nuclear Forensic Working group of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism.

Mr Hambali Rabiou, General Directorate of National Police, Niger

Hambali Rabiou is a physicist and Senior Police Officer with the rank of “Commissaire Principal de Police” working at the Forensic Science Directorate of National Police. He is a Member of the National Nuclear Security Committee within the High Authority of Atomic Energy (HANEA) as representative of Ministry of Interior, involved in the implementation of Nuclear Security activities for more than 10 years. Hambali is responsible, as head of team, for the command of CBRN Response including the NS detection and response measures for major public events (MPE).

Ms Ashley Booth, Senior Nuclear Specialist, FBI, United States of America.

Ashley Booth is a Senior Nuclear Specialist in the Radiological/ Nuclear Program in the Scientific Response and Analysis Unit of the FBI. Ashley has been in the Rad/Nuke program since May 2017 and serves as an Operational Scientist in support of FBI crime scene investigations involving radioactive and nuclear materials. She is the lead Nuclear Specialist for several training courses. Before joining the FBI, Ashley was the Safety Manager and Radiation Safety Officer at the Texas A&M Nuclear Science Center Research Reactor. She also served 8 years in the US Army as a Preventive Medicine Health Physics Technician. Ashley holds a B.Sc. in Environmental Management from the University of Maryland University College, a M.Sc. in Health Physics from the Texas A&M University, and a M.Sc. in Management and Homeland Security from the University of Maryland Global Campus.