Fabiola Mancone, the National Director of the Forensic Science Police Service in Rome, Italy, discusses with Vera Koester for ChemistryViews the challenges, responsibilities, and evolving nature of working in forensic policing, including keeping up with new scientific knowledge and integrating new scientific techniques. They also talk about insights into the differences between real forensic work and its portrayal on television, highlighting the complexity and dedication required to solve crimes in reality.
A woman in the police force and in such a leadership position—is that common or still an exception?
It’s normal now, but when I joined the police 32 years ago, it wasn’t common. Fortunately, we now have many female colleagues. It’s important to believe in your work, because that way you can reach the position you want.
What do you find most fascinating about your job?
What I find most fascinating about my job is the opportunity to continue working in investigations, but from a unique perspective. I spent 20 years in the forensic scientific police, and although I am trained in law rather than chemistry or biology, I have learned to see crime scenes with both my own eyes and an imagined “scientist’s eye”, allowing me to think like a chemist or biologist when they examinate the evidence. This multifaceted approach enriches my investigative work and offers a rare, complex way of understanding crime scenes.
Is science becoming more important in solving crimes?
Yes, I think when forensic police work first began, there were no scientists involved—only investigators. It was a different approach to handling crime scenes back then.
Now, science is fundamental. In the forensic science police there are also chemists, biologists, physicists, and engineers, and without them it would be impossible to solve crimes today. Forensic police work evolves with time and technology. It is unrealistic to think a crime can be solved just by examining the crime scene; crucial work happens also in the laboratory.
How do you keep yourself informed of what is happening and new techniques? How do you integrate new knowledge?
I stay informed thanks to my colleagues, who attend both national and international courses and congresses. When they return, they report back and share their knowledge in meetings. The job is not simple, but it is very, very interesting.
You probably need many analytical techniques. Do you have a lot of collaborations since you likely can’t have every technique in your lab?
In Italy, we have forensic police in 105 cities, but only 15 of those have laboratories for analysis. Evidence collected from crime scenes is sent to one of our labs, after receiving authorization from the judge or the public prosecutor.
In Rome, where I work, we have a wide range of instruments and all the key methods.
We know about police and forensic work from TV. Is that portrayal accurate, or do you find yourself thinking, “No, this isn’t reality”?
It’s different—on TV, everything is solved in just an hour, which is unrealistic because the actual process is much more complicated.
For example, with doping in sports, it often feels like the people being tested are always trying to stay a step ahead. Is it similar with other criminals that they often learn about forensic techniques and try to stay ahead of the police?
Yes, normally they try to hide, but we stay right on their heels. We have five divisions at headquarters, including one for forensic digital analysis, which is increasingly important. Digital evidence is invisible, but criminals leave tracks through cameras, videos, and phones, which are crucial for our investigations.
What are the most common crimes where chemistry is applied?
Chemistry is widely used in forensic science, and the main fields of application are drugs of abuse and the enhancement of latent fingerprints, as well as the analysis of fires, explosives, microtraces, and materials. The main types of crimes related to drugs of abuse are not only trafficking, but also robberies or rapes committed with the help of narcotics or date rape drugs.
Fingerprinting is an activity relevant to all types of crime. The most common are murders, assaults, threatening missives, fraud, theft, and armored car robberies.
The chemical analysis of fire residues is of great importance in cases of arson, as well as that of explosives in terroristic attacks or bombing incidents, while the analysis of micro-traces and materials is crucial in hit-and-run accidents, as well as in acid attacks, vandalism, robberies etc.
How do you ensure accuracy and efficiency under pressure? How do you reduce the risk of contamination or error in high-stakes chemical analysis?
Cutting-edge instruments, continuous education, and the training of police officers ensure not only higher expertise, but also higher operational skills both in the field and in the laboratory. All forensic police offices and laboratories are within a quality-management system and certified ISO 9001. In addition, many laboratory tests are also accredited according to the international standard ISO/IEC 17025. The quality-management system ensures a significant reduction in the risk of error and improves performance.
How do you coordinate efforts between chemists, biologists, and law enforcement to ensure comprehensive crime scene analysis?
The Forensic Science Service of the National Police is organized into five divisions, each division has specific responsibilities such as the crime scene, identity, chemistry, physics and electronics, and biology (DNA). So, my closest collaborators are the five directors of these divisions, with whom I hold meetings to organize and manage cases.
Moreover, we work very closely with other investigative offices, creating a strong synergy between forensic scientists and investigators
In your job, you obviously see many bad things. How do you cope with that?
I’ve spent a long time in forensic police work, so for me, it’s become somewhat routine—I mostly deal with reports and documentation rather than being at crime scenes often. However, over the years, I’ve reviewed crime scene photos and reports, and in the past, I did visit crime scenes, especially in major cases. It was always very difficult, especially when seeing children or women who had been murdered; it left a deep impact. Unfortunately, it’s part of our work. Police personnel do have access to psychological support, which is very important.
Thank you very much. It’s been great to see your enthusiasm.
Yes, I love my job. The forensic police feel like a family to me, and it’s always wonderful when I get to work in Milan, Turin, or Naples.
Fabiola Mancone holds a degree in law from the University of Salerno, Italy, and has passed the State Examination to practice as an attorney. She has held various roles within the police force, including positions in the General Prevention Office, the Robbery Section of the Mobile Squad in Naples, and as head of several police stations. She has held leadership positions, such as the Director of the Interregional Forensic Police Cabinet for Campania and Molise, and has served as a commissioner overseeing municipalities affected by mafia infiltration. Currently, she is Director of the National Scientific Police Service.
In addition, she teaches forensic police investigation at various academic institutions, including the University of Naples Federico II and the University of Rome, as well as at specialized training courses for police officers.
Also of Interest
A growing collection of articles highlights how chemistry is increasingly essential in crime scene investigations (CSI) and solving crimes
Focus: When Corpses Meet Forensic Pathologists
A look behind the scenes at two cases that illustrate the different approaches used in forensic toxicology
