Criminal Investigation Chapter 5: Forensics and Physical Evidence
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Questions and Answers

What is the primary goal of maintaining the chain of custody when processing evidence?

  • To limit the number of people handling the evidence
  • To accelerate the processing of evidence from discovery to disposal
  • To ensure the evidence is stored in a secure facility
  • To prevent contamination and establish the integrity of evidence (correct)
  • What type of evidence provides a direct link between the suspect and the crime scene?

  • Class characteristics
  • Circumstantial evidence
  • Associative evidence
  • Individual characteristics (correct)
  • What is the term for the process of comparing a piece of evidence with a known standard?

  • Probative evidence
  • Circumstantial evidence
  • Standard of comparison (correct)
  • Chain of custody
  • What is the purpose of eliminating prints from a crime scene?

    <p>To eliminate innocent individuals from the investigation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the contamination of evidence through the introduction of extraneous material?

    <p>Cross-contamination</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the study of the characteristics of a firearm, such as the rifling and striations on a bullet?

    <p>Ballistics</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is forensic science, according to Fantino (2007)?

    <p>The application of scientific processes to solve legal problems within the context of the criminal justice system</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is considered the best evidence in a legal sense?

    <p>The original evidence</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of evidence is established by law?

    <p>Prima facie evidence</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary difference between direct and indirect evidence?

    <p>Direct evidence establishes proof of a fact without any other evidence, while indirect evidence requires additional evidence to establish proof</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of evidence links a suspect with a crime?

    <p>Associative evidence</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of hair evidence in a criminal investigation?

    <p>To link a suspect with a crime</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary role of a crime scene investigator?

    <p>To collect and analyze evidence</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main purpose of reviewing the FBI Handbook of Forensic Services?

    <p>To understand crime scene safety</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary purpose of the Property Room Web site?

    <p>To auction unclaimed property</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main focus of the class assignment on group discussions?

    <p>To discuss the pros and cons of each type of evidence</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary role of a Crime Scene Investigator (CSI)?

    <p>To develop, process, and package physical evidence and transport it to the lab</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the 'CSI effect'?

    <p>The portrayal of CSIs in Hollywood as glamorous and impractical</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the 'tech effect'?

    <p>The awareness of modern technology among jurors</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why is selecting the right equipment for a crime scene important?

    <p>To process the crime scene efficiently</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of documenting the chain of evidence?

    <p>To document every person who has had custody of the evidence</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why is maintaining the integrity of evidence crucial?

    <p>To ensure the evidence is not contaminated</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is Locard's principle of exchange?

    <p>A principle stating that every contact leaves a trace</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of cordoning off the crime scene?

    <p>To preserve the integrity of the evidence</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary concern when transporting equipment to a crime scene?

    <p>To ensure the equipment is not damaged</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why is training in equipment use important?

    <p>To ensure the equipment is used correctly</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary purpose of using forensic light sources in crime scene investigations?

    <p>To make evidence visible that is not otherwise detectable to the naked eye</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main requirement for law enforcement to gather evidence under the Brady rule?

    <p>To gather all evidence that helps establish guilt or innocence</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of marking and identifying evidence at the crime scene?

    <p>To mark and identify each item of evidence in a way that can be recognized later</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary concern in managing evidence and property?

    <p>The growing need for more storage space</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the standard of comparison in forensic science?

    <p>An object, measure, or model used to compare evidence</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary purpose of using lasers in investigations?

    <p>To assist in trajectory analysis, measurement, and evidence collection</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main requirement for transporting evidence?

    <p>Using a secure and reliable transportation method with a signature upon receipt</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary concern in storing evidence?

    <p>The protection of evidence from pests, insects, and excessive heat or moisture</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main requirement for exhibiting evidence in court?

    <p>To ensure the admissibility of evidence in court</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of analysis can distinguish trace hair samples using consumer chemicals as identifiers?

    <p>Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analysis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main characteristic of class characteristics in evidence?

    <p>They place an item into a specific category</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of evidence can be found on the suspect or victim's body or on anything else placed in the mouth?

    <p>Bite marks</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the prints that are not readily seen but can be developed through powders or chemicals?

    <p>Latent prints</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of the Glass Evidence Reference Database?

    <p>To assess the relative frequency of two glass samples from different sources</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of evidence can be used to track criminals as well as people in need of help?

    <p>GPS chips built into cell phones</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of using black lifters for light powders and light lifters for black powders?

    <p>To develop latent prints</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of equipment can be used to make a preliminary analysis of a suspicious substance?

    <p>Drug identification kit</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What kind of testing matrix is used in WMD crime scenes?

    <p>Aerosols, liquids, solids, surfaces, and dermal samples</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the unique arrangement of small lines on the palm side of each human finger?

    <p>Friction ridges</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of marks can be compared to place a suspect at a crime scene?

    <p>Shoe and tire impressions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How can laboratories determine whether skeletal remains are animal or human?

    <p>Through dental comparisons and X-rays of old fractures</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of evidence can be used to show where a piece of glass came from at the crime scene?

    <p>Glass Evidence Reference Database</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the graphic record of the energy patterns emitted by speech?

    <p>Voiceprints</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of evidence can be examined and compared, including prescription eyeglasses and broken buttons?

    <p>Personal evidence</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the study of the mental processes involved in comprehending, producing and acquiring language?

    <p>Psycholinguistics</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of examination is based on the supposed individuality of teeth?

    <p>Forensic odontology</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of evidence can be used to identify an automobile and offer many leads?

    <p>Paint samples</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the building block of chromosomes that is individual to a specific person?

    <p>Deoxyribonucleic acid</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary concern at a WMD crime scene?

    <p>Public safety</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What should investigators learn to read to provide valuable leads?

    <p>Product DNA</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of using digital fingerprinting?

    <p>To replace inked printing</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary challenge in handling digital evidence?

    <p>Absence of geographic boundaries</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the analysis of a person's state-of-mind based on their spoken words?

    <p>Language analysis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a concern for investigators handling body secretions?

    <p>MRSA infection</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the recommended approach to handling a cell phone as digital evidence?

    <p>Leave it in its current state</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What precautions should investigators take when collecting blood evidence?

    <p>Use universal precautions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the minimum number of matchable characteristics required for positive identification of a fingerprint?

    <p>12</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What should be done with evidence that is no longer needed?

    <p>It is auctioned off, returned to the owner, or destroyed</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When can evidence disposal occur?

    <p>Annually</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the advantage of DNA testing in high-volume crimes?

    <p>It aids in solving crimes such as burglaries and car break-ins</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of DNA is used in forensic analyses?

    <p>Both nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why are plastic containers not recommended for storing DNA samples?

    <p>They can retain moisture, which may damage the DNA sample</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the limitation of Y-STR analysis?

    <p>The DNA profile obtained will be identical for all males within the same paternal lineage</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of Biogeographical ancestry DNA testing?

    <p>To include or exclude certain people from an investigation based on their ancestry</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS)?

    <p>To store DNA profiles of both crime scene evidence and convicted offenders</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of the number of DNA profiles in the NDIS forensic index?

    <p>It indicates the number of DNA profiles from crime scene evidence</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of DNA evidence in court?

    <p>It can identify a criminal with near absolute certainty or exonerate innocent suspects</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the significance of the Innocence Project?

    <p>It is a group that has exonerated innocent suspects through DNA testing</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Forensics and Physical Evidence

    • Forensic science is the application of scientific processes to solve legal problems within the context of the criminal justice system.

    Types of Evidence

    • Best evidence: original evidence
    • Physical evidence: anything real that helps establish facts of a case
    • Direct evidence: establishes proof of a fact without other evidence
    • Indirect evidence (circumstantial evidence): tends to incriminate a person
    • Trace evidence: extremely small items (e.g., hair, fibers)
    • Prima facie evidence: established by law
    • Associative evidence: links a suspect with a crime (e.g., fingerprints, footprints)
    • Corpus delicti evidence: establishes that a crime has been committed
    • Probative evidence: vital to an investigation or prosecution
    • Material evidence: forms a substantive part of a case
    • Relevant evidence: applies to the matter in question
    • Competent evidence: properly collected, identified, filed, and secured

    Crime Scene Investigators

    • CSI develops, processes, and packages physical evidence, attends and documents autopsies, and writes reports and testifies in court
    • CSI effect: a phenomenon where TV shows create an unrealistic image of forensic science
    • Tech effect: public awareness of modern technology influencing juror expectations

    Investigative Equipment

    • Equipment needed for each investigation varies
    • Examples of equipment: cameras, chalk, containers, fingerprint kit, labels, magnifiers, measuring tape, notebooks, pens
    • Selecting equipment: work with other organizations, identify what's needed, and select suitable equipment
    • Equipment containers: store equipment carefully to maintain its condition
    • Transporting equipment: use professional containers and equipment to create a consistent image

    Crime Scene Integrity and Contamination of Evidence

    • Value of evidence affected by what happens immediately following the crime
    • Cordon off the crime scene to maintain integrity
    • Document chain of evidence (chain of custody) to ensure admissibility in court
    • Recall Locard's principle of exchange: collecting evidence can result in contamination

    Processing Evidence: Maintaining the Chain of Custody

    • Discovering or recognizing evidence: consider the type and nature of the crime, and examine the area carefully
    • Marking, identifying, and collecting evidence: mark or identify each item, record date and time, and specify case number
    • Packaging and preserving evidence: package each item separately to maintain integrity
    • Transporting evidence: use legal ways to transport, specify signature upon receipt
    • Protecting and storing evidence: store securely, free from pests, insects, and excessive heat or moisture
    • Exhibiting evidence in court: ensure admissibility, identify evidence, describe where found, establish custody, and explain any changes

    Frequently Examined Evidence

    • Fingerprints: unique arrangement of friction ridges on fingertips

    • Types of fingerprints:

      • Latent prints: not readily seen, developed through powders or chemicals
      • Visible fingerprints: made when fingers are dirty or stained
      • Plastic fingerprints: impressions left in soft substances
    • Fingerprint analysis:

      • Elimination prints: identify whose prints belong at the scene
      • Inked prints: standard procedure for arrested adults
      • Digital fingerprinting: advances in computer technology
      • Fingerprint patterns, analysis, and identification: arched, looped, or whorled
    • Voiceprints: graphic record of energy patterns emitted by speech

    • Language analysis: captures spoken language, can reveal speaker's state-of-mind

    • DNA profiling: uses genetic code to positively identify a person

    • Human DNA profiling:

      • Uses material from chromosomes to identify individuals
      • Can be used to solve high-volume crimes
      • Identifying, collecting, and preserving DNA evidence
      • DNA testing: two types of DNA (nDNA and mtDNA)
      • Challenges with mixed profile samples
      • Y-STR analysis: uses Y chromosome as a male-specific identifier### DNA and Forensic Science
    • The year-end backlog of offender DNA samples has increased steadily from 657,166 in 2007 to 952,393 in 2009.

    • DNA can identify a criminal with near absolute certainty or exonerate innocent suspects.

    • 325 people had been exonerated through DNA testing as of the time the text went to print.

    Evidence Types

    • Blood and other body fluids, including semen and urine, can provide valuable information.
    • Semen and saliva may be detected with fluorescent lights (FLS), and blood trails or blood "spatter" can also be useful as evidence.
    • Scent can establish probable cause for an arrest.
    • Hairs and fibers can place an individual at the crime scene.
    • Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) chemicals can distinguish trace hair samples using consumer chemicals as identifiers.
    • Shoe and tire impressions can be specific to the shoe or tire.
    • Bite marks can be found on the suspect or victim's body or on anything else placed in the mouth.
    • Bite mark identification is based on the "supposed" individuality of teeth and is legally admissible in court.
    • Teeth may also be an excellent source of genomic DNA.

    Forensic Tools and Techniques

    • Tools and tool marks can be traced if broken parts are left behind or by marks caused by the use of the tool.
    • Firearms and ammunition can be analyzed through gunpowder tests, shot pattern tests, and functional tests of a weapon.
    • Glass can be used for transfer of evidence and to show where a piece of glass came from at the crime scene.
    • The Glass Evidence Reference Database contains more than 700 glass samples from manufacturers, distributors, and vehicle junkyards.
    • Soils and minerals can place a suspect at a crime scene.
    • Safe insulation can transfer to the suspect's clothing.
    • Ropes, strings, and tapes can be compared, either by type or the cut ends.
    • Drug identification kits can be used to make a preliminary analysis of a suspicious substance.
    • Typing, handwriting, and printing can be compared.
    • The Forensic Information System for Handwriting (FISH) is a database maintained by the U.S. Secret Service.
    • Laundry and dry-cleaning marks can be used for comparisons and to find the business.
    • Paint colors and samples can lead to the identification of an automobile.
    • Digital evidence requires special handling and analysis.

    Digital Evidence

    • The digital revolution has generated a new class of evidence and requirements for handling it.
    • The absence of geographic boundaries and the question of jurisdiction are challenges in electronic crimes.
    • Cell phones can provide valuable evidence, including subscriber information, call-detail records, and GPS data.
    • Only a person with training should analyze a cell phone.
    • All cell phones leave a trail.
    • Global positioning system chips built into cell phones allow authorities to track criminals as well as people in need of help.

    Other Types of Evidence

    • Weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) include nuclear weapons, radiological, biological or chemical agents, and explosives.
    • Skeletal remains can be analyzed to determine whether they are animal or human.
    • Dental comparisons and X-rays of old fractures are other important identifying features or individual characteristics.
    • Wood comparisons are possible regarding the type of wood and origin.
    • Prescription eyeglasses, broken buttons, glove prints, and other personal evidence found at a crime scene can also be examined and compared.
    • Investigators should learn to read "product DNA," the printed code that appears on nearly every manufactured, mass-produced item.

    Evidence Handling and Infectious Disease

    • Consider all body secretions as potential health hazards.
    • AIDS is not spread through casual contact such as touching an infected person or sharing equipment.
    • Tuberculosis (TB) is of greater concern.
    • MRSA is a staph infection that is resistant to most antibiotics and is very infectious, severe, and sometimes deadly.
    • Use "universal precautions" when collecting blood evidence and other bodily fluids.
    • Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water.
    • Be alert for sharp objects, such as hypodermic needles and syringes, while processing the crime scene.

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    Description

    This quiz covers the concepts of forensics, physical evidence, crime scene investigation, and evidence processing in criminal investigations. It is based on Chapter 5 of the 11th Edition of Criminal Investigation by Hess, Orthman, and Cho.

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