Ch. 2 Investigating and Processing Physical Evidence

Question 1

active bloodstain

Answer 1

a bloodstain caused by blood that traveled by application of force, not gravity

Question 2

associative evidence

Answer 2

evidence that associates individuals with a crime scene

Question 3

class characteristic

Answer 3

a feature that is common to a group of items

Question 4

corpus delicti

Answer 4

the “body of the crime”

Question 5

evidence

Answer 5

information about a crime that meets the state or federal rules of evidence

Question 6

exemplar

Answer 6

representative (standard) item to which evidence can be compared

Question 7

explainable differences

Answer 7

a sound of scientific explanation for any differences between the evidence and the reference material

Question 8

Federal Rule of Evidence (FRE)

Answer 8

rules that govern the admissibility of all evidence, including expert testimony

Question 9

identification

Answer 9

the process of matching a set of qualities or characteristics that uniquely identifies an object

Question 10

individual characteristic

Answer 10

a feature that is unique to on specific item

Question 11

Locard’s exchange principle

Answer 11

whenever two objects come into contact with each other, there is an exchange of materials between them

Question 12

modus operandi

Answer 12

the “method of operation”

aka MO

Question 13

passive bloodstain

Answer 13

a pattern of blood formed by the force of gravity

Question 14

point of convergence

Answer 14

the most likely point of origin of the blood that produced the bloodstains

Question 15

ricochet

Answer 15

deviation of a bullet’s trajectory because of collision with another object

Question 16

tool mark

Answer 16

any impression, cut, scratch, or abrasion caused when a tool comes in contact with another surface

Question 17

transfer bloodstain

Answer 17

a bloodstain deposited on a surface as a result of direct contact with an object

Question 18

Whether an object is considered evidence is determined by its _______ to the crime.

Answer 18

relevance

Question 19

In court, it is the responsibility of the ______ to determine what is relevant.

Answer 19

judge

Question 20

Investigators must move quickly to identify and protect evidence before ______ effects begin to alter its appearance.

Answer 20

environmental

Question 21

______ (biological/chemical/physical) evidence is most susceptible to change.

Answer 21

biological

Question 22

Another name for physical evidence is the ______ sample.

Answer 22

questioned

Question 23

Another name for the known sample is the ______ sample.

Answer 23

exemplar

Question 24

If a piece of paper that is evidence is exposed to the sun and changes color, a forensic expert may match it to a known sample of paper that is a lighter color. The court must then be told about these _____ (un/explainable) differences.

Answer 24

explainable

Question 25

______ is the determination of the physical and chemical identity of a substance with as much certainty as existing analytical techniques will permit.

Answer 25

identification

Question 26

Before a test method can be adopted as a routine test in a crime laboratory, it must be shown to give reproducible, accurate results for a(n) ______ sample.

Answer 26

standard

Question 27

The FBI has established ______ that developed testing protocols and standard tests.

Answer 27

Scientific Working Groups (SWG)

Question 28

When an expert has drawn a conclusion “to a reasonable degree of scientific certainty,” it means the conclusion has been substantiated beyond any ___________.

Answer 28

reasonable doubt