Chapter 14 Flashcards
Subjects who operate illicit drug labs have a vested interest in maintaining their livelihoods as creators and distributors of illegal drugs or chemical, biological, radiological, and explosive materials.
explosive
The release/attack site should be cleared or rendered safe of wmd hazards before beginning evidence collection tasks.
evidence collection
Responders assigned to perform evidence preservation and public safety sampling tasks must be able to identify the investigative authority at hazardous materials/wmd crimes
investigative authority
Most letter or package incidents involve white powders.
white powders
Local emergency response plans should detail appropriate procedures for requesting assistance from other agencies such as the bomb squad.
requesting assistance
Local investigative guidelines are complex and dynamic, and local responders must be familiar with their jurisdictional procedures.
complex and dynamic
Establishing unified command early at suspected crimes is critical for ensuring that the incident is managed in a fashion that will maximize the goals of all agencies invovled.
unified command
Tactical phase - Law enforcement removes hostile threats.
Tactical phase
Operational phase - Life safety objectives are met and the scene is stabilized and secured.
Operational phase
Crime scene phase - During this phase, evidence is recovered and packaged for transport, and the crime scene is processed forensically.
Crime scene phase
Limited public safety sampling may be conducted during the operational phase.
operational phase
Remediation phase - In this phase, operations to mitigate any remaining hazards are conducted in order to bring the scene back to a safe condition.
Remediation phase
In the U.S., if you suspect the incident involves wmd or terrorism, contact the FBI WMD Coordinator.
WMD Coordinator
Law enforcement personnel will identify relevant items of evidence through investigation, gathering of data, and developing and testing a hypothesis.
hypothesis
Broadly speaking, evidence is any data that may be used to prove or disprove a certain hypothesis.
hypothesis
Direct - Facts found through the five physical senses to which a person can attest without further support.
Direct
Circumstantial - Facts which support presumptions or inferences formed from direct or physical evidence.
Circumstantial
Physical - Material objects evaluated during an investigation which tend to prove or disprove facts.
Physical
The three evidence classifications are direct, circumstantial, and physical.
circumstantial
securing the scene is an important step in protecting evidence.
securing the scene
All scene documentation is discoverable in court.
discoverable
Emergency responders must coordinate with the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction in order to avoid problems with inadmissible evidence.
inadmissible
Operations level responders may be required to collect public safety samples to determine contaminants or suspected contaminants in support of medical treatment, to determine how to best mitigate the situation, or to determine the type of decontamination required.
public safety samples
In fact, at criminal hazardous materials/WMD incidents, evidence preservation and public safety sampling is the top priority after life preservation and hazard mitigation.
public safety sampling
Hazard characterization is not identification of unknowns.
characterization
Initial monitoring and detection should be performed to characterize the site and the possible threats.
characterize the site
Site characterization - Size up and evaluation of hazards, problems, and potential solutions of a site.
Site characterization
Before samples are collected, responders must field screen them to identify specific hazards prior to transportation to a lab.
field screen
If possible, field screen samples before they are collected.
field screen
Responders should also check for crystalized materials around caps and containers as these are indicators of potentially shock sensitive explosives and reactive chemicals.
shock sensitive
Initial monitoring should classify the general characteristics of the potential threat and type of contaminant that is present.
general characteristics
Collect evidence in accordance with the agency’s sampling plan while wearing appropriate PPE.
sampling plan
Prepare evidence containers before entering the exclusion zone, using the system agreed upon by the AHJ and the receiving lab.
exclusion zone
Wrap the sample container in absorbent material.
absorbent
Place the sample in an overpack container and seal it with tamper proof tape.
tamper proof tape
Any container or tool that comes in contact with potential evidence should have a control taken.
control
A control is an unused example from each lot of collection containers or tools used.
control
If using a certified clean container, the statement of certification must accompany the control.
statement of certification
in the U.S., the Laboratory Response Network was established by the department of health and human services, centers for disease control and prevention in accordance with Presidential Decision Directive 39, which outlined national antiterrorism policies and assigned specific missions to federal departments and agencies.
39
