Crime Scene and Specialists

Question 1

Who is first on the crime scene usually?

Answer 1

First Officer Attending (FOA) usually a junior level police officer

Question 2

What is the job of the First Officer Attending?

Answer 2

Assess, protect and communicate
Seal area off
Take log of people entering and leaving
Call for senior assistance as soon as possible

Question 3

What is the job of scientific job officers (SSOs)?

Answer 3

Check cordon (have inner cordon- vicinty of crime scene and a outer cordon- protection of inner cordon)
Assess personnel/ equipment
Photography
“Those clothes”

Question 4

What do ‘stepping plates’ do?

Answer 4

Stops people standing (contaminating) evidence

Question 5

What are the generic things officers should carry out?

Answer 5

Least disturbance to body
Record body- number of wounds, position
Record everything e.g. weather, surroundings, people
Review path
Placement of tent surrounding are

Question 6

What is the purpose of putting up a tent at a crime scene?

Answer 6

Stop weather and bacterial contamination, prevents media coverage

Question 7

What are the other roles required in crime scene investigations?

Answer 7

CSM (crime scene manager) oversee everything/ extensive crime scenes i.e. terrorism
SIO (senior investigation officer), forensic pathologist enter
Senior Investigating Officer e.g. DS/DCI
Scientific Support Supervisor
Crime Scene Manager

Question 8

What is the role of the forensic pathologist?

Answer 8

Determine cause and manner of death
Examine wounds/injuries
Collect samples
Role as an expert witness

Question 9

What are the post-mortem changes?

Answer 9

1. Temperature Drop
2. Lividity
3. Rigor mortis
4. Decomposition

Question 10

What occurs in post-mortem regarding temperature?

Answer 10

Body is warmer than surrounding temperature

After death body cools to outside temperature

Question 11

What slows down the cooling down process initially?

Answer 11

Anaerobic resporation occurs after death (bugs in gut)

Question 12

What are the variables affecting temperature drop after death?

Answer 12

Surrounding temperature
Clothing and covering (e.g. hoodies)
Body size (fatter people body temp takes longer)
Body position (curled up longer, spread out quicker
Initial temp at death (fever at death takes longer, lost a lot of blood body temp lower quickly)
Nature of death

Question 13

What occurs in post-mortem regarding lividity?

Answer 13

Blood drains to the lowest point of the body due to gravity (N.B. fibrinolysins- enzymes in blood stop blood clotting, stops moving blood moving around to begin with)
Pallor (paleness) at pressure point (dead on back pale back)

Question 14

What variables affect lividity onset?

Answer 14

Things like haemorrhage and chronic anaemia

Question 15

What colour is the blood if the individual has Carbon Monoxide poisoning?

Answer 15

Cherry pink

Question 16

What occurs in post-mortem regarding rigor mortis?

Answer 16

Stiffening of muscles due to the breakdown of ATP to ADP

Time after death (hours)

Question 17

What is decomposition?

Answer 17

Gradual breakdown of tissues

Question 18

What are the 2 processes of decomposition?

Answer 18

Autolysis

Putrefaction

Question 19

What is Autolysis?

Answer 19

Digestive enzymes eat away at itself, auto digesting

Question 20

What is Putrefaction?

Answer 20

Process of decay or rotting the body

Question 21

What do bacteria produce and cause in the decomposition process?

Answer 21

Produce enzymes causing gas formation from fermentation

Question 22

What is a Forensic Odontologist?

Answer 22

Examine teeth and bitemarks

Question 23

How can forensic odontologists compare teeth before and after death?

Answer 23

Ante-mortem vs. post-mortem data e.g. dental records

Question 24

What are the age estimation in teeth?

Answer 24

+/- 7 years for adult
+/- 6 months for child’s
+/- days for foetus

Question 25

What is the role of the forensic anthropologist?

Answer 25

Identify bones

Question 26

What features can a forensic anthropologist identify?

Answer 26

Human/animal
How many individuals
Sex
Stature
Age- foetus/ child/ adult
Foetus- 3 fragmented bones
Child- one bone with a scar
Adult- one smooth bone

Question 27

What is the easiest way to ID bone?

Answer 27

Excavation in situ

Once bone is taken out of context, it’s harder to ID

Question 28

What are the radioisotope dating options?

Answer 28

Carbon 14
Lead 210
Caesium 137
Polonium 210

Question 29

How can Carbon 14 age bones?

Answer 29

In bone when alive, don’t obtain any more after death, decay can indicate age

Question 30

How can Caesium 137 identify bones?

Answer 30

Can tell if it was post or pre nuclear testing

Question 31

How can Polonium 210 identify bones?

Answer 31

Can tell you if death was in the last 2/3 years

Question 32

Whats the main bone differences in males and females?

Answer 32

Bone structure of pelvis and cranium

Question 33

What is the difference between a male and female pelvis?

Answer 33

Female pelvis is broader, wider and flatter than males

Question 34

What is the difference between a male and female cranium?

Answer 34

Differences in skeletal and muscle attachment, males have point at the back of the head which women dont

Question 35

What age group can you not distinguish sex from?

Answer 35

Pre-pubescent juveniles

Question 36

Which bones can height be assessed from?

Answer 36

Long bones and refer to data to determine height

Question 37

What is musculature assessed from?

Answer 37

Muscle insertion site
Bone robusticity
Site of joint surfaces

Question 38

What does bone reconstruction show?

Answer 38

Allows damage to be assessed

Helps explain events

Question 39

What can gunshot wounds (GSW) show?

Answer 39

Size of entry, wound, weapon, bullet trajectory, location, distance of perpetrator

Question 40

What can blunt force trauma show?

Answer 40

Weapon used, number of blows

Question 41

What does black bone mean?

Answer 41

Bone burned at a cooler temperature

Question 42

What can Anthropoligist ID?

Answer 42

Human/ animal
Age band
Elements present/ absent
Minimum number individuals
Age, sex, stature, race
Identifying features, skeletal or dental anomalies and pathology
Reconstruct remains

Question 43

What is the difference in the age of bones?

Answer 43

Child under 5- three bones
Teenager to young adult- one bone with scar down in
Older adult- one smooth bone