Crime Scene Investigation

Question 1

Who is considered a crime scene investigator?

Answer 1

• IDENT officers (specialized police officers)

Question 2

What training/certification is required to be a CSI?

Answer 2

• field assessment
• written exam and ID course
• apprenticeship (5 research projects)
• fingerprinting exam
• oral exam
• complete mock trial

Question 3

What events take place at a crime scene?

Answer 3

• crime is reported/discovered
• first responders attend scene
• if crime occurred, police take over
• first responders notify other specialist sections (Forensic ID, Serious Crime, or Coroner’s service)

Question 4

What steps need to be done to process a crime scene?

Answer 4

• aid victim if still alive (if dead, secure scene and wait for IDENT)
• post guards
• install barricades
• protect perishable evidence
• call IDENT specialists

Question 5

What is the role of IDENT specialists?

Answer 5

• identify all evidence and describe where each was found
• prove continuity of evidence
• account for changes to evidence

Question 6

How is contamination prevented at a crime scene?

Answer 6

• bunny suit
• 2 pairs of gloves
• masks
• take prints of all officers for elimination
• different IDENT officers must attend each scene

Question 7

What are the duties of an IDENT specialist?

Answer 7

1. note taking - highly descriptive
2. photography - OMC principle, taken with scale and without
3. searching the scene - 5 types of ways
4. drawing and measuring - scaled drawings
5. Evidence Collection - lift fingerprints, swab for DNA, cast impression, control sample

Question 8

What are the 5 types of ways to search a scene?

Answer 8

1. grid - divided into small grids (30-100cm squares)
2. Line - best when looking for skelotonized remains in elongated areas
3. Zone - similar to grid but larger sections, best for places with rooms or large outdoor areas
4. spiral - done by a single person, best for bomb site
5. ray - several people move from boundary to center

Question 9

How is evidence packaged and stored? why is this important?

Answer 9

• biological materials placed in paper bags
• trace evidence in paper bags / envelope
• hands, feet, and head covered in sterile paper bags
• items need to be preserved to prevent deterioration/damage, contamination, and tampering

Question 10

What is chain of custody?

Answer 10

• recording everyone who handled and analyzed evidence from crime scene up until it’s presented in court
• all changes must be explained

Question 11

What are the steps in body chain of custody?

Answer 11

• Coroner has jurisdiction over body
• calls body removal service
• body is secured in body bag by officers
• officer accompanies body to morgue and keeps key to where body is kept
• forensic IDENT specialist will attend autopsy

Question 12

What is IAFIS?

Answer 12

Integrated Automatic Fingerprint Identification System

• digitizes prints to minutiae and generates possible hits
• final comparison done by examiner

Question 13

What process is used to identify and individualize fingerprints?

Answer 13

ACE-V Principle

Question 14

Describe each step of the ACE-V principle

Answer 14

1. Analysis - identify any distortions that may have impinged print’s appearance
2. Comparison - compare unknown to known print using 3 levels
3. Evaluation - report Identification, Exclusion, or inconclusive
4. Verification - examined by second examiner

Question 15

What types of prints are found at a crime scene?

Answer 15

• latent - invisible, made by transferring oils/sweat to object
• visible - finger is coated in material and print is left
• plastic - impression in soft material

Question 16

What are some problems with fingerprints?

Answer 16

1. flawed assumptions
2. no error rates
3. police-driven
4. subjective
5. claims of 100% accuracy is not plausible
6. ACE-V principle
   - doesn’t prevent bias