Exam #1 Flashcards
Who established the first workable crime laboratory?
Locard
What three things can be rightfully cited as an explanation for the rapid growth of crime labs during the last 40 years?
1) Staggering increase in crime rates in the United States
2) Supreme Court decisions in the 1960s
3) Advent of DNA profiling
Who devised a technique for determining the blood group of a dried bloodstain, which he applied to criminal investigations?
Lattes
THINK: blood latte
In the case of Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceutical, Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court advocated that a “gatekeeper” determine the admissibility and reliability of scientific evidence. This gatekeeper is the:
Trial judge
What supreme court case determines that the trial judge is the gatekeeper who is responsible for determining the admissibility and reliability of scientific evidence?
Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceutical, Inc.
The current system of crime laboratories in the United States can best be described as:
Decentralized
Who established the comparison microscope as the indispensable tool of the modern firearms examiner?
Goddard
Who wrote the first treatise describing the application of science to the field of criminal investigation?
Gross
Specially trained personnel called ________ are employed by some crime laboratories on 24-hour call to retrieve evidence and have all the proper tools and supplies for proper collection and packaging of evidence at their disposal.
Evidence technicians
What are evidence technicians?
Specially trained personnel who are employed by some crime laboratories on 24-hour call to retrieve evidence and have all the proper tools and supplies for proper collection and packaging of evidence at their disposal.
Who undertook the first definitive study of fingerprints as a method of personal identification?
Galton
Which would NOT be included in the work of the biology unit of a crime lab?
DNA profiling
Fingerprint analysis
Comparison of hairs
Blood typing
Fingerprint analysis
Who developed the system known as anthropometry?
Bertillon
What is anthropometry?
the scientific study of the measurements and proportions of the human body
Which unit applies principles and techniques of chemistry, physics, and geology to the identification and comparison of crime scene evidence?
Toxicology
Forensic geology
Biology
Physical science
Physical science
Which specialized area of forensic science examines the relationship between human behavior and legal proceedings?
Forensic psychiatry
The case of Coppolino v. State highlights issues dealing with:
The admissibility of the polygraph.
The acceptability of new scientific tests.
Search and seizure.
The evidential value of confessions.
The acceptability of new scientific tests.
The exchange of evidence principle was theorized by:
Locard.
The scientific method requires that scientific evidence be validated by what three things?
1) Formulating hypotheticals.
2) Formulating pertinent questions.
3) Performing experiments.
Who is known as the “father of forensic toxicology”?
Orfilia
Bite marks would be LEAST likely to be found in cases involving:
Arson
The judicial case that set forth the most current guidelines for determining the admissibility of scientific examinations in the federal courts is:
Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals
Which of the following services are typically provided to law enforcement by crime laboratories?
Psychology
Odontology
Pathology
Criminalistics
Criminalistics
The oldest forensic laboratory in the United States is that of the:
Los Angeles Police Department
What three factors does the court usually take into consideration as sufficient grounds for qualification as an expert witness?
1) Experience
2) Education
3) Training
The lay witness provides testimony that relies on:
Personal Knowledge
The necessity for the forensic scientist to appear in court comes from the U.S. Supreme Court case:
Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts
A crime scene which involved the collapse of a structure would be analyzed by specialists in the area of:
Forensic engineering
Which search pattern is most reliant on the boundaries established?
Line
After providing or obtaining medical assistance for the injured and effecting an arrest of suspects (if possible), the first officer arriving at a crime scene should immediately:
Secure the Scene
At an arson scene, the collection of a substrate control would require the arson investigator to:
Collect a piece of the surface material near the fire’s origin that he or she believes was not exposed to the accelerant
Police barricades, and the strategic positioning of guards, will prohibit access to the crime scene for:
All unauthorized personnel
The crime scene notes must accurately record what three things?
1) Descriptions of evidence present at the crime scene.
2) The tasks assigned each investigator.
3) Personnel arrivals and departures from the scene.
The best way to guarantee that the evidence will withstand inquiries about what happened to it from the time of its finding to its presentation in court is to do what three things?
1) Properly record the crime scene.
2) Properly complete evidence submission forms.
3) Properly mark evidence for identification.
All of the following items may be placed in an airtight container EXCEPT:
Blood-stained clothing.
Hairs and fibers.
Charred debris recovered from a fire.
Glass.
Blood-stained clothing.
Special circumstances at a crime scene may require the use of the following for evidence collection, EXCEPT:
Coveralls.
Biohazard packages.
Particle masks.
All of the above may be required.
All of the above may be required.
The conditions at a crime scene can be compromised by all of the following actions EXCEPT:
Turning on a faucet on the crime scene.
Smoking at the crime scene.
Eating food at the crime scene.
Taking photographs at the crime scene.
Taking photographs at the crime scene.
Changes to evidence, such as contamination, can be prevented by handling evidence with what two things?
Latex gloves and Disposable forceps
Digital crime scene photographs require special measures to assure their admissibility in court due to:
The ability to manipulate the images
The most basic methods of crime scene recording do NOT include:
Infrared analysis.
Photographs.
Narrated videotapes.
Note-taking.
Infrared analysis
Which crime scene search pattern does NOT require more than one investigator?
Line
The presence of blood and semen at crime scenes exposes investigators to what two things?
AIDS and Hepatitis B
Which U.S. Supreme Court decision which dealt with the impropriety of the warrantless collection of physical evidence at a homicide scene?
Mincey v. Arizona
The search pattern in which one or two investigators start at the boundary at one end of the scene and walk straight across to the other side is:
Line
When biological samples of unknown origin are discovered at a crime scene, investigators:
Should assume pathogens are present and treat the sample as such
The location of an item of evidence on a crime scene sketch is shown by its distance from points of reference that:
Are fixed or immovable
Which search pattern would be best suited for a crime scene where many investigators are available to search a large area?
Zone
The advantages of tape-recording crime scene notes on an audio tape include:
The notes are recording as the observations are made.
The investigator’s hands are free to carry out other tasks while recording the notes.
Audio tapes have the added security feature of preventing erasure or taping over if the security tab on the tape.
Evidence commonly located during a vehicle search includes all of the following EXCEPT:
Fibers.
Paint evidence.
Broken glass.
Questioned documents.
Questioned documents.
Charred debris from an arson scene should be:
Packaged in airtight glass jars
Videotapes of the crime scene:
Must be complemented by a hard copy of notes and separate still photographs
The examination of a paint chip found on a hit-and-run victim’s garment side-by-side with paint removed from a vehicle suspected of being involved in the incident is an example of:
Comparison
To calculate the overall frequency of occurrence of a blood type in a population, the ________ can be applied by using a series of blood factors that occur independently of each other.
Product Rule
The “jigsaw fit” of known and questioned fragments is important for court presentation primarily because:
This method will definitely demonstrate common origin when a match is made
The value of class physical evidence lies in its ability to:
Corroborate events with data in a manner nearly without bias
Evidence having class characteristics can:
Exonerate an innocent suspect
Which source of CODIS contains DNA profiles from unsolved crime scene evidence?
Forensic index
Evidence with individual characteristics can lead to a determination of common origin (single source). Which type of evidence CANNOT yield such results?
Single-layer paints
Random striations on tools
Wear patterns on tires
Fingerprints
Single-layer paints
Forensic databases are maintained for all of the following EXCEPT:
DNA.
Automotive paint.
Fingerprints
Dental impressions.
Dental impressions
Who ultimately determines the significance of physical evidence in a trial?
The Jury
If the laboratory can piece broken glass from a window or headlight together, then the evidence has ________ characteristics.
Individual
A comparison analysis subjects a suspect specimen and a control specimen to the same tests and examinations for the ultimate purpose of determining:
whether or not they have a common origin
The corroborative use of physical evidence means that it can be used to:
Support other investigative findings
The likelihood of finding class physical evidence is ________ the likelihood of finding physical evidence with individual characteristics.
Greater than
Multiplying together the frequencies of independently occurring factors is called the:
Product Rule
What is the product rule?
Multiplying together the frequencies of independently occurring factors
Physical evidence is considered to have ________ as that of eyewitness (testimonial) evidence
Greater value
Paint chips, random glass fragments, and synthetic fibers all exhibit:
Class characteristics.
When a forensic analyst determines the chemical composition of preparations that may contain illicit drugs such as heroin, cocaine, or barbiturates, this is an example of:
Identification.
What three methods can be used in making an identification of a deceased individual?
1) Facial reconstruction
2) Dental examination
3) Fingerprinting
Partially digested or dissolved pills can be seen in the:
stomach
A body that displays a cherry-red discoloration might lead a pathologist to suspect poisoning by:
Carbon monoxide
Defense wounds are most typically seen on the:
hands
A pathologist would expect rigor mortis to disappear after ________ hours.
36
Time of death can be approximated by analyzing the vitreous humor and the levels of:
Potassium
Which should be performed first at a death scene?
Secure the Scene
What does hemoglobin transport in the blood?
Oxygen
What two factors can help to determine if a victim was alive during a fire?
Soot and Levels of carbon monoxide in the body
What part of the victim’s body is often bagged in order to prevent loss of trace evidence?
Hands
Death intentionally caused by another person is typically ruled a(n):
Homicide
Toxicological specimens are taken at which stage of the death investigation?
Internal examination
Homicide, suicide, accident, natural, and undetermined are all categories of:
Manner of Death
Putrefaction and autolysis are two types of ________ processes.
Decomposition
Evidence of tampering with the position of a body after death can be obtained by evaluating the:
Livor mortis
The rate of cooling of a dead body can be influenced by all BUT the:
Location.
Size of body.
Gender of victim.
Weather conditions.
Gender of victim
Why are expert witnesses important?
They help to sway the jury
What is the Frye Standard?
Requires that any evidence brought into the ocurtroom should be generally accepted by the scientific community
What are substrate controls?
Uncontaminated surface material taken from an area close to where other physical evidence was found
testing samples aside from the main piece of evidence to use as a point of refrence
When enacting _______ privledges, the officers on the scene are:
4th amendment
the determining factor of probable cause
you can be detained for probably cause without consent and not be searched
How do you determine the angle of blood splatter impact?
sin angle = width/height
inverse sin (sin -1) = angle of impact
sin angle should always be a decimal
What is the largest of the velocity impact droplets?
Low Velocity
What types of impacts are low velocity?
transfer stains
drip trails
flow patterns
What types of impacts are medium velocity?
blunt force truama
arterial spray
cast off stains
What types of stains are small and have a mist like appearence?
High velocity stains
What types of impacts are high velocity?
gun shot wounds
explosions
expiated blood patterns
What are void patterns good for?
helping to determine if something/ someone was moved
What is the difference between a forensic autopsy and a clinical autopsy?
Forensic autopsy stops when evidence is. found to maintain a chain of custody and the integrity of evidence
Clinical autopsy is not worried about holding up in court so it does none of the above
What do toxicology screens typically look for?
drugs in the bloodstream
What is a metabolite of a drug?
something your body changes about the drug
Define cause of death:
what was the injury
Define manner of death:
was it/ what was the purpose
What is asphyxia?
anything that cuts off blood supply to your body
What are some examples of asphyxia?
toxic gas
chocking
carbon monoxide
What are the five categories of manner of death?
Homicide
Suicide
Accidental
Natural
Undetermined
What is Algor Mortis?
body temperature
What is Livor Mortis?
blood pooling
How is Livor Mortis caculated?
uses blanching to gauge how long it has been since the death
What is blanching?
a whitish discoloration that results when pressure is applied to the skin
What is Rigor Mortis?
stiffening of body parts
What are the two methods of decomposition?
autolysis and putrefaction
What is autolysis?
digestion by enzymes on cells
occurs quickly
What is putrefaction?
decomposition by micro organisms like bacteria
occurs slowly
What is forensic entomology?
study of insect to find and analyze crime scenes
Who is usually the first to a crime scene?
Insects bc they use chemical markers to find the dead bodies
What is the PMI?
post mortem interval
min and max time since death as determined by inset evidence
What five things do you need to know to determine the PMI?
1) species of the oldest insect present
2) more than one insect present
3) how the species develops
4) temperature of the environment around the body
5) oldest insect stage of whatever insect is being used
What do anthropologists do?
use bone to determine age, sex, and possibly recover DNA if there is still tissue present on the bone
What is important to know when distinguishing gender in a pelvis?
the sciatic notch, subpubic angle, and pelvic outlet are wider in females and more narrow in males
What five things are important to remember when determining gender in a skull?
Male suklls have:
- larger in size with more pronounced muscle
- more prominent supraorbital ridge
- more rounded upper orbital margin
- more square chin
- wider and more flared ramus
What bones tend to fuse first and last?
first: elbows
last: shoulders
What is bertillionage?
body measurements
What is serology?
study of body fluids
What is trace evidence?
deals with the minute transfers of materials that cannot be seen with the unaided eye
created when objects make contact
What is forensic odontology?
the application of dentistry to crime scenes and the law
i.e. bite marks
Who started the FBI and how has it changed since its development?
Hoover
temporarily in place to deal with crime
became more localized
state by state jurisdiction
Who is Bertillion?
first system of personal identification; bodily measurements
id/ measurements
Who is Galton?
first classification of finger prints
Who is Goddard?
father if ballistics
could determine bullet origin
Who is Osborn?
document cross examination
Who is McCrone?
used microscope to examine evidence in detail
Who is Orfila?
father of toxicology
Who is Galton?
first classification of fingerprints
Who is Lattes?
developed a procedure to determine blood type from blood stains
What is a Buccal swab?
DNA sample from a cheek swab
Who is Gross?
wrote the first treatise describing the application of scientific disciplines to the field of criminal investigation
Who is Locard?
created the first crime laboratory
He formulated the basic principle of forensic science: “Every contact leaves a trace”. This became known as Locard’s exchange principle
Why have the number of crime labs increased?
supreme court in the 1960’s
emphasis on scientific evidence
more drug testing facilities
DNA profiling
What is the difference between federal, state, and local crime labs?
government, funding, and more jurisdiction
What does it mean to release a crime scene and what needs to happen before this can occur?
it will no longer stay a crime scene
final sweep
evidence collection
What does it mean to maintain the chain of custody?
It tracks who, what, or where the evidence is
What is IAFIS?
fingerprint database
What is CODIS?
combined DNA index
What is NIBIN?
Ballistics database
What is SICAR?
shoeprint database
What is PDQ?
paint database
What are class characteristics?
properties of physical evidence that can be associated only with a group and never with a single source
What is class evidence?
substances such as blood, paint, and hair, which can be used to place an individual in a general class but cannot be used to identify an individual
How are exclusions and linkages inportant in investigations?
looking at abilities and connections
Describe the two steps in the process of comparison.
combining select properties that are chosen from the suspect and standard reference
What is skeletonization?
a pool of blood that has started to dry and is them smeared
What does expiated mean?
micro drops that are exhaled from a nose, or are coughed up through a mouth
Who are the three major groups of people usually involved with crime scene reconstruction?
law enforcement
medical examiner
criminalist
How does the physical nature of the target surface affect the resulting spatter of a blood drop?
hard and smooth = less splatter
rough = more splatter
How can an investigator tell the direction of travel of blood from the shape of a blood stain?
the direction of the tail
where gravity pulls
Which type of splatter is more likely to be deposited on the object or person of impact?
back splatter
What is ossification?
cartilage that turns to bone
What information about a corpse can be determined using insects? (4 things)
1) min and max time of death
2) what happened to the person before death
3) if the body was moved
4) cause of death
What are the four pieces of info needed to determine time of death by insect?
1) oldest stage of the insect on the body
2) insect species
3) temperature data
4) development date
Where on a corpse are insects most likely to colonize first and why?
Any sort of open wound (no matter the size), the mouth, eye sockets, or nose because they want to lay eggs by a warm and wet place
What is the CSI effect?
thinking you know the information about forensic because of TV shows like CSI
What does a forensic scientist not do?
Everything… there are speciality roles
Don’t arrest, chase, or solve whole cases
What three factors determine the admissibility of evidence?
legally obtained (warrant)
expert witness
chain of custody
What did the Frye case do?
set guidelines for admissibility of evidence
What did the daubert case do?
set the judge as the gatekeeper to determine admissibility of evidence
What are the implications of not maintaining chain of custody when handling evidence?
it can not hold up in court
What is the most important prereq for photographing a crime scene and why?
securing the scene to make sure everything is as un touched in the photos to prevent admissibility and tampering
How are linkages and exclusions important in investigations?
related and unrelated to case to narrow down suspects
Why are some jurists wary of allowing unconditional use of scientific evidence in court?
tampering
not understanding the science which can accidentally lead to biasing someone
What does a blood splatter trail do?
point in the direction of travel
because of gravity
What is the difference between forward and back splatter?
direction of travel
As velocity and force increase what happens to blood droplets?
they get smaller
Name two ways to distinguish expirated blood from other types of bloodtsains:
lighter
less of it (mist-like) because it is diluted by siliva
How does the first transfer pattern in a series differ from subsequent ones?
First is stronger/darker/more refined and it gets less and less as it goes on
What is a flow pattern?
blood pooling out of the body based on gravity
What would one think if a flow pattern found on a body does not appear consistent with the direction of gravity?
that the body had been moved
Name the differences between external and internal examination during an autopsy:
external: stab wounds and such noticed before cutting the body open
internal: cut open body and blood sample tests
What are the five most common causes of death?
1) gunshot wound
2) blunt force injury
3) sharp force injury
4) asphyxia
5) substance abuse
Why is it important to understand successional colonization of a body by insect?
help to gauge which insect was their first to better determine time of death
When is entomology not useful in determining time of death?
when it is too cold so there are no insects
and
when the insects have been there for more than one life cycle
What are four changes that occur to bones during development and throughout life?
1) rate of fusion
2) bone density
3) sutures in skull
4) flattening of pelvis
How is age determined during childhood using forensic anthropology?
teeth if under 10
bone fusion if over 10
How is age determined during adulthood using forensic anthropology?
wear and tear on boned (specifically the pelvis)
bone density
What is the key to knowing the order of blow fly sucession?
1st instar is younger than the 2nd instar ect
What is the top outer part of the pelvis called?
pubis
sciatic notch
sacrun
pelvic outlet
ilium
pubic symphysis (cartilage)
subpubic angle
coccyx
ilium
What is the top middle part of the pelvis called?
pubis
sciatic notch
sacrun
pelvic outlet
ilium
pubic symphysis (cartilage)
subpubic angle
coccyx
sacrum
What are the little gaps under the Ilium on a pelvis called?
pubis
sciatic notch
sacrun
pelvic outlet
ilium
pubic symphysis (cartilage)
subpubic angle
coccyx
sciatic notch
What is at the bottom of the sacrum called?
pubis
sciatic notch
sacrun
pelvic outlet
ilium
pubic symphysis (cartilage)
subpubic angle
coccyx
Coccyx
What is between the sacrum and Ilium on a pelvis?
pubis
sciatic notch
sacrun
pelvic outlet
ilium
pubic symphysis (cartilage)
subpubic angle
coccyx
pelvic outlet (opening)
What is located under the coccyx on a pelvis?
pubis
sciatic notch
sacrun
pelvic outlet
ilium
pubic symphysis (cartilage)
subpubic angle
coccyx
pubic symphysis (cartilage)
What is located on either side of the pubic symphysis (cartilage) on a pelvis?
pubis
sciatic notch
sacrun
pelvic outlet
ilium
pubic symphysis (cartilage)
subpubic angle
coccyx
Pubis
What is located at the bottom of the pelvis?
pubis
sciatic notch
sacrun
pelvic outlet
ilium
pubic symphysis (cartilage)
subpubic angle
coccyx
subpubic angle
What part of the skull is in the orbit?
the eye sockets
What is the top part of the eye socket called on a skull?
supra-orbital ridge
Where on a skull is the maxilla?
In between the noes and teeth by the cheeks
Where on a skull is the mandible?
the jaw
