Chapter 3: Observation Skills

What is an observation A forensic investigator must be able to clearly Observe Interpret Report Collect all evidence without making a judgement about its importance A crime scene is often laid out in a grid to ensure all evidence is found

What is an observation We are constantly gathering information about our surroundings by using our senses Our brains select what information we take in; we unconsciously apply a filter We pay attention to things that are more likely to be important to us Paying attention to the details of your surroundings requires conscious effort

What is an observation Perception: the way you think about or understand someone or something Our perception is Limited Faulty The way we view our surroundings may not always be accurate Not always a reflective view of reality Our brains will fill in information that is not there If we are reading a sentence and a word is missing we will usually not notice the omission, instead we predict the word that should be there and keep reading Explore activity: have students perform an activity that illustrates perception (having them touch an unseen object and guess how the perceive the object) Ask students what observations they can make about the classroom (was a test given last period, was there a demonstration of some kind, what evidence do they have) Have students recall what I was doing when they entered the classroom, can they remember details

How information is processed in the brain

Observations By Witnesses Key part to any investigation is observations by witnesses Eyewitness accounts of crime scene events vary considerably from one person to another What you observe depends on Your level of interest Your stress levels Concentration The amount and kind of distraction present Our prejudices Personal beliefs Motives Any lapse in time since the event

Eyewitness Accounts When evaluating eyewitness testimony, the investigator must discriminate between fact and opinion. Witnesses have to describe what they saw(eyewitness evidence) not what they thought happened (opinion) Someone running from the site of a shooting might imply guilt but could also be an innocent bystander running away in fear of being shot Once the eyewitness examination is complete the examiner must piece together the events in a logical pattern of events Next step is to determine if the pattern of events is verified by the physical evidence

Check for understanding 1 A forensic investigator must be able to(3 things) What are 5 things that effect what we observe The way you think or understand someone or something After the eyewitness interview the investigator must Why is it that an eyewitness observation may not be the most reliable (this won’t be found on a specific slide, use all the information covered so far to answer it-At least 5 sentences)

The innocence project Created by Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld in 1992 at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in New York Purpose is to reexamine post-conviction cases using DNA evidence to provide conclusive proof of guilt or innocence Out of 200 wrongful convictions the Innocence project found that faulty eyewitness identification contributed to 87% of those wrongful convictions

How to be a good observer Observe Systematically We are not naturally inclined to pay attention to all of the details of our surroundings so at a crime scene you must Start at one part of a crime scene and run your eyes slowly over every space Look carefully at everything you see When looking at a piece of evidence under a microscope slide, look systematically at every part of the evidence

How to be a good observer Turn Off Filters We are naturally inclined to filter out unimportant information so at a crime scene you must Consciously observe everything; no matter how small or familiar Act like a data-gathering robot

How to be a good observer Avoid Jumping To Conclusions We are naturally inclined to interpret what we see, to look for patterns, and make connections; at a crime scene you should Concentrate on gathering all the available information Leave the interpretation until all information is gathered

How to be a good observer Compensate for Faulty Memories Write down and photograph as much information as possible Documentation is also important when acting as an expert witness Even the verbal testimony of a forensic scientist requires proper documentation

Observations In Forensics Forensic Scientist Uses science to help in legal matters; like a crime Are strictly concerned with uncovering evidence that stands as fact Aren’t interested in making the suspect look guilty Only interested in collecting and examining physical evidence Reports the evidence to investigators and courts

What forensic scientist do Find, examine, and evaluate evidence from a crime scene Good observation skills are key Act as expert witnesses for the prosecution Be able to convince a jury that their analysis is both reliable and accurate Forensic specialist deal with specific types of evidence Ballistics, pathologist, textile, blood splatter, vehicle, animal experts, etc.

Check for understanding 2 What is the purpose of the Innocence Project 3 things forensic scientist do What are the 4 things you can do to be a good observer Writing everything down and taking pictures help with what when it comes to being a good observer Why is it important to observe a crime scene systematically Why should we avoid jumping to conclusions at a crime scene