How observant are you? Honors Forensic Science T. Trimpe

Which is the correct penny? NO CHEATING! You cannot look at a real penny!

Modern Scientific Advances  Advancements in computer technology  Overall increase in knowledge  Increased speed & accuracy of common procedures  Spectrophotometry  Chromotography  Gel electrophoresis  Extraction and analysis of DNA  1 st profiling test done in 1984  Establishment of computerized databases linked via the internet

Crime LaboratoriesCrime Laboratories History  Oldest contained in LA Police Dept.  1932 – FBI offered services to all law enforcement agencies in the country  Today – FBI Crime Lab in Quantico, VA is the world’s largest forensics lab  Performs over 1,000,000 examinations/yr  1981 – FBI’s Forensic Science Research and Training Center opened

History cont.History cont.  US has no nationalized system of labs resulting in local jurisdictions operating their own (~350 nationwide)  Informal exchange of information between local jurisdictions often occurs  Extensive growth of the # of labs and services offered in forensics labs  Court decisions in the 1960’s  greater stress on securing scientific evidence  Increased scientific capabilities of forensics labs  Increase in crime rate  drug-related arrests require testing  Advent of DNA profiling  fast, accurate, ability to extract from a multitude of sources

International LabsInternational Labs  Great Britain  System of National Facilities (6 for England and Wales)  Fee-for-service  Police and law enforcement agencies charged for tests  Many private labs have popped up  profit  Canada  Services provided by 3 government-funded groups

Basic Services of a Crime LabBasic Services of a Crime Lab  Physical Science Unit  Applies chemistry, physics, and geology to ID and compare physical evidence  Examines: drugs, glass, paint, soil, etc  Biology Unit  DNA profiling  Firearms Unit  Examines: firearms, discharged bullets, casings, ammunition, etc.  Document Examination Unit  Studies handwriting, typewriting  Looks at ink, imprinting, erasures, etc.  Photography Unit  Examines and records physical evidence  Uses specialized photographic techniques

Optional ServicesOptional Services  Toxicology Unit  Latent Fingerprint Unit  Polygraph Unit  Voiceprint Analysis Unit  Crime-scene Investigation Unit  Forensic Psychiatry  Forensic Odontology  Forensic Engineering  Forensic Computer and Digital Analysis

TPS – aka – Think-Pair-ShareTPS – aka – Think-Pair-Share  Question: What are some skills/characteristics that a good forensic scientist should possess?  Think – 2 min: write your thoughts in your notes  Pair – 2 min: Discuss your list with your table  Share – Each table shares the 2 most important skills/characteristics

How good are your observation skills? You will have 30 sec to remember as much as possible from the picture that will appear. You will then be asked 5 ?s

Observation QuestionsObservation Questions 1. What time was it on the clock? 2. How many people were in the scene? How many males? females? 3. Describe the person at the front of the line. Was it a man or a woman? Was he or she wearing a hat? What kind of clothes was the person wearing? Could you tell how tall the person was? Did he or she have any distinguishing features? 4. What day of the month was it? 5. Did you notice anything unusual in the picture?

What makes a good forensic scientist?  Working knowledge of scientific methods and how to apply them to a variety of situations.  Good laboratory techniques  Analytical (focuses on facts and numbers)  Very observant  Ability to think outside of the box  Excellent communication skills

Analysis of Physical EvidenceAnalysis of Physical Evidence  Of all things admissible in court, physical evidence is free of inherent (unavoidable) error or bias.  Processed via scientific methods  Process using strict guidelines to ensure careful, systematic collection, organization, and analysis of information.  Frye v. United States  In order for evidence to be admitted to trial, the procedure/technique/principles must be “generally accepted” by the scientific community.  Is this approach still applicable in modern times when new advances are being made rapidly? (As opposed to 1923 when the ruling was made)

Cont.’d  As decided in Daubert v. Merrell-Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc.:  In lieu of “general acceptance”, an alternative, Rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence, allows for expert testimony.  Must be based on sufficient facts or data  Is the product of reliable principles and methods  The witness has applied the principles and methods reliably to the facts of the case An expert witness is someone determined, by the court, to possess a particular skill or knowledge in a trade or profession that is not expected of the average person.

Proper Recognition, Collection, and Preservation of Evidence  Remember Locard’s Exchange Principle?  Evidence is virtually WORTHLESS if it has been contaminated, improperly documented, or tampered with!  See Appendix A, p. 674, in your text to see the guide to evidence collection.  We will cover some of this throughout the course.