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CIA Challenge
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Forensic Science Crime Scene Investigation Part I – The Courts and Laws
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Legal Considerations For Gathering Evidence
4th Amendment of US Constitution -- The right against unreasonable search and seizure Search Warrant – legal document, issued by judge, that allows a search of a person and/or property
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Legal Considerations For Gathering Evidence
4th Amendment (continued) Warrant less Search – okay if/during… Emergency circumstances The need to prevent the immediate loss or destruction of evidence Search of a person or property within the immediate control of a person just arrested Consent is given by involved parties
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Legal Considerations For Gathering Evidence
5th Amendment of US Constitution -- The right against self incrimination Miranda Rights – You have the right to remain silent and have an attorney present during questioning
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Legal Considerations For Gathering Evidence
6th Amendment of US Constitution -- The right to have an attorney provided for you if you cannot afford one on your own Public Defender – lawyer hired by county/city government solely to represent a defendant at no charge to them District Attorney – lawyer employed by city/county to prosecute defendants on behalf of the city/county
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Making An Arrest There must be probable cause to arrest a suspect (more than suspicion, but less than 100% positive they are guilty) Reasons for probable cause - Flight - high crime area - failure to explain / evasiveness - strange behavior/conduct - perception of narcotics usage - indications of criminal activity
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Making An Arrest Reasons for probable cause (continued)
physical evidence presence at the scene reputation of premises association with other known felons past criminal conduct unusual time of day/night suspect resembles description
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Making An Arrest MISDIMEANOR: Punishable in local/county prison for terms of less than one year &/or a fine Hunting without a license Underage possession of alcohol/narcotics Littering Loitering Writing a bad check Unpaid speeding &/or parking tickets Truancy (most likely the parents)
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Making An Arrest FELONY: Punishable in state/federal prison for terms greater than one year &/or a fine Hit and run Dui Assault and battery Vehicular manslaughter/homicide Murder/manslaughter Rape (including statutory rape) Child molestation
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Types of Murder Charges
1st degree -- premeditated (plotted and planned ahead of time ) 2nd degree – killed intentionally, but not thought out as much ahead of time Voluntary manslaughter – usually involves sudden passion (fear, rage, anger, terror) Involuntary manslaughter – criminally negligent homicide (killed someone, but unintentionally)
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Facets of Guilt MEANS – the ability to have committed a crime
MOTIVE – the reason for committing a crime -- doesn’t have to be proven in a court of law, but everyone wants to know this OPPORTUNITY – time or availability to have committed the crime
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Corpus Delicti “Body of the Crime” To get a conviction you must prove…
- That a crime occurred - That the person charged with the crime was responsible of the crime Top reasons for committing a crime… - Money - Sex - Revenge - Emotion – love, hate, anger Sources of evidence… Body - Primary/secondary crime scene Suspect(s)
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Processes of a Trial Plaintiff’s opening Defendant’s opening
Plaintiff’s case Defendant’s case Plaintiff’s rebuttal Defendant’s surrebuttal Plaintiff’s closing Defendant’s closing Plaintiff’s response Jury instructions verdict
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Types of Evidence Direct Evidence:
Tends to show fact without proof of any other fact – what they saw or did Circumstantial Evidence: Piece(s) of evidence that is thought to be true based on circumstances
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Witnesses Expert Witness: assists in interpreting and evaluating evidence; qualified and experienced Physician, psychologist, etc Eye Witness: someone who saw happenings &/or suspects at the crime scene Helps in composite drawings May not be very reliable in court proceedings Character Witness: testifies to the character of defendant/plaintiff Friend, coworker, etc.
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Crime Scene Investigation
Forensic Science Crime Scene Investigation Part II – The Investigation Team & Collecting Evidence
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Crime Scene Team A group of professional investigators, each trained in a variety of special disciplines Team Members: First police officer on the scene Medics (if necessary) Investigator (s) Medical examiner (if necessary) Photographer &/or field evidence technician Lab experts
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Crime Scene Team Lab experts: Pathologist Serologist DNA expert
Toxicologist Forensic odontologist Forensic psychologist Forensic anthropologist Forensic entomologist Firearm examiner Bomb & arson expert Document & handwriting expert Fingerprint expert
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Investigators “ The wise forensic investigator will always remember that he must bring all of his life experiences and logic to find the truth. This means common sense, informed intuition, and the courage to see things as they are. Then he must speak honestly about what it adds up to.” - Dr. Henry Lee Chief Emeritus for Scientific Services and the former Commissioner of Public Safety for the state of Connecticut
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First Officer at the Scene
A Assess the crime scene D Detain the witness A Arrest the perpetrator P Protect the crime scene T Take notes
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Initial Response/ Prioritization of Efforts
Arriving at the Scene: Initial Response/ Prioritization of Efforts Initial response and receipt of information Safety precautions Emergency care Secure and control persons at the scene Establish and preserve scene boundaries Transfer control of the scene to the investigator (s) in charge Document actions and observations at the scene
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Preliminary documentation & Evaluation of the Scene
Conduct scene assessment Conduct scene “Walk-Through” and initial documentation
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Processing the Scene Determine team composition
Ensure contamination control Document the scene Prioritize collection of evidence Collect, preserve, inventory, package, transport, and submit evidence
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Completing and Recording the Crime Scene Investigation
Establish crime scene debriefing team Perform final survey of the crime scene Documentation of the crime scene
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Eye Witness “Perception is reality.”
As a result, an eye witness may not be the best source of crime scene information. A police composite may be developed from the witness testimony by a computer program or forensic artist. Faces Composite Program by InterQuest
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Crime Scene Search Patterns
Spiral Grid Start at the center and work your way outwards Work East-West and then North-South
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Crime Scene Search Patterns
Strip or Line Quadrant or Zone Walk North/South line by line (almost like cutting grass) Section scene off into 4 pieces and then into smaller 4 pieces
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Crime Scene Sketches c A. Couch/sofa B. Female body C. Knife
Date: August 14, Criminalist: Ann Wilson Time: 11:35 Location: Rockledge Dr St. Louis, Mo. A. Couch/sofa B. Female body C. Knife D. Over turned Lamp E. Chairs F. Table G. Fireplace E c D G A E E F E
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Outdoor Crime Scene Mapping
Azimuth--uses a compass beam to determine the location of each piece of evidence Triangulation--uses two points at the crime scene to map each piece of evidence Coordinate or grid--divides the crime scene into squares for mapping. Suspended Polar Coordinate --for use in mapping evidence in a hole Baseline--set a north/south line and measures each piece of evidence from this line.
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AZIMUTH Determines: Direction Distance Elevation
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TRIANGULATION Measure from A to B and then to the evidence in a triangular shape.
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Set a north/south line from a datum point established by a GPS.
Coordinate or Grid Mapping Set a north/south line from a datum point established by a GPS. Measure and map the location of each piece of evidence. Then collect evidence and place in containers by grid. Make it a perfect square (4 x 4) by shooting the hypotenuse and setting in stakes every foot or meter.
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Baseline Mapping Set a north/south line from the furthest most points of the crime scene. Then measure each piece of evidence from that baseline. Evidence will need a numerical measurement where the piece begins, ends and in the middle. Evidence Baseline
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Suspended Polar Coordinate
Measure and map each layer of evidence as you move down the hole. Use the compass readings from the top to measure degrees and a tank dipping line to measure depth.
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MAPPING TECHNOLOGY The latest technology includes this Nikon Tsunami with computer. The exact location of all crime evidence can be determined and directly loaded into a computer to produce a crime scene map. Cost = $35,000 for the set.
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Physical Evidence
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Physical Evidence Transient Evidence--temporary; easily changed or lost; usually observed by the first officer at the scene Odor--putrefaction, perfume, gasoline, urine, burning, explosives, cigarette or cigar smoke Temperature--of room, car hood, coffee, water in a bathtub; cadaver Imprints and indentations--footprints; teeth marks in perishable foods; tire marks on certain surfaces Markings – tool marks,
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Physical Evidence (cont’d)
Conditional Evidence --produced by a specific event or action; important in crime scene reconstruction and in determining the set of circumstances within a particular event. Light--headlight; lighting conditions Smoke--color, direction of travel, density, odor Fire--color and direction of the flames, speed of spread, temperature and condition of fire
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Conditional Evidence (cont’d)
Location--of injuries or wounds; of bloodstains; of the victims vehicle; of weapons or cartridge cases; of broken glass, etc. Vehicles--doors locked or unlocked, windows opened or closed; radio off or on (station); odometer mileage Body--position; types of wounds; rigor, livor and algor mortis Scene--condition of furniture, doors and windows; any disturbance or signs of a struggle.
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There are several ways (at least 7) of classifying evidence.
Physical Evidence Pattern or Transfer Evidence--produced by direct contact between a person and an object or between two objects. There are several ways (at least 7) of classifying evidence. In this class, we will use: Biological Chemical Physical Miscellaneous
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Evidence Characteristics
Class -- common to a group of objects or persons Individual -- can be identified with a particular person or source. ABO Blood Typing Blood DNA Typing
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Blood Semen Saliva Sweat/Tears Hair Bone Tissues Urine Feces
Biological Evidence Blood Semen Saliva Sweat/Tears Hair Bone Tissues Urine Feces Animal Material Insects Bacterial/Fungal
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Fibers Paper Glass Ink Soil Cosmetics Gunpowder Paint Metal Plastic
Chemical Evidence Fibers Glass Soil Gunpowder Metal Mineral Narcotics Drugs Paper Ink Cosmetics Paint Plastic Lubricants Fertilizer
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Physical (Impression) Evidence
Fingerprints Footprints Shoe prints Handwriting Firearms Printing Number restoration Tire marks Tool marks Typewriting
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Miscellaneous Evidence
Laundry marks Voice analysis Polygraph Photography Stress evaluation Pyscholinguistic analysis Vehicle identification
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Cadaver Dogs Dogs with a sense of smell 100 times better than humans can sometimes find what would be overlooked. They are specially trained to locate injured, lost and/or deceased individuals. They are trained as air scent dogs or article (cloth) scent dogs.
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Cadaver Dogs Dogs are trained to locate human body fluids including blood, hair, teeth, urine, and semen. The dog on the left in a training exercise is trying to locate clothing with blood.
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Cadaver Dogs Looking at a crime scene, humans would probably miss something as small as this tooth. The dog found it within minutes of searching the scene.
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