1. Forensic Science Lecture 2: The Report
Donald J. Ross, M.D.

2. Lecture 2: The Report The importance of The Report
Return to Office, Precinct or Head Quarters
Have to do the paperwork
Everything you write can become evidence in the courtroom
Defendant’s attorney will look for anything he can to help his client

3. General Rules Just write what you see
You can do everything by the book writing a perfect report and the defendant’s attorney may still find something
Always write “alleged”
“alleged murderer”, never “I was called to the scene of a murder at 10:15 by Det”.

4. Keep things simple
At 03:15 am on June 25th 2014 the dispatcher from Holidale Township informed the Crime Scene unit of a deceased male at Motel 6, Rt. 22, Holidale NY,
Officer Jones arrived on scene at 03:45 hours.
A deceased unidentified white male was found lying on his left side between the two beds.
There was no signs of forced entry.

5. Keep things simple 2 Mostly you want to say what is NOT there.
No evidence of narcotics or narcotics paraphernalia
Try to give the reader a simple idea of the location.
Home was in squalid condition with signs of insects and mouse droppings. (statements like this gives the reader a good picture of the scene)

6. Keep things simple 3 Don’t write “home appeared to be a meth lab”
Instead write things like “windows were painted black from the inside”
“laboratory equipment, glassware and scales were present in the room”

7. Write what you see

9. Det. Jenny Case: How an attorney can twist facts Husband and wife
Wife NJT bus driver
Nightshift
Husband rides bus to keep her company
One night robbery occurs
Husband is killed as the robber entered the rear of the bus with a shotgun

10. Det. Jenny
Problem: Who would rob a NJT bus, which has little or no cash?
Why at night and with a shotgun?
Wife had a boyfriend
Owned a shotgun that went missing
Was found by Det. Jenny
Cut into three pieces and had been cleaned

11. Det. Jenny The cleaning was professional
Boyfriend worked at a machine shop
Det. Jenny found, by examining all the records, the defendant had requested a special metal cutting blade one day.
On that same day he was seen carrying into the shop a long box.
The gun was sent to the FBI crime lab

12. Det. Jenny Det. Kenny could not find any prints on external exam
In the gun butt was found a receipt
The husband and wife also owned a cabin
Det. Jenny went there with a search warrant
He found film canisters and developed hundreds of photographs
Courtroom

13. Courtroom reasonable doubt
Defense Attorney asks the following questions
“Det. Jenny did you search the cabin?”
Det. Jenny responds “Yes” in court you can only answer “yes” or “no”
“Det. Jenny did you find film canisters there?”
Det. Jenny responds “Yes”
“Det. Jenny did you develop those pictures?”
Det. Jenny was there an unknown naked female photographed in the cabin? “Yes”

14. Courtroom reasonable doubt
The defense attorney knew just how to ask this question which would confuse the jury, create doubt and imply this naked female could have been romantically involved with the husband
Fortunately the Prosecutor had reviewed every photograph and quickly realized the clever ploy of the defense attorney

15. Courtroom Cont.
Prosecutor “Det. Jenny what was the age of that female”
Det. Jenny “about six months of age”
Defense attorneys can be very clever