1. Unit 1

2.  What is Forensic Science?

3.  Forensic Science – application of science to law

4.  Who are some important people that have contributed to the field of forensic science?  What have these people contributed?

5.  Fictional character developed by author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle  First to apply serology, fingerprinting, firearm identification, and questioned document examination  All of this – from fiction – before accepted by real-life criminal investigations.

6.  Father of Toxicology  Lafarge Trial (Marie) – arsenic  Book: Traite des poisons or Toxicologie generale – first scientific study of the detection and pathological effects of poisons – established toxicology as a distinct field of forensic science.

7.  The father of criminal identification  Developed anthropometry – using body length measurements as unique properties – took 243 separate measurements  Method was coined “Bertillonage”

8.  Fingerprinting  Developed methodology for identification using the friction ridges on fingers  Basics still used today  His work has been enhanced by Sir Edward Henry – the father of modern fingerprinting  Henry developed a filing method for storing fingerprint patterns/records prior to computer storage capabilities  Wrote the book Fingerprints

9.  Blood testing – used technique developed by Dr. Karl Landsteiner  Bloodstains – developed method to determine blood type from dried blood  Discovered that blood typing could be used as a means of identification

10.  Individualization of weapons  Firing pin marks on shell casings  Refined the technique of bullet comparison with the gun from which it was fired. Father of Firearm Identification

11.  Handwriting expert – established the fundamental principles of document examination.  Wrote Questioned Documents

12.  First real life “scientific detective” – described the application of scientific disciplines to the field of criminal investigation.  Wrote first book on criminal investigation  Austrian lawyer  Coined the term “Criminalistics”  Wrote about: forensic medicine toxicology, serology, ballistics, and anthropometry  Suggested using: mineralogist, ecologist, and botanists

13.  Reorganized the Bureau of Investigations in 1924  Included fingerprint cards  1932 now FBI  Organized a national laboratory that aimed to offer forensic services of all law enforcement agencies

14.  Locard’s Exchange Principle – whenever two objects come in contact, material will be exchanged between them  Every criminal can be tied to crime by dust particles carried from the scene  Example: counterfeit coins – metal found in that matched those of the coins found on three suspects clothes – confronted with evidence – they confessed Father of Forensics

15.  How are crime laboratories organized in the United States?  What units are present in most crime labs?  What is the responsibility of the units in each crime lab?

16.  5 main federal labs  Department of Justice (DOJ) labs at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  United States Secret Service (USSS)  Department of Treasury labs at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)  Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF)  Postal Inspection Services (PIS) at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS)

17.  Main lab in US is run by FBI and serves as a central repository for forensic info  Example  Integrated Fingerprinting Identification System (IAFIS)  Combined DNA Indexing System (CODIS)  Comparison standards for paint samples, tire patterns, bullets, explosives, and fibers, etc

18.  Initially established to combat counterfeiting issues  Protected Grover Cleveland on part-time basis  Officially assigned to protect the president after the assassination of William McKinley  Maintains questioned documents lab  Analyze ink and paper to determine authenticity

19.  Analyze drugs for major components, determine side products, solvents, impurities, and starting ingredients  Determine geographical origin of illegal drug manufacturer  Allow monitoring of patterns of drug trafficking and development of illegal substances

20.  Analyze physical evidence related to arson, explosives, firearms, tobacco, and alcohol  In conjunction with FBI developed National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN)

21.  Mail crimes i.e. identify theft, mail fraud, letter bombs, child pornography  Can analyze envelope for location & criminal id  Sometimes DNA can be isolated from saliva

22.  Chemistry  Largest unit because most evidence is drug- related and 6 th amendment guarantees right to speedy trial  gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer for drug analysis  Analyze trace evidence, explosives, metals, paints, minerals

23.  Physics  Crime scene reconstruction (car accident)  Reconstruct shooting  Biosciences  Analyze biological material for DNA i.e. blood, semen, saliva, skin, hair, etc  Identify biological samples  Toxicology  Analyze body fluids for presence of drugs or poisons

24.  Firearms  Comparison microscopy ▪ Match markings left on cartridge cases by firing pin, breechblock, extractor, or ejector ▪ Match test fired bullet  Fingerprints  Uncover latent prints by dusting, chemical, ultraviolet, and alternative light techniques  Photography  Record the crime scene

25.  Questioned Documents  Forged, altered, counterfeit documents  Analyze ink, handwriting, printing, erasures obliterations, and charred documents  Evidence Collection  Trained evidence collection technicians travel to crime scene  Evidence Submission and Holding  Maintain chain of custody, secure evidence

26.  What is the role of the forensic scientist?  What is the role of the crime scene investigator?

27.  Main job – analyze evidence  Train law enforcement (CSI) to identify, collect, and preserve evidence  Expert witness  Use physical evidence to connect the crime scene, the victim, and the criminal

28.  Recognize, collect, preserve evidence

29.  What are different careers in Forensic Science?

30.  Medical examiner  Physician authorized by state to investigate, unexpected, violent, suspicious, or unnatural deaths  Pathologist  Physician trained in determining cause of death; autopsy  Toxicologist  Detects presence of poisons or drugs in body fluids, tissues, and organs

31.  Odontologist  Forensic dentists  Use dental records for id especially in burn victims  Forensic Psychiatrist  Apply psychiatry to law  develop profile and determine competency to stand trial

32.  Forensic Engineer  Apply engineering principle to law  May determine structural failure such as bridge or building collapse  Forensic Anthropoloist  Performs specialized examination of human skeletal remains or badly decomposed bodies for id purposes  Forensic Entomologist  Apply study of insects to law

33.  What is evidence?  What are the types of evidence?  What is the difference between individual and class evidence?

34.  Something that tends to establish or disprove a fact  Examples ▪ Documents ▪ Testimony ▪ Other objects

35.  Evidence  Testimonial ▪ Expert ▪ Eyewitness  Physical ▪ Individual ▪ Class

36.  Person who is a specialist in a subject  Only witness who can give their opinion

37.  Direct witness to an event  Reliability  Scene may have been too dark  Encounter may have been too brief  Presence of a weapon may have diverted the attention of the witness  Memory problems

38.  Individualized to a single, specific source  No doubt as to what the source is  Fingerprints  DNA  Handwriting  Voiceprints  Always involves a comparison – an exemplar

39.  Consistent with a particular source  The more class evidence that fit the criminal – the better  Hair  Fibers  Soil  Glass fragments

40.  Much evidence is circumstantial  Implies a fact or event without actually proving it  Example  A blond hair is found in the hand of a murder victim with black hair  The more circumstantial evidence the greater the probative value

41.  How can the probative value of class (identified) evidence be increased?

42.  Class evidence is used to narrow a suspect pool  The more class evidence found, the stronger the case against an individual

43. Scenario  A young person was seen leaving a high school parking lot after having been near a car with a broken window; the car’s CD player was missing. The suspect was identified as having light brown hair and wearing a white shirt, blue jeans, and dark-colored athletic shoes. In a school of 1600 students, how common are these characteristics? *Note: The students do not wear uniforms.

44.  Suspect:  White t-shirt  Blue jeans  Light brown hair  Dark colored athletic shoes  Population size = 1600  Sample is a typical classroom  Sample size = 33 students

45.  In the sample, 7 students are wearing white t- shirts, so we need to find the percentage of students in the class wearing white shirts.  7 wearing a white shirt divided by 33 students in class = 0.21 or 21 %  So, how many students is 21% of the whole population?  0.21 x 1600 = 336 students  Importance: Our suspect pool has just been narrowed from 1600 students to 336 students.

46.  How many students would be wearing blue jeans? In your class, you count 12 wearing blue jeans.  12 wearing blue jeans divided by 33 students in class = 0.36, or 36%  How many students in the school would be expected to be wearing blue jeans?  0.36 x 1600 = 576 students

47.  Next, determine how many students would be likely to have light brown hair. In your class, you count 5 students with light brown hair.  5 with light brown hair divided by 33 students = 0.15 or 15%  How many students in school would be likely to have light brown hair?  0.15 x 1600 = 240 students

48.  In your class, 4 students are wearing dark- colored athletic shoes.  4 with dark-colored athletic shoes divided by 33 students = 0.12 or 12%  How many students in school would be likely to be wearing dark-colored athletic shoes?  0.12 x 1600 = 190 students

49.  We have narrowed the pool four times, but the real power of this method is finding the probability of a person with all of these characteristics.  In order to do this, multiply the probability of each event together and then by the population size.  0.21 x 0.36 x 0.15 x 0.12 x 1600 = 2

50.  Grand Finale  We have narrowed a pool of 1600 suspects down to two because we had four pieces of class evidence to consider.  Therefore, the probative value continues to grow by considering class evidence.

51.  A teacher’s computer is stolen from C116. The culprit was wearing a purple shirt, glasses, shoes with red in them. Use the class as a sample. In a school of 1600 students, how common are these combinations of characteristics.