CRIME SCENE ANALYST – Midterm Review: Crime Scene & Crime Lab Overview and Key Concepts

MidtermmReview:mCrimemScenem&mCrimemLab

Chapterm1mQuestions:

1. Whatmismthembasicmgoalmofmcrimemscenemprocessing?

Consistsmofmanmexaminationmandmevaluationmofmthemscenemformthemexpressmpur
posemofmrecoveringmphysicalmevidencemandmdocumentingmthemscene’smcondition
minmsitu.



2. Thempolicemutilizemfivembasicmobjectivesminmseeking mtheirmgo
alsmofmpreventingmcrimemandmdisordermandmprotectingmthemlife
mandmliberty mofmtheir mfellowmcitizens.mWhichmtwomofmthemfivem
objectivesmaremmoremcloselymrelatedmtomthemcrimemsceneminve
stigationmandmwhy?

CrimemRepression:mpolicemmustmrepressmthemcriminalmbymactivelyminvestigatingmcri
mesmandmattemptingmtomidentifymthosemresponsible;mandmProtectionmofmPersonalmL
iberty:mpolicemhavemammandatemtomprotectmcitizensmfrommunwarrantedmpoliceminte
rferencemofmtheirmpersonalmliberties.mThempolicemmustmproactivelyminvestigatemthe
mcrimes mreportedmtomthemmandmdomsominmammannermthatmismconsistentmandmrespe
ctfulmofmthemlawmandmthemlibertiesmofmthosemthatmtheymencounter.

3. Whymismphysicalmevidencemmoremobjectivemthanmtestimonialmevid
encemsuchmasmeye-mwitnessmaccounts?

Physicalmevidencemtakesmthemformmofmspecificmitemsmthatmaremfoundmatmamscenem
ofmamcrime.mItmismmoremobjectivemasmitmismreal,mandmtangiblemevidencemthatmcann
otmbemdefined.mPhysicalmevidencemalsomnevermlies.mPhysicalmevidencemestablishesm
amframeworkmofmfactsmthatmaremirrefutablembymanyone.mTestimonialmevidencemcan
mbemflawedmbymhumanmperception.



4. Theminterpretivemvaluemofmevidencemismamfunctionmofmwhat?

Themmeaningmofmevidencemismamfunctionmofmtimemandmthemitemsmsurroundings.mThemvaluemismfarmmoremanmissues
mofmcontectmthanmofmmeremcontent.



5. RynearsonmandmChisumm(1989)midentifiedmfivemwaysminmwhichm
contextmmanifestsmitselfminmthemcrimemscene.mWhatmaremthey?

Predictablemeffects,munpredictablemeffects,mtransitorymeffects,mrelationalmdetails,ma
ndmfunctionalmdetails.

6. BevelmandmGardnerm(2001)mdefinedmthreemquestionsmthatmthemi
nvestigatormshouldmaskmaboutmevidence.mWhatmaremthey?

1.mWhatmismit?m2.mWhatmfunctionmdidmitmserve?
m3.mWhatmrelationshipmdoesmitmhavemtomanymothermitemsmofmevidencemormtomthems
cenemitself?mAndm4.mWhatmdoesmitmtellmusmaboutmtimingmandmsequencingmaspects?

7. Describemandmexplainmthemforensicmlinkagemtriangle.

Themforensicsmlinkagemtrianglemismtomremindmtheminvestigatormthatmeachmitemmdi
scoveredmmustmbemconsideredmasmammechanismmofmlinkingmthemscene,mthemvicti
m,mormthemsuspectminmsomemformmormfashion.mEverympiecemofmevidencemismconsi
deredmagainstmthismconceptmtomdeterminemwhether

,anymlinksmexistmandmifmtheymaremofmevidentiarymvalue.mEverymitemmofmevidencem
mustmbemconsideredmtomseemifmsomemlinkmbetweenmthemthreementitiesmismpossibl
e.

8. Anymgoodmcrimemscenemexaminationmrequiresmfivemkeymingre
dients.mWhatmaremthey?

Knowledge,mSkillsmandmtools,mAmmethodicalmapproach,mflexibility,mandmamcoordinat
edmeffort

9. Describemandmexplainmthem3-crimemscene-
integritymissuesmthatmtheminvestigatormconsiders.

1.mThemadditionmofmmaterialsmtomthemscene:mpostmincidentmartifacts—
canmobscuremtheminvestigatorsmunderstandingmofmthemcrimemandmaremoftenmused
msuccessfullymbymdefensemcounselmtomcastmdoubtmaboutmthemguiltmofmamsuspect.m
Everymcontactmdoesmleavemamtrace.m2.mThemdestructionmofmmaterialminmthemscen
e:mresultsminmthemlossmofmanmitem’smevidentiarymvalue.mEx.mOfficersmarrivingmatmb
urglarymscenemearlyminmthemmorningmaremlikelymtomencountermamdewmtrailmcause
dmbymsuspect,mbutminvestigatorsmwillmnotmseemthemdewmtrail.m3.mThemmovementm
ofmmaterialminmthemscene:mmovementmismoftenmthemresultmofminvestigativemproce
ssingmtechniques,mbutmwhenmsuchm movementm ism NOTm checkedm andm unrecogniz
ed,m itm cloudsm them investigator’smunderstandingmofmthemcrimemscene.

10. Whatmismthemstandardmthatmtheminvestigatormusesmwhenmp
ursuingmamsolutionmtomcrime,mandmwhymismthismstandardmnece
ssary?

Themprofessionalminvestigator’smstandardmhasmalwaysmbeenmtominvestigatemtomth
empointmofmbeyondmreasonablemdoubtmThatmismthemstandardmofmthemcourt.mTruth
mismonly machievedmthroughmdetailedmstudymandmanalysis,mandminvestigatorsmma
ymnotmachievemthatmstandardminmeveryminvestigationmduemtomlackmofmevidence.

Chapterm2mQuestions:

1. Describemthemdifferencesmbetweenmclassmandmindividualmc
haracteristicsmofmevidence.

Classmcharacteristicsmdescribemtraits/
characteristicsmofmevidencemthatmallowmthemitemmtombemcomparedmwithmamgroup.m
Orm“characteristicmthatmaremcommonmtomseveralmobjects”.mTheymservemforensicsmb
estminmeliminatingmpossibilities—
dependingmuponmthemsimilaritiesmormdifferencesmofmclassmcharacteristics,mitemsmca
nmoftenmbemexcludedm(size,mcolor,mcommonmmanufacturingmpatterns).

Individualmcharacteristicsmallowmforensicsmtomcomparemthemitemmwithmamspecificmo
bjectmofmpersonmandmincludemormexcludemitmasmhavingmoriginatedmfrommit.mIndivid
ualmcharacteristicsmarem“unique”,mresultingmfrommnaturalmvariation,mdamage,mormw
ear.

2. OfmthemavailablemmethodsmformDNAmanalysis,mwhich
mismthembestmformindividualizationminmforensicmworkma
ndmwhy?

ThemdevelopmentmofmShortmTandemmRepeatm(STR)mtechnology;mpermittingmdegra
dedmandmsmallmsamplesmtombemexaminedmtomthempointmofmindividualization.

, 3. Describemhowmtapemismusedmtomcollectmhairmandmfibermevidencem
atmthemcrimemscene.