CRIME SCENE ANALYST Midterm Review_ Crime Scene & Crime Lab

MidtermiReview:iCrimeiScenei&iCrimeiLab

Chapteri1iQuestions:

1. Whatiisitheibasicigoalioficrimeisceneiprocessing?

Consistsiofianiexaminationiandievaluationiofitheisceneiforitheiexpressipurposeiofirec
overingiphysicalievidenceiandidocumentingitheiscene’siconditioniinisitu.

2. Theipoliceiutilizeifiveibasiciobjectivesiiniseekingitheirigoalsiofip
reventingicrimeiandidisorderiandiprotectingitheilifeiandilibertyiof
itheir ifellowicitizens. iWhichitwoiofitheifiveiobjectives iareimoreiclo
selyirelateditoitheicrimeisceneiinvestigationiandiwhy?

CrimeiRepression:ipoliceimustirepressitheicriminalibyiactivelyiinvestigatingicrimesiand
iattemptingitoiidentifyithoseiresponsible;iandiProtection iofiPersonaliLiberty:ipoliceihav
eiaimandateitoiprotecticitizensifromiunwarrantedipoliceiinterferenceiofitheiripersonalili
berties.iTheipoliceimustiproactivelyiinvestigateitheicrimesireporteditoithemiandidoisoii
niaimannerithatiisiconsistentiandirespectfuliofitheilawianditheilibertiesiofithoseithatithe
yiencounter.

3. Whyiisiphysicalievidenceimoreiobjectiveithanitestimonialievidenceis
uchiasieye-iwitnessiaccounts?

Physicalievidenceitakesitheiformiofispecificiitemsithatiareifoundiatiaisceneiofiaicrime.iIti
isimoreiobjectiveiasiitiisireal,ianditangibleievidenceithaticannotibeidefined.iPhysicalievi
denceialsoineverilies.iPhysicalievidenceiestablishesiaiframeworkiofifactsithatiareiirrefut
ableibyianyone.iTestimonialievidenceicanibeiflawedibyihumaniperception.

4. Theiinterpretiveivalueiofievidenceiisiaifunctioniofiwhat?

Theimeaningiofievidenceiisiaifunctioniofitimeianditheiitemsisurroundings.iTheivalueiisifarimoreianiissuesioficontectithan
iofimereicontent.



5. RynearsoniandiChisumi(1989)iidentifiedifiveiwaysiiniwhichicontex
timanifestsiitselfiinitheicrimeiscene.iWhatiareithey?

Predictableieffects,iunpredictableieffects,itransitoryieffects,irelationalidetails,iandifunc
tionalidetails.

6. BeveliandiGardneri(2001)idefinedithreeiquestionsithatitheiinvestig
atorishouldiaskiaboutievidence.iWhatiareithey?

1.iWhatiisiit?i2.iWhatifunctionididiitiserve?
i3.iWhatirelationshipidoesiitihaveitoianyiotheriitemsiofievidenceioritoitheisceneiitself?
iAndi4.iWhatidoesiititelliusiaboutitimingiandisequencingiaspects?



7. Describeiandiexplainitheiforensicilinkageitriangle.

Theiforensicsilinkageitriangleiisitoireminditheiinvestigatorithatieachiitemidiscoveredi
mustibeiconsiderediasiaimechanismiofilinkingitheiscene,itheivictim,ioritheisuspectiinis
omeiformiorifashion.iEveryipieceiofievidenceiisiconsiderediagainstithisiconceptitoidet
ermineiwhether

, anyilinksiexistiandiifitheyiareiofievidentiaryivalue.iEveryiitemiofievidenceimustibeicon
sidereditoiseeiifisomeilinkibetweenitheithreeientitiesiisipossible.

8. Anyigoodicrimeisceneiexaminationirequiresifiveikeyiingredient
s.iWhatiareithey?

Knowledge,iSkillsianditools,iAimethodicaliapproach,iflexibility,iandiaicoordinatedieffort

9. Describeiandiexplainithei3-crimeiscene-
integrityiissuesithatitheiinvestigatoriconsiders.

1.iTheiadditioniofimaterialsitoitheiscene:ipostiincidentiartifacts—
caniobscureitheiinvestigatorsiunderstandingiofitheicrimeiandiareiofteniusedisuccessf
ullyibyidefenseicounselitoicastidoubtiaboutitheiguiltiofiaisuspect.iEveryicontactidoesile
aveiaitrace.i2.iTheidestructioniofimaterialiinitheiscene:iresultsiinitheilossiofianiitem’sie
videntiaryivalue.iEx.iOfficersiarrivingiatiburglaryisceneiearlyiinitheimorningiareilikelyit
oiencounteriaidewitrailicausedibyisuspect,ibutiinvestigatorsiwillinotiseeitheidewitrail.i3
.iTheimovementiofimaterialiinitheiscene:imovementiisioftenitheiresultiofiinvestigativei
processingitechniques,ibutiwhenisuchi movementi isi NOTi checkedi andi unrecognized,
i iti cloudsi thei investigator’siunderstandingiofitheicrimeiscene.



10. Whatiisitheistandardithatitheiinvestigatoriusesiwhenipursuing
iaisolutionitoicrime,iandiwhyiisithisistandardinecessary?



Theiprofessionaliinvestigator’sistandardihasialwaysibeenitoiinvestigateitoitheipointio
fibeyondireasonableidoubtiThatiisitheistandardiofitheicourt.iTruthiisionlyiachievedithr
oughidetailedistudyiandianalysis,iandiinvestigatorsimayinotiachieveithatistandardiini
everyiinvestigationidueitoilackiofievidence.

Chapteri2iQuestions:

1. Describeitheidifferencesibetweeniclassiandiindividualicharac
teristicsiofievidence.

Classicharacteristicsidescribeitraits/
characteristicsiofievidenceithatiallowitheiitemitoibeicomparediwithiaigroup.iOri“charact
eristicithatiareicommonitoiseveraliobjects”.iTheyiserveiforensicsibestiinieliminatingipos
sibilities—
dependingiuponitheisimilaritiesioridifferencesioficlassicharacteristics,iitemsicanioftenib
eiexcludedi(size,icolor,icommonimanufacturingipatterns).

Individualicharacteristicsiallowiforensicsitoicompareitheiitemiwithiaispecificiobjectiofip
ersoniandiincludeioriexcludeiitiasihavingioriginatedifromiit.iIndividualicharacteristicsiar
ei“unique”,iresultingifrominaturalivariation,idamage,ioriwear.

2. OfitheiavailableimethodsiforiDNAianalysis,iwhichiisithe
ibestiforiindividualizationiiniforensiciworkiandiwhy?



TheidevelopmentiofiShortiTandemiRepeati(STR)itechnology;ipermittingidegradediand
ismallisamplesitoibeiexamineditoitheipointiofiindividualization.



3. Describeihowitapeiisiuseditoicollectihairiandifiberievidenceiatitheicri
meiscene.