______: Any Physical Location in Which a Crime Has Occurred Or Is Suspected of Having Occurred
1. Crime Scene Vocabulary
______: Any physical location in which a crime has occurred or is suspected of having occurred.
______Crime Scene: The original location of a crime or accident.
______Crime Scene: An alternate location where additional evidence may be found.
______: Person thought to be capable of committing a crime.
______: Second person associated with committing a crime.
______: Statement of where a suspect was at the time of a crime.
2. Types of Evidence
______evidence includes oral or written statements given to police as well
as court testimony by people who witnessed an event.
______evidence refers to any material items that would be present at the crime scene, on the victims, or found in a suspect’s possession.
______refers to physical evidence that is found in small but measurable amounts, such as strands of hair, fibres, or skin cells.
3. What will evidence collected at a scene do for the investigation?
• May ______that a crime has been committed
• Establish ______of a crime
• Link a ______with a crime scene or a victim
• Establish the ______of a victim or suspect
• Corroborate (confirm) verbal ______testimony
• Exonerate the ______.
• Give ______leads to work with in the case
4. Crime Scene Personnel
______are typically the first to arrive at a crime scene. They are responsible for securing the scene so no evidence is destroyed and detaining persons of interest in the crime – actions, observations and times are carefully recorded in Police Log.
The ______of ______Officer documents the crime scene in detail and are usually skilled photographers trained in lifting finger prints and foot/tire impressions – usually collects physical evidence for less serious crimes.
The ______Officer – searches crime scene; finds, gathers and analyzes evidence then if needed sends evidence to labs for necessary analysis
The ______(if a homicide) may or may not be present to determine a preliminary cause of death.
______(entomologists, forensic scientists, and forensic psychologists) may be called in if the evidence requires expert analysis.
______Bureau Officer is the detective who interviews witnesses and consults with the CSI unit. They investigate crimes by following leads provided by witnesses and physical evidence; they also interrogate and eventually arrest suspects.
5. Crime Scene Protocol
What steps will an investigator take to analyze and document a crime scene?
______
6. Investigating the Evidence
______Chemistry – Determines the presence of controlled substances and the identification of marijuana
______Chemistry -Identification and comparison of materials from fires, explosions, paints, and glass.
______– Microscopic identification and comparison of evidence, such as hairs, fibres, woods, soils, building materials, insulation and other materials.
______& ______-Analysis of body fluids and dried stains such as blood, semen, and saliva.
______– Tests body fluids and tissues to determine the presence of drugs and poisons.
______Prints -Identification and comparison of fingerprints or other hidden impressions from sources like feet, shoes, ears, lips or the tread on vehicle tires.
______(Firearms) – Study of bullets and ammunition through the comparison of fired bullets, cartridges, guns, and gunpowder patterns on people and objects.
______– Examines marks left by tools on objects at a crime scene or on a victim, such as hammers used to break a door or a screwdriver used to pick a lock.
Questioned ______-Examination of documents to compare handwriting, ink, paper, writing instruments, printers, and other characteristics that would help to identify its origin.
• “Forensic” is an adjective meaning “related to ______.”
• according to the law, both direct evidence (eye witness testimony) and circumstantial evidence are treated equally. Neither is necessarily better or worse than the other” (Standard Jury Instructions)
• in reality circumstantial evidence is a ______form of evidence
• Professor Edmond Locard (1877-1966) developed his Exchange Principle which states that, “Wherever a criminal steps, whatever he ______, whatever he leaves, even unconsciously, will serve as a silent ______against him . . . This is physical, forensic evidence that does not forget. It is not confused by the excitement of the moment. It is not absent because human witnesses are. It is factual evidence. Physical evidence cannot be wrong, it cannot perjure itself, it cannot be wholly absent. Only human ______to find it, study and understand it, can diminish its value.”
• Negative Side: Ultimately, forensic analysis is still dependent upon human ______; the results of forensic testing must still be interpreted by a person and thus can be misinterpreted.
• IS “DIRECT EVIDENCE” (EYEWITNESS EVIDENCE) STRONG?
• In the past, there have been miscarriages of ______, persons have been wrongly convicted, because eyewitnesses have made mistakes.
• It is quite possible for an honest witness to make a mistake in identification. Honest people do make mistakes. An apparently convincing witness can be mistaken. So can a number of apparently convincing witnesses.
THE BOTTOM LINE
• CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE IS THE KEY TO MOST CRIMINAL CASES.
• CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE HAS BEEN AROUND FOREVER.
• FORENSIC EVIDENCE, AT ITS CORE, IS JUST A POWERFUL NEW ASSORTMENT OF ______EVIDENCE.