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 Forensics derived

from the Latin word


forensis, meaning
forum, a public place
used in Roman times
by senators to debate
and hold judicial
proceedings
 The study and application of science to matters of
law
 Examines the associations between people, places,
things and events involved in crimes
 AKA criminalistics
 The examination of physical evidence
▪ Evidence: anything that tends to establish OR disprove a fact
Includes:
▪ Testimony
▪ Objects
▪ documents
 Job description
 Study evidence found at the crime
▪ ID object, its origin, and how it got to the crime
scene
 Expert witness
▪ At trial, present data, weighs evidence, gives
impartial opinion in court
 Researcher
▪ Performs scientific research and trains other
scientists
 Used to examine evidence
 Public funded (federal, state or local)
▪ Used by police, prosecutors and other law enforcement
agencies
▪ Privately funded
 Charge a fee for services
 Physical science unit
 Examines drugs, glass,
paint, blood spatter
patterns, and other trace
physical evidence
 Uses chemistry, physics,
and geology
 Firearms unit
 Examine tool marks,
weapons, firearms and
bullets
 Uses Ballistics
▪ Science that deals with
motion, behavior, and
effects of projectiles,
specifically firearms and
bullets
 Document Analysis
Unit
 Examine handwriting,
typewriting, word
processing and
computer application,
papers, and inks
 Uses chromatography
for ink analysis
 Biology Unit
 Analyze body fluids,
DNA, blood factors, hair,
fibers, and plant life
 Uses Biology,
biochemistry and
microbiology
 Forensic photography
 Toxicology
 Latent fingerprints
 Polygraph Unit
 Anthropology
 Study of remains such as bones and
decomposed bodies
 Odontology
 Examine bite marks and dental identification
of corpses
 Pathology
 Investigates sudden, violent and unexplained
death (medical examiner)
 Geology
 Study of soil and minerals
 Environmental science
 Entomology
 Study of insects, useful in decomposed
bodies (time of death and movement)
 Palynology
 Study of pollen and spores
 Voiceprint analysis
 Definition of Agency
 What agency does
 Brief history of agency
 Role of agency in forensic science
 How to apply for the agency
 2 cases in which the agency utilized forensic science
 Brief description of case, any important branches of
forensics utilized in the case, outcome of the case, how
forensic science helped resolve the case
 Any pertinent information about the agency
 FBI
 Federal Bureau of
Investigation
 Has the largest crime lab
in the world
 DEA
 Drug enforcement
agency
 7 crime labs across the
country
 Investigate major illicit
drug activity in and
outside the country
 May also aid local law
enforcement
 ATF
 Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms Bureau
 3 regional labs
 Deals with crimes
involving alcohol,
weapons, explosives,
tobacco, and organized
crime
 IRS
 Internal Revenue Service
 Maintained by the
Department of Treasury
 Specialize in questioned
documents
 USPS
 United States Postal
service has their own lab
for crimes committed
through the mail
 US Fish and Wildlife
Service
 Department of Interior
 Maintain their own lab
for crimes committed in
national parks as well as
crimes involving the
animals, such as
poaching and
endangered species
 Department of
Homeland Security
 2 secret service labs
▪ One guards against
counterfeiting
▪ Lab provides research for
executive protection
 Early 1900’s • “Whenever 2 objects come
 Forensic into contact, there is a
transfer of material. The
investigator
methods of detection may
 Believed criminal
not be sensitive enough to
should be demonstrate this or the
connected to the decay rate may be too rapid
crime by trace that all evidence or transfer
has vanished after a given
evidence collected
amount of time. None the
at the crime scene less, the transfer has taken
place.”
1.You are sitting at your desk. What are you in contact with? What possible
transfer of material could have taken place? Make a list. How could you
have prevented any transfer if you had thought about it first? What
transferred material could be traced back to you directly and what units of
a crime lab would be used to trace it back to you?

2. Think about when you came to school today. Did you leave any evidence
that you were here other than being observed by others (eye witnesses)?
3. Is it difficult not to leave a trace? And, after the fact, is there lots to worry
about from leaving evidence of your presence?
4. Do you think premeditated contact can diminish identifiable transfers?
Give some examples of where destroying evidence could leave more that
could identify you.
 Observe problem or questioned evidence and collected data
 Make hypothesis or possible solution to the problem based on the
observations, given a directed work plan
 Use inductive reasoning, experience, and imagination
 Examine, test, and analyze to support or refute hypothesis
 Use deductive reasoning to make a determination as to the significance of
the evidence
 Evaluate and verify all evidence and determine a conclusion
 This step is important because it determines the liberty of a person
 All possible errors must be stated
 Consideration must be given to standardization, reproducibility,
validity, reliability, and accuracy
 This will lead the scientist to a thoery or opinion they must present in
court
 Outline the scientific method utilized in the
episode
 List each unit of the forensic lab that is used
throughout the episode
 Explain what is realistic and what seems
unrealistic in this episode.
 Investigative teams shall consist of 4-5 members
 Create a crime scene story with at least one victim, four suspects
and four key pieces of evidence obtained at the crime scene.
 Keep in mind that the pieces of evidence must be able to be
“testable”
 Once your team has developed a rough draft of you crime scene
story, type it up on the computer and save.
 Outline the scientific method for each piece of evidence.
 You must utilize at least five different branches of the crime lab
 Next to the test/evidence list the branch that would be used
 On a separate sheet of paper, list the culprit as well as how he was
linked to the crime with the evidence.

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