Questions from Crime and Investigation

Q: Briefly describe how a comparison microscope works and what it is used

Briefly describe how a comparison microscope works and what it is used for.

Q: How did the comparison microscope make possible modern firearms examination?

How did the comparison microscope make possible modern firearms examination?

Q: List three class characteristics of a gun barrel.

List three class characteristics of a gun barrel.

Q: A criminalist studying a dyed sample hair notices that the dyed color

A criminalist studying a dyed sample hair notices that the dyed color ends about 1.5 centimeters from the tip of the hair. Approximately how many weeks before the examination was the hair dyed? Explai...

Q: How is shot pattern used to make a distance determination for shotgun

How is shot pattern used to make a distance determination for shotgun blasts? What factors other than distance to target can affect the distance determination?

Q: What evidence do investigators look for when trying to determine whether a

What evidence do investigators look for when trying to determine whether a suspect has fired a handgun? Where is such evidence typically found and why?

Q: Why does analysis of primer residue from a suspect’s hands produce a

Why does analysis of primer residue from a suspect’s hands produce a low rate of positive results? Why is such analysis typically ineffective in locating primer residue from a . 22-caliber gun?

Q: Describe how a criminalist restores an obliterated serial number on a weapon

Describe how a criminalist restores an obliterated serial number on a weapon.

Q: Why would an investigator not pick up a weapon by its barrel

Why would an investigator not pick up a weapon by its barrel with a pencil or stick in order to protect latent fingerprints? How should suspect firearms be handled in such a situation?

Q: What characteristics of a suspect firearm should an investigator record before unloading

What characteristics of a suspect firearm should an investigator record before unloading it? Why should the investigator number the chambers and cartridges when unloading a suspect weapon?