Define individual and class characteristics.
> When should a fingerprint be “lifted” from a crime scene? Describe how to lift and preserve a fingerprint using adhesive tape.
> What phenomenon underlies many of the new chemical techniques used to visualize latent fingerprints? Why is this phenomenon so valuable in fingerprint visualization?
> What is the most commonly used chemical method to visualize latent fingerprints on porous materials? If this method is unsuccessful, what other technique typically is used?
> Gunshot residue patterns (A) through (D) (contact, 1 inch, 6 inches, and 18 inches) from a 40-caliber pistol are shown in the figures. Match the firing distance to each pattern.
> List two types of specialized fingerprint powders and name one advantage each has over traditional fingerprint powder.
> List and describe the three types of fingerprints that may be found at a crime scene.
> Who published the first book on the science of fingerprinting? What were the book’s most important contributions to understanding fingerprints?
> Distinguish between a homicide and a suicide.
> List the five categories of the manner of death.
> Describe important factors in characterizing a gunshot wound.
> Describe the characteristics of a sharp force injury.
> Describe the characteristics of a blunt force injury
> A primary objective of the autopsy is to determine the cause of death. Define cause of death.
> Describe what’s entailed in an internal examination during an autopsy.
> How would you go about collecting impressions in each of the following situations? a. You discover a shoe print in dry dirt. b. You discover a tool mark on a windowsill. c. You discover tire marks in soft earth. d. You discover a shoe print on a loose pi
> Describe what’s entailed in an external examination during an autopsy.
> List the areas of the skeleton that can be used to determine the gender of skeletal remains.
> What important considerations must be made when determining PMI using forensic entomology?
> Describe the approach for estimating the time of death by measuring potassium levels in the ocular fluid.
> Immediately following death, a chemical change known as rigor mortis occurs. Describe this phenomenon.
> Another condition arising after death is livor mortis. What does this entail?
> After death the body undergoes a process known as algor mortis. What is this?
> List items to be collected and sent to the forensic laboratory from an autopsy.
> What is the drawback effect? How is it helpful to an investigator?
> Name three factors that affect the amount of backward spatter produced by a gunshot wound.
> Criminalist Ben Baldanza is collecting evidence from the scene of a shooting. After locating the revolver suspected of firing the shots, Ben picks the gun up by the grip, unloads it, and places the ammunition in an envelope. He then attaches an identific
> Define the terms area of convergence and area of origin and explain what kind of information each reveals to an investigator.
> In general, as both the force and velocity of impact increase, what happens to the diameter of the resulting blood droplets?
> What is the difference between forward spatter and back spatter? Which is more likely to be deposited on the object or person creating the impact?
> What is the difference between the shape of a bloodstain that impacts a surface at a low angle and one that impacts at a higher angle?
> How can an investigator tell the direction of travel of blood from the shape of a bloodstain?
> Which of the following is of paramount importance in the interpretation of bloodstain patterns? a. The direction of impact b. The surface texture c. The angle of impact d. The amount of blood
> Name and describe two methods for documenting bloodstain patterns.
> Explain how the shape of stains in a trail pattern can help investigators determine the direction and speed at which a person was moving.
> How can pools of blood aid in reconstructing a crime scene?
> What is a flow pattern? What should one surmise if a flow found on an object or body does not appear consistent with the direction of gravity?
> You are investigating a shooting involving a 12-gauge shotgun with a moderately high choke. The spread of the pattern made by the pellets measures 12 inches. In your opinion, which of the following is probably closest to the distance from the target to t
> How does the first transfer pattern in a series differ from subsequent ones?
> What is a transfer pattern? How is a simple transfer pattern created?
> What is a void pattern? How might a void pattern be useful to investigators?
> What is expirated blood? Name two ways to distinguish expirated blood from other types of bloodstains.
> What determines the size of blood drops in a cast-off pattern? Explain.
> What is crime scene reconstruction?
> Why are some jurists wary of allowing unconditional use of scientific evidence in court?
> What is the value of class evidence? Why is this important in making a case to a jury?
> What is the greatest weakness of class evidence? List two factors that contribute to this weakness.
> Define the product rule and explain how it can be used to determine whether two blood samples come from the same source.
> From each of the following descriptions of bullet holes, use general guidelines to estimate the distance from the shooter to the target. a. A few widely scattered gunpowder particles with no soot around the entrance hole b. A dark ring around the bullet
> What legal issue was raised on appeal by the defense in Carl Coppolino’s Florida murder trial? What court ruling is most relevant to the decision to reject the appeal? Explain your answer.
> Describe the two steps in the process of comparison. What question does each step attempt to answer?
> To permit positive identification, testing procedures used by a forensic scientist must meet what two conditions?
> List and define the two methods used by forensic scientists when examining physical evidence.
> What are IAFIS and CODIS? Describe the purpose of each.
> How can the extreme sensitivity of modern analytical techniques hinder the process of comparing items of physical evidence?
> List six types of physical evidence derived from human or other animal sources that are commonly found at crime scenes.
> What is the main objective in collecting and packaging physical evidence?
> What items from deceased victims must be collected and sent to a forensic laboratory?
> Besides the crime scene itself, what locations must investigators search?
> Upon arriving at the crime scene of an attempted homicide, police officers observe a man fleeing the scene and apprehend him. He is suspected to be the shooter in the attempted homicide, and the police wish to test his hands for the presence of compounds
> What information must be included in any notes taken at the crime scene?
> What is a rough sketch and what information must it accurately reflect?
> What is the most important prerequisite for photographing a crime scene? Why is this so critical?
> List the three methods of crime scene recording.
> What is the first critical step in crime scene investigation? Why is this step so important?
> What two diseases have sensitized the law enforcement community to the potential health hazards that can exist at crime scenes? Name three basic types of protective clothing that investigators use to guard against contamination by infectious materials at
> Why is it important to include a brief description of the case history on an evidence submission form?
> What is a substrate control and why is it important?
> What is a standard/reference sample and why is it important to the criminalist?
> Define chain of custody and explain why maintaining a proper chain of custody is important. What are the possible consequences of failing to maintain a proper chain of custody?
> Numerous red-colored fibers from a sexual assault crime scene are delivered to the crime lab along with red fibers from the suspect’s clothing. What instrument should the trace analyst use to view the fibers and obtain chemical information that could be
> Why should bloodstained evidence not be stored in airtight containers? What is the best way to store such evidence?
> Describe a druggist fold and explain why it is a superior way to package small amounts of trace evidence.
> Why should ordinary mailing envelopes not be used for packaging physical evidence?
> Why is it important to package items of physical evidence in separate containers?
> What is the best way to maintain the integrity of evidence that is collected and submitted to the crime laboratory?
> How does the textbook define physical evidence?
> List four situations in which a warrantless search may be justified.
> List two ways in which a forensic odontologist can assist in criminal investigations.
> How does the testimony of an expert witness differ from the testimony of a lay witness?
> How did the court’s ruling in the case of Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. affect the admissibility of scientific evidence in federal courts?
> A trace evidence analyst places crystals of an unidentified white powder onto the stage of a polarizing microscope and observes the crystals through the eyepiece. Under correct focus, some of the crystals show bright colors while others appear very dark
> What important principle was established in the case of Frye v. United States?
> List the main functions of the forensic scientist.
> List two optional units found in most crime labs and give at least one example of the type of work done by each.
> In addition to the physical science unit, what four units typically are found in full-service crime labs? List at least one function performed by each of these units.
> Describe the basic duties of the physical science unit in a crime lab and give three examples of the type of work performed by a physical science unit.
> List three main reasons for the wide variation in total services offered by crime labs in different communities.
> Describe how the structure of the U.S. federal government has affected the organization of crime labs in the United States.
> List three reasons for the unparalleled growth of crime laboratories in the United States since the 1960s.
> How has the emergence of the “fee-for-service” system affected the practice of forensic science in Great Britain?
> How does the British system of forensic laboratories differ from that of the United States?
> A forensic biologist must examine the outside of a small leaf and a thin slice of the leaf one cell thick. She has at her disposal a transmitted light microscope and a stereomicroscope (vertical illumination). What instrument should she use for the analy
> What major advance in forensic science did the state of California undertake in 1972?
> Differentiate between physical and logical extraction.
> What is GPS?
> What is geolocation?
> 3G and 4G phones are the closest to a PC in what two features?
> What are some of the most popular operating systems for mobile devices?
> What is the one main benefit of packet switching between the 2G and 3G phones?
> What are the two standards of digital 2G cellular networks?
