Crime Scene Evidence Essay

What do you think would be the best method of submitting evidence to a crime lab? Why?

It does not matter the reputation you have earned for your high integrity and honesty, you will always be open to allegations of civil or criminal liability. The first type of evidence and usually the most obvious is physical evidence. Evidence can be anything from tangible objects such as cartridge cases and firearms to latent fingerprints and DNA. Evidence collection or recovery step in crime scene processing is the methods, techniques, and procedures used in retrieving evidence. Patience and care are very important at the crime scene. The criminalist should take the proper time and care in processing the scene. The work is tedious and time consuming.

For over a century fingerprints have been one of the most used tools of forensic science. Fingerprints have been used to identify criminals of small crimes

Crime scenes are known to have many clues left behind. The obvious would be a the body or bodies, clothing, and sometimes even the murder weapon. While these are great way to solve a case there's another kind of evidence; trace evidence. Trace evidence are small pieces of evidence that are laying around a crime scene. There are many types of trace evidence some of them include metal filings, plastic fragments, gunshot residue, glass fragments, feathers, food stains, building materials, lubricants, fingernail scrapings, pollens and spores, cosmetics, chemicals, paper fibers and sawdust, human and animal hairs, plant and vegetable fibers, blood and other body fluids, asphalt or tar, vegetable fats and oils, dusts and other airborne

In the United States, crimes are constantly being committed. Some of the crimes that are committed are simple, and other crimes are extremely complex. Every complex crime comes with its own challenges in distinguishing material evidence. Some evidence can be tiny as a hair, or a fiber that can be located on a piece of clothing or carpet. Even though, the size of the evidence is not important, the information that it provides investigators is crucial to finding the suspect of the crime. With the assistance of trace evidence, investigators can obtain the small particles that can transfer from two objects come together. Collecting material from any crime scene can yield a plethora of information. However, by properly collecting material evidence like the tire print impression, pubic hairs, multiple dog hairs, and foreign fibers. Investigators, were able to convict Cecil Sutherland for kidnapping, sexual assault, and three counts of murder.

on evidence found at a crime scenes such as: hair, DNA, blood, fibers, fingerprints, documents,

It might be hard to figure out which type of evidence to use but Forensic Science evidence is definitely the most useful. It uses DNA and blood with many other things to find the suspect or criminal. Forensic Science can hold all the facts of a case together. In “Forensic Science: Evidence, Clues, and Investigation” by Andrea Campbell, it shows how and why Forensic Science evidence is the most important.

Casings found at the crime scene can be perfectly matched back to the gun in the possession of a suspect and should be packaged separately and put in paper envelopes or small cardboards pillboxes. For the avoidance of changing the face of each individual characteristic of such items, in cases where knives or other sharp objects are being recovered at the scene and are to be sent to the lab for tool marks, fingerprints, serology, etc, aspect like the blade and point should be wrapped in firm, unshakable

There are different ways law enforcement can prove evidence and the guilty with impression evidence. Latent (invisible) or patent (visible) prints that are used in criminal investigations are typically collected from crime scene specialists to reveal or extract fingerprints from any surface or objects with the use of chemical or physical methods. Fingerprints can be shown when they are taken from a crime scene where the crime was committed. Fingerprints and bite-mark evidence have similar traits to shoe prints and tire tracks that can be used in criminal investigations. There are a percentage of palm prints that must be left at the scene to make a comparison for valid evidence.

That is a good question, one worth answering. Forensics is a scientific tool that has come to its own starting about the 80’s. Fingerprinting was one of the first techniques used to help in identifying the criminals that committed the heinous acts. Fingerprinting uses a brush and powder to enhance the ridge details on the fingertips adhering to the oils left behind. Another awesome way they have been able to pull prints off soft surfaces like bed sheets is by using superglue and heat. Fascinating isn’t it? Since then Forensics has become even more evolved. Fingerprints now go into a database known as AFIS or Automated Fingerprint Identification System, which has the prints of everyone

When collecting any firearms, there should not be anything placed inside the barrel. This could potentially contaminate trace or DNA evidence on or inside the barrel or scratch the barrel, causing cross-contamination. When collecting expended cartridge casings, projectiles, and fragments of shotgun ammunition at a crime scene, each individual piece of evidence must have its own evidence item number, be photographed, and measures for placement in the crime scene diagram. Then the evidence should be placed in separate evidence bags such as coin envelopes or pill boxes that are then placed into larger evidence bags and documented and label correctly. If a projectile is lodged into a wall, it should be pried from the wall but rather have that section of the wall removed and transported to the laboratory for processing (Ortmeier,

Some guidelines to follow on collecting firearm evidence are to never submit a loaded gun to the laboratory unless its delivered personally because of safety reasons, the cylinder or chamber should never be cleaned before presenting firearm evidence to the lab for examination, one cannot pick up a firearm evidence by placing a pencil or other objects in the barrel; evidence would be destroyed this way. After weapon has been picked up, it must be documented; serial number, make, model, and caliber of gun must be recorded, and marked. One has to be sure not to mistaken serial numbers with model or patent numbers. Firearms evidence should be well placed in wooden boxes or cardboard to avoid shifting and movement when being transported. Rifles and shotguns must not be taken apart; proper procedure must be followed if the weapon is going to be tested for any kind of prints. When transporting a weapon with fabric or blood evidence on it, weapon must be wrapped carefully with clean paper and taped firmly to keep evidence in place. When it comes to bullets from these firearms, they should never be

Before DNA testing existed in aid of crime solving, simple logic was used, but since the late 1800s, DNA testing has advanced. DNA analysis is used for comparing samples from a crime scene to a database of possible offenders. Forensic scientists have developed various technologies for analyzing offenders’ DNA, such as the Combined DNA Index System, the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, the National Integrated Ballistics Identification Network, and trace evidence. These systems help investigators by linking “previously unrelated cases” ( Morton and Hilts 29).

The world of forensic science is full of ever developing technology. Analyzing forensic evidence involves using fingerprints, hair samples, blood, footprints, bite marks, and other sources of material to help identify someone. Each small piece of evidence found at a crime scene can be crucial — leaving the slightest trace of saliva or skin cells can be what convicts a person. Few people know the importance of forensic science more than Steven Avery.

Every time somebody touches something, they leave behind a unique signature that forever links them to that object. This link is their fingerprints, which are unique to every person, for no two people have the same set, not even family members or identical twins. Palms and toes also leave prints behind, but these are far less commonly found during crime scene investigations. Therefore, fingerprints provide an identification process that is applicable to background checks, biometric security, mass disaster identification, and most importantly, crime scene investigations. Fingerprints are so differentiated because they are made up of distinct patterns of ridges and furrows on the fingers. The ridges are the “raised” portions of the prints, and the furrows are the “recessed” portions. This perceived uniqueness has led some people to falsely accept fingerprint analysis as absolute scientific fact. Although overall fingerprints are reliable, there are definitely situations where their accuracy can come into question.