Essay on Forensic Science: Blood Spatter Analyst

he Blood Spatter Analyst (also known as "Bloodstain Pattern Analyst") uses many techniques to collect and analze blood that has been left behind at a crime scene. They uses swabs and ultraviolet light, as well as photgraphy to collect and analyze trace evidence and recreate spatters. After analyzation of the spatter, they can determine what weapon was used, which direction the suspect or victim went, the number of wounds the victim suffered, the trajectry of a projectile, and what occured during a violent crime.

Bridget Heos proposed that forensic scientists use many different methods to solve crimes. She noted that many crime solvers have written manuals explaining what they think is the right way to approach a crime scene. On page 77 of the book, Blood, Bullets, and Bones, Bridget Heos states, “... Gross urged the use of forensic science experts in murder cases. He said toxicologists, botanists, chemists, and handwriting and firearm experts should all be called on when needed.”

There are different types of patterns that blood splatter makes. It can be a drop, a messy splatter, to just a little pool of blood it all just depends on what caused it to happen. Forensics and law enforcement officers can determine what kind of object was used in a murder case based on the blood splatter pattern.

Blood spatter analysts are a crucial part of a homicide investigation. They examine the blood stains left behind at a crime scene with the help of criminal investigators. They try to find a pattern or trail with the blood to figure out what happened at the crime scene. These blood patterns can show where the victim was hit, how they were hit, if they struggled, and what kind of weapon the killer used. They use many techniques to collect evidence that can be analyzed at the lab. Common techniques are measuring the diameter of the blood drop, measuring the spatter zone, and taking pictures. Many analysts try to act out the homicide scene to piece together the crime scene and figure out what happened. They also sketch out the scene to go along

Bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA), known in the criminal justice field as blood splatter analysis, has been studied since the 1890s. Blood splatter, or bloodstain pattern constructional readings, is a technique that seeks to piece together the incident that caused an individual’s bleeding. Understanding blood splatter on a wall or various surfaces can be instrumental in formulating if a crime was committed and if the blood discovered at the crime scene can be used as evidence. The first documentation of blood splatter research occurred at the Institute for Forensic Medicine in Poland, by Dr. Eduard Piotrowski . During Dr. Piotrowski’s research and documentation period, where he used live bunnies to research blood splatter from head

The world of Forensic Scientist is an amazing and fascinating place. There are so many aspects that go into forensic science but in this paper we are only covering bloodstain spatter patterns. Bloodstain spatter patterns are not solely used to solve crimes but I do feel it is one of the most important. Bloodstains never lie.

All these elements are important in uncovering the truth behind a crime scene, and in a controlled environment seem simple. Implementing these techniques in an actual situation is more difficult as crime scenes are all unique. A multitude of elements need to be considered before forming an opinion from blood spatter. Spot size, quantity, shape, distribution, location, AOI, and target surface are only a few of these elements. As with other types of forensic science negative evidence can be used in BPI.

The older method called most commonly known in the field “stringing” has proved to be a solid and reliable way to demonstrate the convergence of blood spatter for many years. Basically after the directionality and angle of impact of a stain is determined, The Crime Scene Analyst gets a coloured string (which can be red like its seen on T.V) to the point of impact. The analyst than can run it backwards to a termination point (for example the floor). After attaching multiple strings to the area where all the strings can be properly photographed. The strings can be used in different reconstruction events on the scene for example bullet trajectory can be reconstructed with the use of strings. This process shouldn’t begin until all of the samples (stains) have been properly recorded and collected. The stringing method of reconstruction is commonly one of the last tasks done by a Crime Scene Analyst. (Parkinson, 2003)

Have you ever wondered how much a single blood splatter could impact a whole crime scene? In January 2004, Sachs and Jessica Snyder wrote an article titled, Blood is the Ink, Crime is the Story, which could be found in “Popular Science”. Blood spatter tells more of a story than most individuals know, including detectives and crime-scene analysis. A blood stained analysts, Paulette Sutton, informs those who do investigate crime how important a single blood stain is. An average everyday person could easily tell which direction the blood stain came from, and what height it had fallen from, nevertheless there is still more to the story.

Crime investigation is a tricky thing. Often times there’s piles upon piles of evidence, but sometimes there’s nothing but a crimson smear on the back of a couch. The process can take years too, due to insufficient evidence. But what if there was a way to make it easier? With a drop of blood scientists can paint whole pictures. If blood can do so much with so little, it’s crazy to say it’s not valuable evidence in a crime scene.

Professional licenses and certifications aren’t necessarily required but some forensic scientists continue to study to advance in their careers. Other important skills include having good and legible penmanship, open mindedness, reliable math skills and being an easy communicator. You also have to be okay with what you are doing. You have to be aware that you're dealing with dead bodies. It’s not just fun and games because the job pays well,you have to have an interest in it so you don’t get disgusted or easily bored of

Forensic and DNA casework has been a major player in catching these cold blooded killers. Since most investigators have to work from clues, they rely on these sources to lead them in the right direction. Many findings such as, blood, weapons, hair, or any source of DNA can help put the puzzle pieces of these cases together. This has solved many cases, and is a strong piece of evidence in the judicial system.

When people usually hear the word forensics they usually automatically visualize crime scenes filled with things that can vary from blood, bullets, fingerprints ect. Unfortunately, it is not as cut and dry as you think, you're only seeing a small piece of the picture. The subject of forensics itself is very broad and actually involves a variety of different sciences all mixed together including, biology, chemistry, genetics, toxicology, phonetics, medicine, engineering, anthropology and many more. It is one of the fields of law enforcement, were technology and crime-solving all come together as one. Gathering the information needed to figure out what happened and the methods used to connect pieces of evidence to the crime scene were also not

After doing their job in he crime scene, the evidence they took will be taken to the forensic scientist. Crime scene investigators will look at the photographs and connect their theories based on the crime that occurred. The forensic scientists will also examine the victim’s clothes, while the medical examiner will analyze the victim’s body for more clues and evidence that they may find and they will all be doing this in the crime lab. The things they may find could be hair, fiber, semen, blood, another person’s DNA, bruises and many more. After the forensic scientists

Physical evidence/scientific examinations is the evidence found at the scene of the crime. This can include clothing, blood, fingerprints, weapons and much more. An example of physical evidence could be any listed above but also a bloody knife or a casing from a bullet.