Investigating The Theories Of Trace Evidence

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.

However, back in the 1980s, detailed studies were done to try to accomplish this task. One specific comprehensive study was done in 1984 by Peterson et al. In this study, the analysts found that physical evidence was discovered in only about twenty to thirty percent of serious crimes (Peterson, 2013). When each of the crimes were studied separately, however, they found that only crimes such as homicide, drug, or rape resulted in a large chance of physical evidence being found at the crime (Peterson, 2013). Cases such as attempted murder, burglaries, and robberies yielded lower chances of the retrieval of physical evidence from the crime (Peterson, 2013). When considering all of these possible crimes, the most commonly collected evidence were controlled substances, and then in lesser amounts, there was other physical evidence such as blood, hair, firearms, and fingerprints (Peterson, 2013).

The gathering, protection and safeguarding of evidence is a crucial facet of evidence integrity, without accurate adherence to these processes, vital evidence that could possibly have significant influence on a court case could be deemed inadmissible. Therefore identifies the importance in establishing policy and procedure for law enforcement agencies in the identification, collection, and storage of evidence. Objects that constitute fruits, instrumentalities, or evidence of the crime or are contraband may be introduced in evidence and exhibited to the jury if it is proven that such objects offered as evidence relate to the crime charged (Garland, 2015, p. 417). Below is a procedure for handling physical evidence for presentation

Hair and blood are two of the most common pieces of evidences found at the

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.

The crucial step of the investigation is the transport and storage of evidence recovered from the crime scene. Tightly controlled access during transport and storage will prevent any unauthorized contact and possible tampering or loss of evidence. The evidence that is recovered at the scene must reach a forensic laboratory as quickly as possible, appropriate conditions will prevent deterioration of evidence during transport and storage. Evidence might have to be stored for some years until a case goes to court or if the case is unsolved so labelling and storing evidence must be appropriately done to avoid contamination or disintegration etc.

Trichology is the study of hair. Interestingly, this study dates back to mid-1800s. However, hair analysis in forensic science began in 1930. During which time, a forensic scientist by the name of Edmond Locard introduced the Locard Exchange Principal. This principal hinges on the fact that any time there is contact between two surfaces an exchange of material will take place. (Oien, 2009) In this paper, I will prove how Forensic Hair Analysis and Forensic Hair comparison and studies if properly performed and correctly interpreted hair analysis meets all the scientific method standards.

The most efficient and acceptable means for the collection of evidence to be permissible and admissible to a court of law through trial proceedings is to maintain a credible chain of custody. However, the chain of custody is an insufficient factor without proper discovery retrieval and/or collection of evidence. When offenders respond to a scene in which there is evidence to be collected, only officers properly trained in the process are allowed to collect the evidence. In the State of Georgia, law enforcement officers undergo a strenuous police academy course in which they learn the fundamentals of collecting elements such as fingerprints and bodily fluids. In addition to learning the fundamentals of collecting elements at a crime scene, they are also instructed and trained on how to properly take crime scene pictures. These pictures are important because they show the courts where an element or piece of evidence was discovered in reference to the whole sight of the scene. Once the officer collects the elements/evidence according to his or her training they place the evidence in either a plastic or paper bag to be submitted into evidence. Upon the collection of evidence there is a legible record of each person that handles the evidence from start to finish

Indoor-Indoor crime scenes are typically less demanding to secure and ensure, and securing a scene can be as straightforward as shutting an entryway. The techniques utilized by scientific research facilities have developed with the goal that little measures of natural material can create a usable DNA profile. Conveyance- Conveyance is characterized as "something that fills in as methods for transportation. It is vital that the crime scene examiner perceive that physical confirmation recouped from these scenes may expand well past the movement itself 3. What are the five fundamental rules discussed in the textbook that must be observed regarding crime scenes?

Behind every court case there’s a train of forensic science evidence and research. Forensic science is the application of scientific principles of criminal justice. In many court cases a forensic scientists is the one on the scene collecting finger prints, photos, blood samples and other evidence. Unfortunately one of the controversial issues in the forensic world is the evidence and its lack of verification of its reliability. In the field of forensics there are issues in finding proof in generating conclusion, fundamental knowledge to solve problems, and the whole false memory defense in the court. These issues can be solved in many ways like extensive research, preparation and training. These issues

The Locard’s Exchange Principle is a specific concept that was developed by Dr. Locard in 1877 through 1966. In my opinion, I believe that the Locard’s Exchange Principle is when two things come into contact in exchange into something that is going to happen. What does this mean for evidence or any crime scene for when a criminal goes into a place where both leave something as well as take something away into terms of evidence which can result into having physical contact with any scene? I believe that no matter where a criminal goes, that criminal can leave all sorts of evidence such as DNA, fingerprints, footprints, hair, blood, pieces of clothing,

This could be anything like DNA evidence to forensic evidence. A survey was conducted in order to see the correlation between the type of evidence that should be used, and people who watch CSI types of shows. The results showed that 46% of people expected to see scientific evidence in every criminal case, and 22% of people expected to see DNA evidence in every criminal case as well. The findings also indicated that different cases need different types of evidence according to viewers of crime shows. 46% of people expected to see DNA evidence in more violent or serious cases, along with the scientific evidence. In breaking and entering cases, 71% of the people wanted to fingerprint evidence along with the scientific evidence (Shelton,

Pollen grains can be used at a crime scene as the pollen grains differ in size, shape and texture. Pollen samples can show whether a person was present at the crime. Fibres can look very different under the microscope so can be compared to those found on the suspects clothing. The fibres can be matched to the victims clothes or hairs for example to prove that he was present at the crime also if these same fibres are found at the place of a crime then people know that that is where the crime took place however lots of different pollen grains would have been left there as other people would have been in that place at one

Processing the evidence is very important in the crime lab. When collecting physical evidence we have to record it in the chain of evidence. It’s also called the chain of custody. The chain of custody is documentation of what has happened to the evidence from the time it was discovered until it is needed in court, including every person who has had the custody of the evidence and why (Orthmann Hess & Hess, 2013, p. 129). When collecting evidence it may require judgment and care (Orthmann Hess & Hess, 2013, p. 131).