Stringing: The Crime Scene Analyst

The understanding of blood spatter patterns is not a widely recognized forensic practice. Bloodstain pattern interpretation (BPI) is commonly used in murder investigations, but could be utilized in everything from simple assault to mass murders if the number of trained professionals increased. BPI can reveal critical information into reinventing a given crime scene. Everything from the number of blows, stabs or shots a victim was given, the movement that was undergone by the victim and assailant after bloodshed began, position of objects at the crime scene and the type of weapon, if any, that was used can be uncovered.

as it can involve, or exempt a suspect. It can also be used to identify the remains of dead bodies

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.

There were two pieces of evidence that came into question with regards to blood spatter. In the 1956 trial Gerber, the coroner, claimed that an outline in blood on one of the pillows resembled that of a surgical tool but was unable to identify the surgical tool. Gerber would have concluded this observation by believing the bloodstain pattern was a transfer pattern. It was concluded however, that the result of the blood stain on the pillow came from another pillow overlapping it.

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

Later on, the Avery defense team was able to access Avery’s 1985 case file and all the evidence contained within it. Upon initial inspection, they found that the sealed box was cut open, as well as the styrofoam case inside the box and taped closed again. Inside the styrofoam was the vial of blood collected from Avery for testing and on the top lid there was a small hole, large enough for a hypodermic needle to create. This made the idea of the planted blood practically irrefutable as LabCorp told the defense team that they do not make the tubes like that.

used method for this is called “tape lifting” blood stains by taking fingerprints tape and

Forensic science is a key aspect of Criminal Justice that helps rid the streets of lunatics and murderers. One of the most important fields of forensic science is blood spatter analysis. Under the Crime Scene Investigation, analysts gather the information that could eventually lead to a victim’s killer. Basic and complex information can be found when analyzing blood. We can learn what kind of weapon was used, the time of death of a victim and other important facts that can help a case. The pattern that the blood gives off give forensic scientists the tools that they need to help solve cases.

In this day and age law enforcement agencies use many different types of technology in order to help combat and fight crime. Because technology is forever changing this means law enforcement officials need to stay up to date with the latest technology. I wanted to go over technology that is available to police officers, prison guards, and probation officers. One of the many technologies available to police officers are fingerprint technology which provides him the opportunity to successfully lift prints throughout a crime scene. Once these prints are lifted they will go through the proper chain of custody and be processed by the officers local or state lab to see if there is a match. Another form of technology is if blood is found at the crime, any type of blood that is found at the crime scene of course it would be swabbed, for anything that is collected you would also need to

After crime scene logs he went over evidence, recognition of evidence with the class, and areas of possible evidence location. Some types of evidence that were covered were weapons, blood, body fluids, tools, etc. Following, diagrams were shown of how you are to record evidence visually by using scene diagrams for example right angle coordinate and straight line. Part of the evidence recognition includes photography procedures/ ‘painting with light’, methodology, and recording by the use of cameras which he explained in detail as he touched on photo equipment and lighting. For example, the use of different kinds of lighting to lift certain evidence was explained including the use of black light to view body fluid evidence. The idea of photo methodology includes the use of tools to measure evidence in photos and to do this accurately for labs. The ideal way to do this is to use a one to one

I have always loved suspenseful whodunit television shows, movies, and books that use forensic science to crack the cases. My favorite television show is The First 48, my favorite movie is The Silence of the Lambs, and my favorite book is The Body Farm. Therefore, I was excited to have the opportunity to take this course and learn even more about the subject of forensics. This essay gives a summary of N. E. Genge’s book, The Forensic Casebook: The Science of Crime Scene Investigation, and includes the things I disliked and liked about the book.

A part of crime scene investigation that I had never put much thought into was the photography. Taking photos of everything at a scene and the methods of how to photograph scenes are important in working a scene. I had never had the opportunity to work with the type of cameras that we used at the academy and I was unaware of the work that goes into photographing a picture. Before taking a photo one must adjust the settings including the F-stop, ISO, and shutter speed of the camera. In order to take a picture of a moving object you must adjust the shutter speed so it can capture the image clear in its state of movement. Also leaving the shutter speed open for a long time can capture very clear photos of a still object if the camera is placed on a tripod. The

People who watched crime-based television shows understand that DNA evidence is not always noticeable at first glance. In fact, in some cases, it can be impossible to detect visually. Take semen, for example. In large amounts, seminal fluid is easy to detect. It leaves a noticeable crusty stain on most fabric. However, if that fabric is washed then the stain is gone. Presumably, the evidence is washed away. This is not the case necessarily. There are several methods forensic scientists use to find traces of semen to identify a male’s identity. The Acid Phosphatase Color Test is widely regarded as the most effective way to both locate and characterize a seminal stain.

Today, more than ever, the quality of evidence in criminal cases is scrutinized because of contamination. Contamination is the introduction of something that physically corrupts a substance at a crime scene that was not previously there; it comes in many forms and most often times comes from the humans who investigate a crime scene. It is imperative that prevention of cross-contamination is implemented when gathering evidence. Several of the more sensitive forensic techniques such as trace analysis, bloodspatter interpretation, and DNA comparison are not being used to their fullest potential. Items of physical crime scene evidence are not always visible to the naked eye and may be easily overlooked so deliberate and methodical approach to collection and preservation of evidence is essential. Prosecutors have lost cases due to crime scene contamination; this could be prevented by simple and productive behaviors. The U.S. Supreme Court, in a leading case on physical evidence, stated:

Given that blood spatter analysis is an emergent field, with rapidly occurring developments have significant probative implications for the court system, this project will seek to examine the multi-faceted elements of blood spatter analysis to provide an overview of the field’s different dimensions. Focusing on technical developments, analytical interpretation and court relevance, the project will propose that blood spatter’s analysis as a mainstream element of the CSI toolkit results from the combination of physical sciences and analytical rigor which lies at its core. Beginning with questions of technical and physical science, the project will