Untitled Flashcards Set

Medical Examiner

Determines the cause and manner of death by examining bodies.

CSI Unit

Responsible for collecting, processing, and analyzing crime scene evidence.

Police Officer

First responders who secure the crime scene, ensure public safety, and begin the initial investigation.

Detectives

Investigate crimes by gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, and building cases.

Specialist

Experts in specific fields such as trace chemistry, toxicology, or microscopy who assist in analyzing evidence.

District Attorney (DA)

Responsible for prosecuting criminal cases and ensuring legal procedures are followed.

What are the steps of crime scene protocol?

Secure the crime scene, document the scene, collect fragile evidence first, gather all physical and trace evidence, properly package and label evidence, maintain the chain of custody.

What is the difference between physical evidence and trace evidence?

Physical evidence is any tangible object related to the crime; trace evidence consists of small materials transferred during a crime.

Examples of trace evidence

Fibers, paint, gunpowder.

Who is the first to respond to a crime scene?

Police Officer.

What actions does a first responder take?

Secure the scene, call for medical assistance if necessary, begin initial documentation.

Why must video footage and photographs be taken at crime scenes?

To accurately document the scene before it is disturbed.

Why should fragile evidence be collected first?

It can easily be lost, destroyed, or contaminated.

Acceptable containers for collecting evidence

Paper bags, plastic bags, jars, envelopes.

Considerations when bagging evidence

Prevent contamination, use appropriate containers, properly label and seal each item.

What is chain of custody?

A record of who has handled the evidence and where it has been transported.

Types of patterns used to search for evidence

Grid, Spiral, Line, Zone.

What is circumstantial evidence?

Indirect evidence that implies a fact but does not directly prove it.

How can circumstantial evidence be used during a trial?

Helps establish a connection between the suspect and the crime through inference.

Examples of circumstantial evidence

Latent fingerprints, shoe impressions, DNA traces.

Class Evidence

Links to a group, such as a type of shoe.

Individual Evidence

Unique to a single person or object, such as fingerprints.

Examples of physical evidence

Toolmarks, latent prints, shoe impressions.

Importance of eyewitness testimonies in a trial

They provide firsthand accounts of the crime and help identify suspects.

Factors affecting eyewitness accuracy

Stress or trauma, lighting conditions, time elapsed since the event.

Association of children and the elderly with eyewitness accuracy

Both are more susceptible to suggestion, impacting their accuracy.

Three things that do not affect eyewitness accuracy

Race, Gender, Social status.

Why is it important to separate witnesses at a crime scene?

To prevent them from influencing each other’s accounts.

When is eyewitness testimony the most persuasive?

When the witness is confident and provides a consistent account.

Cause of most wrongful convictions

Misidentification by eyewitnesses.

Positive print versus negative print

Positive print transfers material onto a surface; negative print removes material.

What can be determined from shoe impressions?

Shoe brand and size, walking/running patterns, weight distribution.

How to determine whether an impression came from a man or woman

Men’s shoes are larger and wider; women’s shoes are narrower and often have high-heel impressions.

Things that cannot be determined from shoe impressions

Exact height of the suspect; exact weight of the suspect.

How to tell if the suspect was walking versus running

Walking has evenly spaced prints; running has deeper impressions at the toe.

Two things to analyze when looking at tire track evidence

Tread pattern; wheelbase measurements.