Forensic ID Exam 1

Chapters 1-5

A reactive criminal investigation does NOT involve

the search for new crimes in communities

What are the factors police supervisors consider when making the screening decision?

both the seriousness of the crime and the evidence available

Which of the following is NOT a stage to reactive criminal investigations?

the adjudication of the defendant

Which of the following examples does NOT explain criminal investigations as a Game?

The subject was able to remove all evidence from the crime scene.

According to the information theory as it applies to the criminal investigation process, ______.

the criminal investigation process resembles a battle between the police and the perpetrator over crime-related information

Which of the following is NOT true about confirmation bias?

when all evidence confirms the guilt of a person

When investigating crimes like homicide, robbery, and rape, what type of investigation is typically being conducted?

reactive

What is the ultimate goal of the criminal investigation process?

 

to reduce crime

What are solvability factors?

the particulars of a case that increase the likelihood of that case being solved

What is NOT an example of a mental mistake made in an investigation?

 

investigators trust DNA tests

Among the limitations of photography as a method of criminal identification was NOT that ______.

it cost too much money to make photographs

What is NOT a development in criminal investigation that has occurred during the community problem-solving era of policing?

Bertillonage

Which of the following is NOT a method of identification mentioned in this chapter?

voice recognition

The necessity of having detectives work cases was highlighted because of problems associated with ______.

the thief-maker system

Which of the following is NOT true about the FBI?

The FBI was created by J. Edgar Hoover in 1908.

T or F: The first identification system used in America for criminal investigation purposes was fingerprinting.

False

A(n) ______ was an individual who tricked another person into committing a crime and then would turn that person in for a parliamentary reward.

thief-maker

T or F: The system of policing from the early 1900s to the 1960s was known as the reform era.

True

What did NOT lead to the creation of state police agencies?

a decrease in crimes

One of the problems with the thieftaker system was that ______.

thieftakers often worked in cooperation with thieves

Evidence that is presented in court through witnesses speaking under oath is ______.

testimonial evidence

T or F: All direct evidence is in the form of eyewitness testimony.

False

A statement of a fifth witness that provides the same details as four other witnesses is an example of ______.

cumulative evidence

The fact that a defendant had a motive for committing the crime is ______ evidence of his/her guilt.

indirect

Facts concerning the defendant’s attempts to avoid apprehension, possession of the fruits of the crime, and ability and motive to commit the crime ______.

are examples of circumstantial evidence

Which of the following is NOT an example of indirect (circumstantial) evidence?

eyewitness testimony identifying the suspect as the one who committed the crime

Probable cause is a set of facts that ______.

convinces a reasonable person that particular circumstances exist

T or F: All circumstantial evidence is real evidence.

False

T or F: A defendant can be convicted of a crime with circumstantial evidence alone.

True

The exception to the exclusionary rule that states that the suspect’s voluntary actions outweigh the illegality of the search or seizure is ______.

the purged taint exception

T or F: When a motorist is stopped for a traffic violation, the officer may legally order the motorist out of the car.

True

What level of proof is needed for the police to legally search occupants of a vehicle for weapons?

reasonable suspicion

T or F: If no-trespassing signs are posted on a property, then the police cannot legally search that area without a warrant.

False

T or F: If a search is conducted without a warrant, then probable cause to conduct the search is rarely necessary.

False

With regard to arrest warrants, ______.

most arrests are made without them

T or F: Custodial interrogations require Miranda warnings, regardless of the severity of the offense.

True

T or F: The purpose of the good-faith exception is to allow for honest mistakes on the part of the police.

True

With regard to the Miranda Supreme Court decision, it ______.

was believed by the police that, as a result of the decision, confessions would no longer be obtained from suspects

he rationale for the ______ exception to the search warrant requirement is that, without immediate action, the suspect may escape, may destroy evidence, or may pose a threat to the police.

exigent circumstances

T or F: When blood dries, it is always brown.

False

______ are made when the oil and perspiration present on fingertips are transferred to another surface but are invisible.

Latent prints

Which of the following is NOT a class characteristic type of evidence?

fingerprints

______ characteristic evidence has characteristics that can be identified as originating with a particular person or source.

Individual

T or F: Pry or tool marks on a window prove that a burglary occurred.

False

What is NOT a precaution that should be taken to collect and handle hair as evidence?

Two hairs are enough for a comparison sample.

At crime scenes, officers and investigators should NOT ______.

let witnesses and victims have interactions with each other

T or F: Physical evidence can act as direct or circumstantial evidence.

True

T or F: Elimination prints are fingerprints of all persons who are known to have had legal access to the scene.

True

______ bite marks would be left on a perpetrator by a victim.

Defensive

Dunaway v. New York, 1979

police violate the 4 and 14 Amendments when they seize a suspect without probable cause

Franks v. Delaware, 1978

A defendant can request an evidentiary hearing to challenge a warrant

US v. Leon, 1984

an exception to the exclusionary rule for evidence gathered in "good faith."

Maryland v. Garrison 1987

a valid search warrant and its execution do not violate the Fourth Amendment when police make a reasonable, good-faith mistake about the property's layout

Katz v. U.S. 1967

government cannot secretly record a phone call in a public booth without a warrant.

Kentucky v. King, 2011

4th Amendment's exigent circumstances rule applies when police do not create the emergency through conduct that violates or threatens to violate the 4th Amendment

South Dakota v. Opperman, 1976

police may conduct a warrantless inventory search of a lawfully impounded vehicle without violating the Fourth Amendment.

Whren v. U.S., 1996

any traffic violation observed by police officers gives them legitimate legal grounds to stop a vehicle

Chimel v. California, 1969

police making a lawful arrest at a home cannot search the entire house without a search warrant

Aguilar v. Texas, 1964

a search warrant based on confidential hearsay must inform the magistrate of the underlying circumstances

Illinois v. Gates, 1983

flexible "totality of the circumstances" approach