Ballistics, Psychology, Computer, GC-MS Study Guide

Flashcards generated from lecture notes on ballistics, psychology, computers, and GC-MS for exam preparation.

What are class characteristics in ballistics?

General features shared by a group of firearms.

What are individual characteristics in ballistics?

Unique marks specific to a firearm.

What are handguns or pistols?

Designed to be held and fired with one hand.

What is a single-shot firearm?

Can fire only one round/shot at a time.

What is a revolver?

Features several firing chambers in a revolving cylinder.

What is a semi-automatic firearm?

Features a removable magazine, often in the grip.

What are rifles?

Designed to be fired while resting on the shoulder.

What ammunition is used for shotguns?

Shells containing numerous ball-shaped projectiles (SHOT).

What is a rifle?

Long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting.

Name three class characteristics of a gun barrel.

Caliber, number of lands & grooves, direction & twist of lands & grooves.

How do firearms examiners compare two bullets?

Under a comparison microscope, looking for similarities in land/groove impressions.

What characteristic do examiners use most to identify bullets and why?

Striation markings, because no two rifled barrels have the same striations.

List two reasons why striations may vary on bullets fired from the same gun.

Presence of rust and wear of the bullets and length of barrel.

Besides the barrel, what parts of a firearm may leave markings on a cartridge?

Firing pin, breech face, extractor, ejector, magazine, clip, and fire chamber walls.

What is rifling? What is its significance? Why a class characteristic?

Impressing spiral grooves on a barrel's inner surface. It stabilizes the bullet. It shares characters with other firearms.

What is caliber?

Diameter of the gun barrel measured between opposite lands.

Why are striations considered an individual characteristic?

The inner surface of the barrel leaves striation markings; fine lines.

Why is a comparison microscope the most important tool for firearms examiners?

Observe and compare two bullets within the same field of view.

Why do firearms examiners test-fire bullets from suspect barrels?

There is no other way to directly compare markings on the bullet and in the barrel.

What is distance determination?

Determining the distance between firearm and victim/target.

What evidence is studied to make a distance determination?

Distribution of gunpowder and other discharge substances around the bullet hole.

List three characteristics of a bullet hole indicating extremely close range.

Loose fibers, blowback of muzzle gases.

What evidence is looked for to determine if a suspect fired a handgun?

Substances on suspect's hand and specific residues or imprints from gun holding.

How does a criminalist restore an obliterated serial number?

Applying an agent to reveal a pattern from the original numbers.

Why not pick up a weapon by its barrel?

To avoid disrupting powder deposits, rust, or dirt in the barrel.

What is the primary concern when collecting bullets and cartridge cases?

Protection of markings on the bullets.

Name two types of marks that impart individuality to a tool.

Ridges & valleys from the machining process; marks from breaks during usage.

What techniques analyze tool marks that can’t be removed, and what is the disadvantage?

Photos or marking to scale. Details may be lost or altered.

What is the objective of a criminal profiler?

Identify personality and behavioral characteristics of offenders/suspects.

What is the role of a forensic psychiatrist?

Evaluate mental state, assess competency, provide expert opinions in legal cases.

Compare and contrast historic perspectives and modern-day criminal profiling.

Analyzing crime scene to infer the criminal's mind; modern uses objective data.

Explain the stages of the criminal profiling process.

Evaluating the crime, crime scene specifics, analysis of the victim, evaluation of reports, forming a profile.

Explain the value of developing a victim’s timeline.

Understanding their daily routine can help reconstruct events.

What information is included in a typical criminal profile?

Demographics, personality traits, motivations, criminal history, relationships to victims.

Differentiate modus operandi from signature.

Actions necessary to commit the crime vs. fulfilling psychological needs.

Compare a serial killer from a mass killer.

Multiple victims with cooling periods vs. multiple victims in one spree.

List an early warning sign of a serial killer

Antisocial behavior, arson, torturing animals, poor family life, abuse, substance abuse, intelligence.

Compare organized vs. disorganized offender.

Knows right from wrong, no remorse, covers tracks vs. disorganized, under the influence, below average intelligence.

Discuss how a victim’s level of risk affects criminal behavior.

A homeless person who has no family to rely on vs. a person of high awareness and confident during their walk.

What is Encryption?

Transforms data into unreadable ciphertext using an algorithm and a key.

What is Cache?

A special spot that keeps recent stuff to help things load faster.

What are Cookies?

What a website leaves on your computer to remember what you like or did on the website

What is IP in forensic investigation?

Analyze latent data to discover hidden meanings/relationships.

What is SIM?

Phone ID card for calls, texts, and internet.

What is WORM(WRITE ONCE READ MANY)?

Write once, read many.

What is a Trojan horse?

A bad computer program that pretends to be something good but once opened it can damage your computer or steal information

What is RAM (RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY)?

Holds things you use right now, but doesn’t keep it forever.

What is OS?

The operating system of computers so it functions well together

What is Latent?

What you can’t see visibility or easy access on a computer

Software vs. Hardware?

Hardware you can touch, software are the apps/programs.

What is Swap Space?

Extra memory used when RAM runs out of room.

HIPPA

Improves healthcare, protects patient information. Protects patient information.

Financial Modernization Act

Improves financial services. Protects by customer privacy notices.

Driver Privacy Protection Act

Restricts sharing of motor vehicle records. Restricts access to personal information.

Fair Credit Reporting Act

Protects consumer credit information. Limits and protects consumer credit information.

What is GC-MS?

Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry; Simultaneously separates and tentatively identifies drugs.

What are Cookies?

What a website leaves on your computer to remember what you like or did on the website

What is SIM?

Phone ID card for calls, texts, and internet.

What is WORM(WRITE ONCE READ MANY)?

Write once, read many.

What is a Trojan horse?

A bad computer program that pretends to be something good but once opened it can damage your computer or steal information

What is RAM (RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY)?

Holds things you use right now, but doesn’t keep it forever.

What is OS?

The operating system of computers so it functions well together

What is Latent?

What you can’t see visibility or easy access on a computer

Software vs. Hardware?

Hardware you can touch, software are the apps/programs.

What is Swap Space?

Extra memory used when RAM runs out of room.

HIPPA

Improves healthcare, protects patient information. Protects patient information.

Financial Modernization Act

Improves financial services. Protects by customer privacy notices.

Driver Privacy Protection Act

Restricts sharing of motor vehicle records. Restricts access to personal information.

Fair Credit Reporting Act

Protects consumer credit information. Limits and protects consumer credit information.

What is GC-MS?

Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry; Simultaneously separates and tentatively identifies drugs.

What is IP in forensic investigation?

Analyze latent data to discover hidden meanings/relationships.

Identify personality and behavioral characteristics of offenders/suspects.

What is the objective of a criminal profiler?

What is the role of a forensic psychiatrist?

Evaluate mental state, assess competency, provide expert opinions in legal cases.

Compare and contrast historic perspectives and modern-day criminal profiling.

Analyzing crime scene to infer the criminal's mind; modern uses objective data.

Explain the stages of the criminal profiling process.

Evaluating the crime, crime scene specifics, analysis of the victim, evaluation of reports, forming a profile.

Explain the value of developing a victim’s timeline.

Understanding their daily routine can help reconstruct events.

What information is included in a typical criminal profile?

Demographics, personality traits, motivations, criminal history, relationships to victims.

Differentiate modus operandi from signature.

Actions necessary to commit the crime vs. fulfilling psychological needs.

Compare a serial killer from a mass killer.

Multiple victims with cooling periods vs. multiple victims in one spree.

List an early warning sign of a serial killer

Antisocial behavior, arson, torturing animals, poor family life, abuse, substance abuse, intelligence.

Compare organized vs. disorganized offender.

Knows right from wrong, no remorse, covers tracks vs. disorganized, under the influence, below average intelligence.

Discuss how a victim’s level of risk affects criminal behavior.

A homeless person who has no family to rely on vs. a person of high awareness and confident during their walk.

What is Encryption?

Transforms data into unreadable ciphertext using an algorithm and a key.

What is Cache?

A special spot that keeps recent stuff to help things load faster.

What are handguns or pistols?

Designed to be held and fired with one hand.

What is a single-shot firearm?

Can fire only one round/shot at a time.

What is a revolver?

Features several firing chambers in a revolving cylinder.

What is a semi-automatic firearm?

Features a removable magazine, often in the grip.

What are rifles?

Designed to be fired while resting on the shoulder.

What ammunition is used for shotguns?

Shells containing numerous ball-shaped projectiles (SHOT).

What is a rifle?

Long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting.

Name three class characteristics of a gun barrel.

Caliber, number of lands & grooves, direction & twist of lands & grooves.

How do firearms examiners compare two bullets?

Under a comparison microscope, looking for similarities in land/groove impressions.

What characteristic do examiners use most to identify bullets and why?

Striation markings, because no two rifled barrels have the same striations.

List two reasons why striations may vary on bullets fired from the same gun.

Presence of rust and wear of the bullets and length of barrel.

Besides the barrel, what parts of a firearm may leave markings on a cartridge?

Firing pin, breech face, extractor, ejector, magazine, clip, and fire chamber walls.

What is rifling? What is its significance? Why a class characteristic?

Impressing spiral grooves on a barrel's inner surface. It stabilizes the bullet. It shares characters with other firearms.

What is caliber?

Diameter of the gun barrel measured between opposite lands.

Why are striations considered an individual characteristic?

The inner surface of the barrel leaves striation markings; fine lines.

Why is a comparison microscope the most important tool for firearms examiners?

Observe and compare two bullets within the same field of view.