Criminalistics Book Test #1

Forensic Science

Describes the application of science to law.

Sherlock Holmes

The fictional exploits of _______ excited the imagination of an emerging generation of forensic scientists and criminal investigators.

Alphonse Bertillon

(1853-1914)

First devised a system of personal identification using a series of body measurements.

Francis Galton

(1822-1911)

_____ is responsible for developing the first statistical study proving the uniqueness of fingerprints.

Leon Lattes

(1887-1954)

The Italian scientist who devised the first workable procedure for typing dried bloodstains.

Calvin Goddard

(1891-1955)

The comparison microscope became an indispensable tool of firearms examination through the efforts of _____.

Albert S. Osborn

(1858-1946)

Early efforts at applying scientific principles to document examination are associated with _____.

Has Gross

(1847-1915)

The Austrian magistrate who advocated the application of scientific principles to criminal investigation.

Edmond Locard

(1877-1966)

One of the first functional crime laboratories was formed in Lyons, France, under the direction of _____.

Edmond Locard

(1877-1966)

The forensic scientist who first advocated the concept of the transfer of evidence that occurs when two objects come in contact with one another.

Los Angeles

The first forensic lab in the United States was created in 1923 by the _____ Police Dept.

California

Which state is an excellent example of a geographical area in the U.S. that has created a system of integrated regional and satellite laboratories?

regional

In contrast to the U.S., Britain's crime lab system is characterized by a national system of _____ labs.

drug

The increasing demand for _____ analyses has been the single most important factor in the recent expansion of crime lab services in the U.S.

FBI, DEA, BATFE, U.S.PIS

Four important federal agencies offering forensic services are _____, _____, _____, and _____.

national, state, local

A decentralized system of crime labs currently exists in the U.S. under the auspices of various governmental agencies at the _____, _____, and _____ levels of gov't.

Physical Science Unit

The application of chemistry, physics, and geology to the identification and comparison of crime-scene evidence is the function of the _____ unit of a crime lab.

Biology Unit

The examination of blood, hairs, fibers, and botanical materials is conducted in the _____ unit of a crime lab.

Firearms Unit

responsible for the examination of bullets, cartridge cases, shotgun shells, and ammo of all types.

Toxicology Unit

Responsible for the examination of body fluids and organs for drugs and poisons.

Crime-Scene Investigation Unit

responsible for dispatching trained personnel to the scene of a crime to retrieve evidence for a lab examination.

Frye v. United States

(1923)

The "general acceptance" principle, which serves as a criterion for the judicial admissibility of scientific evidence, was set forth.

Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

(1993)

In the case of _____, the Supreme Court ruled that in assessing the admissibility of new and unique scientific tests, the trial judge did not have to rely solely on the concept of "general acceptance."

(T or F) The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Kumho Tire Co., Ltd v. Carmichael restricted the "gatekeeping" role of a trial judge only to scientific testimony.

False

Coppolino v. State

A Florida case that exemplifies the flexibility and wide discretion that the trial judge has in matters of scientific inquiry.

expert witness

A person who can demonstrate a particular skill or has knowledge in a trade or profession that will help the court determine the truth of the matter at issue.

True

(T or F) The expert witness's courtroom demeanor may play an important role in deciding what weight the court will assign to his or her testimony.

True

(T or F) The testimony of an expert witness incorporates his or her personal opinion relating to a matter he or she has either studied or examined.

The ability of the investigator to recognize and collect crime-scene evidence properly depends on the amount of _____ received from the crime lab.

Evidence

(T or F) In 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court addressed issues relating to the Confrontation Clause of the 6th Amendment in the case of Crawford v. Washington.

True

The 2009 U.S. Supreme Court decision addressed the practice of using affidavits in lieu of in-person testimony by forensic examiners.

True

Coroner and Medical Examiner

The titles of __________ and __________ are often used interchangeably, but there are significant differences in their job descriptions.

False

The medical examiner is an elected official and is not required to possess a medical degree. (True or False)

Pathologist

Although both a coroner and a forensic pathologist are charged with investigating a suspicious death, only the __________ is trained to perform an autopsy.

False

If it appears that a victim did not shoot himself or herself or anyone else, the victim's hands should not be swabbed. (True or False)

Cause of Death

The primary objective of the autopsy is to determine the __________.

False

The manner of death is defined as that which initiates the series of events ending fin death. (True or False)

Blunt

A __________-force injury can abrade and crush tissue.

False

The outward appearance of the injuries will always match the injuries sustained inside the body. (True or False)

Defensive

Wounds on a victim's forearm may be __________ wounds.

True

A lack of any defense wounds can lead a pathologist to believe that the victim was either unconscious or somehow tied up during the assault. (True or False)

Oxygen

Asphyxia encompasses a variety of conditions that involve interference with the intake of __________.

True

Death at a fire scene is primarily cause by the extremely toxic gas carbon monoxide. (True or False)

Hemoglobin

The protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen is known as __________.

False

High levels of carbon monoxide must be present for a victim to become disoriented and lose consciousness. (True or False)

False

Carbon monoxide will continue to build up in the body after death. (True or False)

Alive

Carbon monoxide levels and the presence of soot can be used to determine whether the individual was __________ at the time of the fire.

Petechiae

Victims of hangings often show signs of __________ on the eyelids, cheeks, and forehead.

Capillaries

Petechiae are caused by the escaping of blood into the tissue as a result of __________ bursting.

False

Petechiae are more common in hanging than strangulation deaths. (True or False)

True

Typically the hybrid bone and thyroid cartilage are not fractured in hanging cases. (True or False)

False

For gunshot victims, the cause of death can be listed as a gunshot wound. (True or False)

True

Because drug abuse is so common, the forensic pathologist will routinely test for the presence of drugs in nearly all investigations. (True or False)

Autopsy

A(n) __________ in its broadest definition is simply examination of a body after death.

True

There are two types of autopsies: a forensic/medicolegal autopsy and a clinical/hospital autopsy. (True or False)

External : Internal

The autopsy consists of a(n) __________ examination and a(n) __________ examination.

Stippling or Tattooing

The discharge form a firearm will produce characteristic markings on the skin known as __________.

True

X-ray examinations are most commonly performed in gunshot wound cases and stab wound cases. (True or False.

Edema

Pulmonary __________, or fluid accumulation in the lungs, is frequently found in victims of chronic cocaine and amphetamine abuse.

False

The liver can contain partially digested or dissolved pills. (True or False)

False

The ideal location to take a blood sample is from the heart. (True or False)

Postmortem Redistribution

__________ is the redistribution of drugs after death.

True

General testing for poisons is not a routine procedure carried out by the pathologist. (True or False)

Carbon Monoxide

A body that displays a cheery-red discoloration often leads a pathologist to suspect poisoning by __________.

False

A pathologist can often give an exact time of death. (True or False)

Algor Mortis

The process of the body's continually decreasing in temperature after death until it reaches the environmental temperature is known as __________.

livor Mortis

The process of the blood settling in parts of the body closest to the ground after death is known as __________.

True

Different lividity patterns on a body may indicate that the body was moved after death but before livor mortis had fully fixed. (True or False)

Potassium

Levels of __________ in the ocular fluid can help indicate the time of death.

Autolysis and Putrefaction

After death, two decomposition processes take place: __________ and __________.

Pelvis

The female bone structure differed from the male structure within the __________ area because of a woman's child-bearing capabilities.

False

A definite identification of remains cannot be made though the analysis of the decedent's DNA profile, fingerprints, or medical records. (True or False)

True

A site where human remains are found must be treated as a crime scene, and the site and surrounding area should be secured, searched, and carefully processed. (True or False)

Forensic Anthropology

The field of __________ takes advantage of the durable nature of bones over a long period of time to examine the identify human skeletal remains though a multitude of individual characteristics.

Forensic Entomology

The study of insects and their relation to a criminal investigation, known as __________, is commonly used to estimate the time of death when the circumstances surrounding the crime are unknown.

Postmortem

By determining the oldest stage of fly found on the body and taking environmental factors into consideration, entomologists can approximate the __________ interval.

True

Another method to determine PMI is by observing the schedule of arrival of different insects species on the body. (True or False)

Identification

The process of ____ determines a substance's physical or chemical identity with as near absolute certainty as existing analytical techniques will permit

Eliminate / Exclude

The number and type of tests needed to identify a substance must be sufficient to ____ all other substances from consideration

Comparative

A(n) ____ analysis subjects a specimen and a standard/reference specimen to the same tests and examination in order to determine whether they have a common origin

Probability

____ is the frequency of occurrence of an event

Individual

Evidence that can be traced to a common source with an extremely high degree of probability is said to possess _____ characteristics

Class

Evidence associated with a group and not with a single source is said to possess ____ characteristics

True

T or F: One of the major deficiencies of forensic science is the inability of the examiner to assign exact or approximate probability values to the comparison of most class physical evidence

Corroborate

The value of class physical evidence lies in its ability to ____ events with data in a manner that is, as nearly as possible, free of human error and bias

Weight

The ____ accorded physical evidence during a trial is left entirely to the trier of fact

False

T or F: The distinction between individual and class evince is always easy to make

False

T or F: Physical evidence cannot be used to exclude or exonerate a person from suspicion of committing a crime

False

T or F: a fingerprint can be positively identified through the IAFIS database

CODIS

A database applicable to DNA profiling is _____

PDQ

The ____ database contains chemical and color information pertaining to original automotive paints

NIBIN

The ____ database allows firearm analysts to compare markings made by firearms on bullets that have been recovered from crime scenes

Experience

Students studying forensic science must be cautioned that merely reading relevant textbooks and journals is no substitute for ____ in this most practical of sciences

True

T or F: Given the potential weight of scientific evidence in a trial setting, failure to take proper safeguards may unfairly prejudice a case against the suspect

The term - encompasses all objects that can establish or disprove whether a crime has been committed or can link a crime and its victim or its perpetrator

physical evidence

True or False: Scientific evaluation of crime-scene evidence can usually overcome the results of a poorly conducted criminal investigation

False

True or False: The techniques of physical evidence collection require a highly skilled individual who much specialize in this area of investigation

False

all unauthorized personnel must be - from crime scenes

excluded

True or False: Failure to protect a crime scene properly may result in the destruction or altering of evidence

true

The - arriving on the scene of a crime is responsible for taking steps to preserve and protect the area to the greatest extent possible, and this person must rely on his or her training to deal with any violent or hazardous circumstances

1st responder