Observation Skills and Crime Scene Investigation

inductive reasoning

method of drawing conclusions by going from the specific to the general

deductive reasoning

logical approach where you progress from general ideas to specific conclusions

eyewitness

person who has seen someone or something and can communicate these facts

fact

statement or assertion of information that can be verified.

forensics

applying scientific knowledge to legal questions

observation

direct sensory gathering of data

opinion

personal belief founded on judgment rather than on direct experience or knowledge

perception

process of organizing, interpreting, and assigning meaning to sensory information

chain of custody

documented and unbroken transfer of evidence

circumstantial evidence

(indirect evidence) evidence used to imply a fact, but not prove it directly.

class evidence

material that connects an individual or thing to a certain group

crime scene investigation

multidisciplinary approach in which scientific and legal professionals work together to solve a crime

crime scene reconstruction

a hypothesis of the sequence of events from before the crime was committed through its commission

direct evidence

evidence that (if true) proves an alleged fact, such as a eyewitness account of a crime

first responder

the first individual that belongs to a recognized organization to arrive at a crime scene

individual evidence

a kind of evidence that identifies a particular person or thing

paper bindle

folded paper used to hold trace evidence

primary crime scene

the location where the crime took place

secondary crime scene

a location other than the primary crime scene, but that is in some way related to the crime, where evidence is found

trace evidence

small but measurable amounts of physical or biological material found at a crime scene

Biological evidence

Evidence that comes from an organism

Physical evidence

Evidence where the origin is man made