Forensic chapter 2

crime-scene investigation

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

class evidence

material that connects an individual or a thing to a certain group (see individual evidence)

circumstantial evidence

evidence used to imply a fact but not support it directly

chain of custody

the documented and unbroken transfer of evidence

crime-scene reconstruction

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

first responder

the first safety official to arrive at a crime scene

direct evidence

evidence that (if authentic) supports an alleged fact of a case

individual evidence

a kind of evidence that identifies a particular person or thing

datum point

a permanent, fixed point of reference used in mapping a crime scene

paper bindle

a folded paper used to hold trace evidence

primary crime scene

the location where the crime took place

reliable

evidence that is consistent when retested

subdatum point

one of several reference points of known coordinates marked from a measurable distance and direction from the datum point

valid

evidence (testimony, exhibits, demonstrative evidence, and documentary material) properly collected and documented that truthfully supports a claim based on objective, scientific data from reliable sources

triangulation

a mathematical method of estimating positions of objects at a location such as a crime scene, given locations of stationary objects

secondary crime scene

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

trace evidence

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