Criminalistics Intro

Who regulates the activities of our daily lives?

Government through criminal and civil laws enforced by police

What is forensic science?

The application of science to criminal and civil laws enforced by police agencies in the criminal justice system

What does criminalistics focus on?

Crime lab services using physical and natural science to analyze crime scene evidence

What is the CSI Effect?

TV dramatization of forensics creating unrealistic expectations for juries

Who influenced early forensic science through literature?

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

What famous character did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle create?

Sherlock Holmes

Who is known as the father of toxicology?

Mathieu Orfila

Who developed anthropometry?

Alphonse Bertillon

What is anthropometry?

A system of measuring body parts for identification

Who created fingerprint classification?

Francis Galton

Who developed blood group typing?

Leone Lattes

Who used comparison microscopes for bullet analysis?

Calvin Goddard

Who established document examination principles?

Albert Osborn

Who introduced Locard’s Exchange Principle?

Edmond Locard

Complete Locard’s Exchange Principle

Every contact leaves a trace

When was the oldest crime lab established?

1923

Which organization had the first crime lab?

LAPD

Who is associated with the first U.S. crime lab?

August Vollmer

When was the FBI crime lab founded?

1932

Who founded the FBI crime lab?

J Edgar Hoover

Why did crime labs expand?

Increased drug arrests and advances in DNA profiling

How many public crime labs operate in the U.S.?

About 400

What levels of government run crime labs?

Federal state and local

What caused major growth in crime labs recently?

DNA profiling

What is a future trend in crime labs?

Hiring thousands of scientists to reduce DNA backlogs

Which agencies operate federal crime labs?

FBI DEA ATF and USPS

What does the Physical Science Unit analyze?

Drugs glass paint explosives and soil

What does the Biology Unit analyze?

DNA hair fibers and botanical material

What does the Firearms Unit examine?

Bullets cartridge cases shotgun shells and residues

What does the Document Examination Unit analyze?

Handwriting typewriting paper ink and altered documents

What does the Photography Unit use?

Digital infrared ultraviolet and X-ray imaging

What does toxicology examine?

Body fluids and organs for drugs and poisons

What does the Latent Fingerprint Unit do?

Processes latent fingerprints

Why are polygraphs limited in court?

Often not admissible and used mainly by investigators

What does the CSI Unit do?

Collects and preserves physical evidence

What are the three main responsibilities of forensic scientists?

Analyze evidence testify in court and collect preserve evidence

What is forensic psychiatry?

Evaluation of mental health especially in criminal cases involving children

What is forensic odontology?

Identification using teeth

What does forensic engineering study?

Structural or mechanical failures

Which major crime scene was analyzed by forensic engineers?

9/11

What is forensic meteorology?

Analysis of weather conditions related to crimes

Which court case was the first to reject lie detector tests?

Frye v United States

Why is Frye v United States important?

It was the first court case to reject lie detector evidence

What precedent did Frye v United States set?

Lie detector tests are unreliable and not admissible in court

What did the Landmark case establish?

It set a legal precedent

Why was the Landmark case historically important?

It was the most historical case with major legal significance in the United States

Why is the Landmark case legally significant?

It changed how future cases were handled and influenced U.S. law

What is important about the suspect in the Polly Klaas case?

The man who killed Polly Klaas had already been convicted of previous crimes

Why is the Polly Klaas case significant?

It exposed problems in the justice system involving repeat offenders

Why are landmark cases important?

They influence future legal and forensic standards