Crime Scene Test 1

Chain of Custody

the record of who handled and stored evidence from the crime scene to the courtroom

Circumstantial evidence

evidence that suggests a fact but doesn’t prove it directly

Class evidence

evidence that can be linked to a group, but not one person

Crime scene investigation

the process of collecting, documenting, and analyzing evidence from a crime scene

Crime scene reconstruction

using evidence to figure out what happened during a crime scene

First responder

the first police officer or emergency person to arrive at the crime scene

Individual evidence

evidence that can be linked to a one unique person or object

LOCARD’S EXCHANGE PRINCIPLE

“when two people or things come into contact, they exchange materials.”

Paper bindle

a folded paper used to safely hold small pieces of evidence like hair or fibers

Primary crime scene

the original place where the crime occured

Secondary crime scene

a place related to the crime but not where it actually happened (like a suspect’s house)

Trace evidence

tiny pieces of evidence (hair, fibers, skin cells)

Forensic entomology

the study of insects to help solve crimes, especially to estimate the time of death

Maggot

a fly larva that feeds on decomposing tissue; often used to help determine time of death

autolysis

the breakdown of cells after death by the body’s own enzymes

Algor mortis

the cooling of the body after death

Autopsy

a medical examination of a body to find the cause of death

Cause of death

the specific reason someone died

Coroner

an official who investigates deaths but may not be a doctor 

decomposition

the process of the body breaking down after death 

Forensic Pathologist

a doctor who studies the body to determine the cause and manner of death

Livor mortis

the pooling of blood in the body after death, causing purple discoloration

Manner of death

the general category of how someone died (natural, suicide, homicide, accidental, undecided)

Mechanism of death

what physically caused death

Medical examiner

a doctor who investigates deaths and performs autopsies

Post Mortem Interval (PMI)

The time that has passed since a person died

Rigor mortis

the stiffening of muscles after death

eyewitness

a person who has seen someone or something related to a crime and can communicate their observations

forensic science

using science to resolve legal matters

datum point

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

reliable evidence

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

triangulation

a technique used to record evidence location from two fixed reference points

arch

a fingerprint pattern in which the ridge pattern originates from one side of the print and continues to the other side

core

the center of the loop

delta

a triangular ridge pattern created when ridge patterns diverge

fingerprint

an impression left on any surface that consists of patterns made by the ridges on a finger

IAFIS

FBI developed national database of more that 76 million criminal fingerprints and criminal histories

latent fingerprint

a concealed fingerprint that is made visible through the use of powders or forensic techniques

loop

fingerprint pattern in which the ridge pattern flows inward and returns in the direction of the orgin

minutiae

combo of details in the shapes and positions of ridges in fingerprints that makes each unique; also called ridge characteristics

patent fingerprint

visible fingerprint produced when fingers coated with blood, ink, or some other substance touch a surface and transfer their print to that surface

plastic fingerprint

3D fingerprint made in soft material such as clay, soap, or putty

ridge count

#of ridges between the center of a delta and the core of a loop

ridge pattern

recognizable pattern of the ridges found in the end pads of the fingers that form lines on the a surface of an object in a fingerprint (arches, loops, whorls)

ten print card

form used to record and preserve a person’s fingerprints

whorl

(plain whorl) a fingerprint pattern that resembles a bull’s-eye