Crime Scene Investigation

To show the greatest detail of individual objects or evidence, close-up photographs must be taken at an angle of ___ and with and without evidence markers and scales.

90 degrees

High-intensity light sources, known as ___________ are effective in developing latent fingerprints.

Alternate Light Sources

A database applicable to DNA profiling is the FBI's

CODIS

______ is the method used to develop a likely sequence of events at a crime scene by the observation and evaluation of physical evidence and statements made by individual involved with the incident.

Crime scene reconstruction

A(n) __________ created for the reconstruction defines each event that occurred at a crime scene in various probable orders within a known or estimated time frame.

Event Timeline

A fingerprint can be positively identified through the IAFIS database.

False

A fingerprint classification system can unequivocally identify an individual.

False

Charred debris removed from the scene of an arson is best placed in a porous container.

False

Close-up photographs of tire or footwear impressions at a crime scene must be taken after the impression is cast.

False

Expectations or biases can have a positive effect on the process of reconstruction by leading to correct analysis or interpretation of the information provided by the evidence.

False

For gunshot victims, the cause of death can be listed as a gunshot wound.

False

Generalizing about aspects of evidence is always helpful to an investigation.

False

High levels of carbon monoxide must be present for a victim to become disoriented and lose consciousness.

False

If the investigator does not recognize physical evidence or does not properly preserve it for laboratory examination, sophisticated laboratory instrumentation or technical expertise can salvage the situation and attain the desired results

False

Members of the crime-scene reconstruction team should design the examination and theory formation process to prove a theory or hypothesis that they believe to be true.

False

Petechiae are more common in hangings than strangulation deaths.

False

Shotgun pellets can be individualized to a single weapon.

False

The individuality of a fingerprint is determined by its pattern.

False

The kinds of evidence that may be found at a crime scene are few, and similar categories or types of crime scene evidence have to be studied with similar techniques and considerations.

False

The lead investigator will immediately proceed to gain an overview of the situation and develop a strategy for the systematic examination of the crime scene during the final survey.

False

The liver can contain partially digested or dissolved pills.

False

The outward appearance of the injuries will always match the injuries sustained inside the body.

False

The search patterns that may be used to search a crime scene for evidence include the line pattern, grid pattern, polar coordinate pattern, and spiral pattern.

False

Whenever possible, trace evidence is to be removed from the object that bears it.

False

When a link is prematurely assumed between two or more objects of evidence, this is the fallacy of _________.

False linkage

__________ occurs when a substance absorbs light and reemits the light in wavelengths longer than the illuminating source.

Fluoresce

__________ vapors chemically combine with fatty oils or residual water to visualize a fingerprint.

Iodine

By determining the degree of correlation between the location and relationship of the _________ for both the search and file fingerprints, a computer can make thousands of fingerprint comparisons in a second.

Minutiae

The automated firearms search system developed by the FBI and ATF as a unified system incorporating both DRUGFIRE and IBIS technologies is known as ________

NIBIN

Current methods for identifying a shooter rely on the detection of ________ residues on the hands.

Primer

Microscopic primer and gunpowder particles on the adhesives applied to a suspected shooter's hand can be detected with a ___________.

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)

A chemical technique known as __________ is used to develop latent prints on nonporous surfaces such as metal and plastic.

Super glue fuming

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

True

Each crime scene should be photographed as completely as possible in a logical succession, and the photographs should include the area in which the crime actually took place and all the adjacent area where important acts occurred.

True

Each item of evidence should first be analyzed and tested separate from all other evidence to avoid false linkage of evidence.

True

Fingerprints cannot be changed during a person's lifetime.

True

Given the potential weight if scientific evidence in a trial setting, failure to take proper safeguards may unfairly prejudice a case against the suspect.

True

The biggest limitation to crime-scene reconstruction is the fact that what is left behind at a crime scene is often much less than is needed to create a full timeline of events that occurred in the past.

True

Blood evidence should be accompanied by known controls in the form of whole blood or ________ form victims or suspects.

buccal swabs

If a firearm has been fired more than 3 feet from a target, usually no residue is deposited, but a dark ring, known as ________, is observed.

bullet wipe

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

carbon monoxide

Objects bearing tool marks either should be submitted intact to the crime lab, or a ________ should be taken of the tool mark.

cast

The primary objective of the autopsy is to determine the ____

cause of death

For an item of physical evidence to be used in a reconstruction, it must have a confirmed and intact _________.

chain of custody

The possibility of future legal proceeding requires that a __________ be established with respect to the possession and location of all physical evidence.

chain of evidence

Fingerprints on porous surfaces are best developed with __________ treatment.

chemical

Inductive reasoning is used to analyze ___________ that provides a lead but no definite conclusion.

circumstantial evidence

Evidence associated with a group and not with a single source is said to posses _______ characteristic.

class

A ________ analysis subjects a suspect specimen and a standard/reference specimen to the same tests and examination in order to determine whether they have a common origin.

comparitive

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

coroner, medical examiner

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.

corroborate

Reconstructing the circumstances of a crime scene is a team effort that may include the help of law enforcement personnel, medical examiners, and _____________.

criminalists

Wounds on a victim's forearm may be ______.

defensive wounds

The _______ of a photograph is the amount of area in the foreground and background of an in-focus object that is also relatively in focus.

depth

The form and pattern of skin ridges are determined by the skin layer called the __________.

dermal papillae

The analysis of ______ employs deductive reasoning and provides a definite conclusion or direction.

direct physical evidence

Only _______ tools should be used to collect biological materials for packaging.

disposable

Because minute traces of evidence such as paint and fibers may be adhering to a recovered bullet, the investigator must take care to remove these trace materials immediately.

false

Another way to avoid bias is to test the _________ of all theories of how a crime occurred and all plausible alternatives against the evidence.

false ability

Unlike the rough sketch, the ______ is constructed with care and concern for aesthetic appearance and must be drawn to scale.

final sketch

Once a(n) ______________ of the scene has been carried out, the scene can be released to the proper authorities

final survey

An individual may have had contact with the skin of another individual during the commission of a crime, so ________ scrapings should be collected because they may contain minute fragments of evidence.

fingernails

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.

first officer

The crime scene notes should include a precise record of personnel movements in and out of the scene starting with the ______________.

first officer

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

forensic anthropology

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.

forensic entomology

The diameter of a shotgun barrel is expressed by the term _________.

gauge

The clothing of the victim of a shooting must be handled so to prevent disruption of ________ around bullet holes.

gunpowder residue

Firearms can be divided into two categories: _________ and ________ guns.

handgun and long

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

identification

A wear pattern, cut, gouge, or other damage pattern can impart ________ characteristics to a shoe.

individual

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

individual

_________ reasoning is being used when a given fact or finding leads to a conclusion that is probable but not definitive. ____ reasoning is being used when a given fact or finding leads to a definitive conclusion.

inductive; deductive

An _________ photograph may help visualize gunpowder deposits around a target.

infrared

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

internal; external

The ________ is the original part of the bore left after rifling grooves are formed.

land

Fingerprints deposited on a surface when oils and sweat are excreted from pores on the friction ridges are called __________ fingerprints.

latent

Fingerprints on large immovable objects that have been developed with a powder can best be preserved by __________ with a broad adhesive tape similar to Scotch tape.

lifting

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

livor mortis

At a crime scene, first priority should be given to obtaining ____________________ for individuals in need of it and attempting to minimize the disturbance of evidence.

medical assistance

Modern analytical techniques have become so sensitive that the forensic examiner must be aware of the _______ among materials when interpreting the significance of comparative data.

natural variation

The chemical ___________ visualized fingerprints by its reaction with amino acids.

ninhydrin

Three methods for recording the crime scene are:

notes, photographs, sketching

To avoid letting personal beliefs or biases affect the conclusions reached through observations, crime-scene reconstruction teams must practice ______.

objectivity

The succession of photographs taken at a crime scene is _____ photographs first, ____ photographs seconds, and _____ photographs last.

overview, midrange, close-up

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

oxygen

Packaging material for biological evidence, including blood-stained evidence, should be made of ______ to ensure constant circulation of air.

paper

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

pathologist

Although databases are consistently updated so that scientists can assign probabilities to class evidence, for the most part, forensic scientists must rely on ___________ when interpreting the significance of class physical evidence.

personal experience

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

petechiae

Once a fingerprint has been visualized, it must be preserved by a ____________.

photograph

Shoe and tire marks impressed into soft earth at a crime scene are best preserved by ________ and ________.

photography and casting

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

physical evidence

To ensure that their digital images will be admissible, many jurisdictions have developed or are developing ___________________________ for the use of digital photography to avoid the possibility of enhancement or doctoring of crime scene photographs.

standard operation procedures

Most physical evidence collected at the crime scene will require to accompanying submission of ___________ material for comparison purposes.

standard sample

To make a match between a test bullet and a recovered bullet, the lands and grooves of the test and evidence bullet must have identical widths, and the longitudinal _________ on each must coincide.

striations

Uncontaminated areas close to where bloodstains were deposited are called ______________ and should be collected from the crime scene.

substrate controls

The discharge from a firearm will produce characteristic markings on the skin known as ______.

tattooing / stippling

Eyewitness accounts, called ______, are sometimes highly subjective and heavily biased because people may lie or misinterpret the facts.

testimonial evidence

Once all evidence has been evaluated, the reconstruction team must bring together all the evince and information to form plausible ________.

theories

A _________ is any impression caused by a tool coming into contact with another object.

toolmark

The distribution of gunpowder particles and other discharge residues around a bullet hole permits an approximate determination of the distance from which the gun was fired.

true

The number of lands and grooves is a class characteristic of a barrel.

true

The most important prerequisite for photography at a crime scene is to have it in an ___________ condition.

unaltered

A fingerprint left by a person with soiled or stained fingertips is called a(n) ___________.

visible fingerprint

The presence or absence of the ___________ pattern is used as a basis for determining the primary classification in the Henry system.

whorl

The three general patterns into which fingerprints are divided are _________, __________, and __________.

whorl, loops, arches

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

algor mortis

ACE-V is an acronym for

analysis, comparison, evaluation, verification

In ________ cases it may be especially important to photograph the crowd outside the scene because perpetrators of these crimes frequently return to the scene.

arson

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

autopsy

The inherent fallacy of ______ exists when investigators or attorneys try to apply a simple "yes or no" answer to a complex question.

bifurcation

Fingerprints on hard and nonabsorbent surfaces are best developed by the application of a(n) ___________.

powder

A(n) ______________ crime scene is one at which the original incident, such as a beating or rape, occurred. A(n) ______________ crime scene became part of the crime as a result of activities that occurred after the initial incident.

primary; secondary

When creating a rough sketch, one should take measurements from fixed points to pieces of evidence by using the ______, ________, __________, or ________ method

rectangular, triangulation, baseline, polar coordinates

The re-creation of events at a crime scene, called a __________, may be performed by live personnel, mannequins, or computer-generated models.

reenactment

All unauthorized personal must be ______ from crime scenes.

removed

The ________ features several firing chambers, each holding one cartridge, located within a revolving cylinder that lines the chamber up with the barrel mechanically when the round is fired.

revolver

A point-by-point comparison of a fingerprint's __________ must be demonstrated in order to prove identity.

ridge characteristics