FRNSC 210 Exam 1

Quality assurance measures ensure _______ standard of operation

Minimum

Transfer

The exchange of material between two objects

What regions of a firearm are permissible to touch when packaging evidence (Note you are wearing gloves during this process)? Select all that apply. 1. Since you are wearing gloves. anywhere is acceptable 2. textured grips 3. textured slide 4. flat smooth regions

textured grips, textured slide

Mathiew Orfila

the father of modern toxicology

Henry Faulds

the first recognized that fingerprints at a crime scene could identify the offender

What is the purpose of the ruler in a crime scene photograph?

to show the scale of evidence

A crime event can be defined as 1. An actual commission of the crime 2. any location or item connected to a crime 3. disruption of civil order that involved law enforcement 4. a violation of a statutory law

1. An actual commission of the crime

Soil retained in the treads of a boot from a muddy walkway is an example of which type(s) of transfer? 1. Primary 2. Individualization 3. Null transfer 4. Secondary 4. Tertiary

1. Primary

Which of the following is not one of the four categories of evidence that contain inherently individualizing potential 1. Trace evidence 2. physical match evidence 3. Print and impression evidence 4. DNA analysis of biological evidence

1. Trace Evidence

Temporal instability describes 1. continuous change over time 2. the major source of divisible matter 3. light objects that transfer easier than heavy objects 4. the inability of an analyst to remember details of a cold case

1. continuous change over time

Which of the following are traits of an ethical scientific expert? Select all that apply. 1. great responsibility to remain neutral 2. exercises "evidence shaping" 3. favors the defense 4. does not have any personal stake in the matter 5. favors the prosecution

1. great responsibility to remain neutral, 4. does not have any personal stake in the matter

Circumstantial evidence requires a(n) 1.________ to connect the 2.________ with the 3.________ in the case

1. inference 2. evidentiary fact 3. principal fact

Civil courts may require which of the following? Select all that apply. 1. Monetary or equitable relief as settlement 2. the death penalty for appropriate cases if convicted 3. jail time if convicted 4. preponderance of the evidence

1. monetary or equitable relief as settlement 4. preponderance of the evidence

Which of the following should be packaged in a paper fold/ bindle prior to packaging in a coin envelope? Select all that apply. 1. Organic solvents 2. Paint samples 3. bullet 4. glass fragments

2, 3, 4

Crime can be defined as 1. any location or item connected to a crime 2. a violation of a statutory law 3. disruption of civil order that involves law enforcement 4. an actual commission of the crime

2. A violation of a statutory law

Which concept might be the most misunderstood in Forensic Science? 1. Reconstruction 2. Association 3. Testimony 4. Collection

2. Association

Classification/Individualization

Attempting to determine the source of the evidence

_______ demonstrates competency for an institution.

Accreditation

AAFS is the acronym for

American Academy of Forensic Sciences

In your reading, ABC is an acronym for

American Board of Criminalistics

Which of the following is the inference of physical contact?

Association

Which of the following is an appropriate form of expert testimony to present to a jury?

Both the questioned and known fibers displayed similar physical and optical properties as determined using light microscopy

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre prompted the opening of which of the following crime laboratories?

Chicago

The investigation into the double homicide in Leicestershire, England revolutionized forensic science due to the first use of ___________ as evidence.

DNA

Identification

Defining the physiochemical nature of the evidence

The standard currently utilized by ASCLD-LAB is?

ISO 17025

A person who has limited and concentrated training; applies known techniques; and works in a system and was taught in a system is considered a(n)

Technician/examiner

What are basic ethical considerations that forensic science shares with academic science? Select all that apply. 1. Clear and complete documentation 2. Accurate representation of qualifications 3. True and accurate representation of data 4. Reporting of colleagues who violate the profession's ethical code

1, 2, 3, 4

Match the person involved in the OJ Simpson trial with their title or job description. (Note: If you have not yet completed exercise 6, you can find the information needed to answer this question in the PDF instructions for that exercise.)

- Criminalist for the LAPD Sheriff's Office, crime scene investigator: Dennis Fung - FBI shoe print expert: William Bodziak - Defense Attorney for O.J. Simpson: Barry Scheck - Deputy District Attorney for the State of California: Marcia Clark - Lance Ito: President judge for the case - District Attorney for the State of California: Hank Goldberg

Some have argued that matching bullets to a particular firearm is "technical" evidence. Given this statement, which of the following case(s) most directly affects the admissibility of bullet matching testimony?

Kumho Tire v Carmichael

Match the following court case to its ruling or a description of a key outcome of the case. Some answers may be used more than once.

- Miranda v Arizona = suspect must be informed of their rights when arrested - Michigan v Tyler = Exigent circumstances negate a warrant - Maryland v. Brandy = Exculpatory evidence must be provided to defense - Giglio v. United States = Exculpatory evidence must be provided to defense - Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts = Right to confront accuser or analyst who performed the work - Bullcoming v. New Mexico = Right to confront accuser or analyst who performed the work - Frye v. United States = Technique used by expert must be generally accepted by the relevant scientific community - Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals = Replaces Frye standard with rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence - General Electric Co v, Joiner = appeals court must apply "abuse of discretion" standard - Kumho Tire Co. v. Carmichael = Daubert "gatekeeping" factors apply to all testimony

Match the five possible outcomes that may result from any examination or analysis to their definitions.

- The true result: The result reflects the true nature of the sample - False Negative: fails to indicate that the evidence and the reference sample share a common origin when they do - False Positive: Incorrectly indicates that the evidence and reference sample share a common origin - Inconclusive: A result is obtained but no conclusion can be made - No result: No result obtained

Packaging wet biologic materials may result in which of the following? Select all that apply. 1. Microbial growth 2. Contamination 3. Samples unsuitable for analysis 4. deteriration

1, 2, 3, 4

The components that are required for transfer include which of the following? Select all that apply. 1. target substate 2. force to move fragments for source to target 3. fragments derived from source 4. source material

1, 2, 3, 4

Which of the following are considered criteria for documentation? Select all that apply. 1. permanent 2. secret 3. record of changes 4. chain of custody 5. erasable 6. traceable 7. original

1. permanent, 3. record of changes, 4. chain of custody, 6. traceable, 7. original

Which of the following implies high standards of honest and honorable dealing and of the methods used in professions? 1. Integrity 2. Ethics 3. Morals 4. Credibility

2. Ethics

__________ is a digitized database that includes biometric data (besides fingerprints) for person identification. 1. IBIS 2. NGI 3. AFIS 4. AIFIS

2. NGI

Recognition, Documentation, Collection and Preservation, Identification, Individualization, Interpretation and Reconstruction, Court-Admissibility represent what? 1. The "lucky 7" of forensic science 2. The 7 sequential steps in the processing of evidence 3. The 7 tasks of a criminalist 4. The 7 principles of criminalistics

2. The 7 sequential steps in the processing of evidence

A crime scene can be defined as 1. disruption of civil order that involves law enforcement 2. any location or item connected to a crime 3. a violation of a statutory law 4. an actual commission of the crime

2. any location or tiem connected to a crime

What types of documentation is used when inspecting the container seals of evidence received in the lab? Select all that apply. 1. microscopy 2. notes 3. photography 4. overlays

2. notes, 3. photography

At what concentration of alcohol in the blood or breath are you no longer able to drive, legally? 1. 0.008% 2. 0.8% 3. 8% 4. 0.08%

4. 0.08%

There are _________ corollaries to the principle of divisible matter. 1. 5 2. 4 3. 2 4. 3

4. 3

Association

Linking a person with a crime scene

Reconstruction

Understanding the sequence of past evidence

The first part of the examination process of an expert witness is called______.

Voir Dire

A forensic scientist with a broad breadth of knowledge in the sciences is considered a specialist. (T or F)

False

All evidence must be sketched as well as photographed in the lab when examining evidence. (T of F)

False

Analyst certification and laboratory accreditation are mandatory for labs that analyze evidence. (T or F)

False

Forensic scientists are only employed by federal and state agencies, never local agencies. (T or F)

False

Lab safety, personnel requirements, and documentation of method reliability are examples of quality control.

False

Multiple evidence items (e.g. shirt and pants) should be packaged in the same evidence envelope to ensure that they do not get confused with the evidence from other people involved in the crime. (T or F)

False

Nearly all court cases are decided by the supreme court. (T or F)

False

The forensic scientist can only testify to objective results, not opinion based on science. (T or F)

False

The terms valid and reliable can be used interchangeably. (T or F)

False

The use of a heated stream of air is an acceptable method to dry samples prior to packaging. (T or F)

False

What instrument separates compounds by their molecular weight?

GC-MS

The interpretation of which test had a negative impact on the Birmingham Six case?

Greiss

In reference to the OJ Simpson case, who is the "Dream Team"?

OJ's defense attorneys

The "OJ" in OJ Simpson stands for

Orenthal James

OSAC is an acronym for what?

Organization of Scientific Area Committees

Divisible Matter

The fracture of physical objects

Chain of custody need to be established from the moment evidence is first in custody until the conclusion of analysis and legal proceedings. (T or F)

True

Class characteristics are very useful for excluding certain items as potential sources. (T or F)

True

Criminalistics meets the three criteria of being a profession. (T or F)

True

Driving a horse and buggy in PA while at the legal limit for intoxication is considered a violation of the law. (T or F)

True

Entropy is the measure of disorder. (T or F)

True

In reality, we can never prove that an idea, concept, or theory is true - we can only fail to prove that it is false. (T or F)

True

Methodology and instrumentation used should be indicated in your lab report. (T or F)

True

Most physical evidence is circumstantial evidence. (T or F)

True

The Constitution is the supreme law of the United States (T or F)

True

The forensic analysis of gunshot residue is considered trace evidence, not firearms or ballistics. (T or F)

True

There are two types of courts, state courts and federal courts. (T or F)

True

True or False: It is considered an academic integrity violation to the internet/google or a friend to answer the questions on this exam.

True

List of evidence received and examined

all evidence examined should be listed, as well as any evidence received that was not examined.

Thinking is ________.

allowed

Forensic science is a(n) ___________ science.

applied

Condoms, sexual assault collection kits, fingernail swabs, and touch DNA are considered what types of evidence?

biological

Selectively reporting (and thereby emphasizing) only desired results or information rather than the entirety of examinations performed and results achieved is known as

cherry picking

A controlled process that creates similar physical dimensions of an automobile tire tread is an example of what type of characteristic?

class

Interpretation and conclusion

conclusion based on the evidence examination and the analyst's opinion of what the evidence means in the context of the case

Summary

conclusions from the case notes put into terms laypeople will understand

The idea of documentation is to record

contemporaneously

Examination and results

describe test preformed and the results. If statistics are used, they should be included

Ludwig Teichmann

developed the first microscopic crystal test for hemoglobin (presences for blood)

Edward Henry

developed the first working fingerprint classification system

Alphonse Bertillon

developed the system of anthropometry

Karl Landsteiner

discovered human blood groups

If trace evidence needs to be removed from an evidence item prior to them both being packaged separately, what should you do? 1. Do not attempt to perform this at the scene 2. Apply super glue to secure the trace evidence onto the evidence item 3. place the small particles of trace evidence into a large zip-loc bag 4. document the nature and location of the trace evidence

document the nature and location of the trace evidence

PGM is a(n) ___________ polymorph that was used for the discrimination of bodily fluids.

enzyme

Criminalistics is the science of ______________.

individualization

William Nichol

invented the polarizing microscope

Kary Mullis

invented the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for DNA amplification

Tracking the movement of people and illicit materials is considered which of the following?

investigative

The job of a criminalist is to translate the _______ question into the _________ question.

legal; scientific

Probable cause _________.

must exist before warrant is issued and a search or seizure is made

What is the modified Griess test testing for?

nitrates and nitries

Fingerprints, shoe prints, bullet striations, and firing pin impressions are all examples of

pattern evidence

Calvin Goddard

perfected the comparison microscope for bullet comparison analysis

The bulk of the documentation from crime scenes tends to be what type of documentation?

photographs

A color test for drugs is which type of test?

presumptive

Paul Kirk

proposed that individualization is the defining principal of criminalistics

As an expert you have a great responsibility to_______? Select all that apply.

remain neutral

X-ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry are instruments used in what type of analytical methods?

trace elemental

Purpose

turn the legal question into the scientific one. Explain why you are preforming the exam.