PCC 274 Final Exam
A decentralized system of crime laboratories currently exists in the US under the auspices of various governmental agencies at the __________, __________, ___________, and __________ levels.
federal, state, county, and municipcal
True or False: Physical evidence cannot be used to exclude or exonerate a person from suspicion of committing a crime.
False
True or False: Scientific evaluation of crime scene evidence can usually overcome the results of a poorly conducted criminal investigation.
False
True or False: The boundaries of the crime scene, denoted by crime-scene tape, rope, or traffic cones, should encompass only the center of the scene where the crime occurred.
False
True or False: The distinction between individual and class evidence is always easy to make.
False
True or 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
True or False: The techniques of physical evidence collection require a highly skilled individual who must specialize in this area of investigation.
False
The transfer of evidence that occurs when two objects come in contact with one another was a concept first advocated by the forensic scientist __________________.
Edmond Locard
True or False: The testimony of an expert witness incorporates his or her personal opinion relating to the matter he or she has either studied or examined.
False
Unlike the rough sketch, the. _____________ is constructed with care and concern for aesthetic appearance and must be drawn to scale.
final sketch
The believability of ____ accounts, confessions, and informant testimony can all be disputed, maligned, and subjected to severe attack and skepticism in the courtroom.
eye witness
The succession of photographs taken at a crime scene is _________ photographs first and _________ photographs last
overview, close up
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
A detailed search of the crime scene for physical evidence must be conducted in a(n) __________ manner.
systematic
All unauthorized personnel must be _________ from crime scenes.
Excluded
The application of science to law describes.
Forensic Science
Early efforts at applying scientific principles to document examination are associated with ________________.
Albert Osborne
A system of personal identification using a series of body measurements was first devised by ____________.
Alphonse Bertillon
The examination of blood, hairs, fibers, and botanical materials is conducted in the __________ unit of a crime laboratory.
Biology
Violent contact between individuals at a crime scene frequently produces bleeding and results in the formation of _____.
Bloodstain patterns
A database applicable to DNA profiling is ____ .
CODIS
The _______ unit dispatched trained personnel to the science of a crime retrieve evidence for laboratory examination.
CSI
The state of _______________ is an excellent example of a geographical area in the US that has created a system of integrated regional and satellite laboratories.
California
The comparison microscope became an indispensable tool of firearms examination through the efforts of _____________.
Calvin Goddard
_______ programs provide an extensive symbol library and may create a three-dimensional sketch.
Computer aided design
A Florida case that exemplifies the flexibility and wide discretion that the trial judge has in matters of scientific inquiry is _______________.
Coppolino v State
_______ is the method used to support a likely sequence of events at a crime scene by the observation and evaluation of physical evidence and statements made by individuals involved with the incident.
Crime scene reconstruction
Reconstructing the circumstances of a crime scene is a team effort that may include the help of law enforcement personnel, medical examiners, and _____.
Criminalists
In the case of _________________________ the Supreme Court ruled that in assessing the admissibility of new and unique scientific tests, the trial judge did not have to rely solely on the concept of "general acceptance"
Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc
One of the first functional crime laboratories was formed in Lyon, France. Under the direction of ____________.
Edmond Locard
The number and type of tests needed to identify a substance must be sufficient to ____ all other substances from consideration
Exclude
Four important federal agencies offering forensic service for _________, ____________, ___________ and ___________.
FBI, DEA, ATF, and Postal Service
True of False: Overview photographs should include only points of entry and pints of exit.
False
True of False: The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Kumho Tire Co. Ltd. v. Carmichael restricted the "gatekeeping" role of a trail judge only to scientific testimony.
False
True of False: When an injured or deceased victim is present at the scene, the state of the body before being moved should be observed but not recorded.
False
True or False: A fingerprint can be positively identified through the IAFlS database.
False
True or False: An ordinary mailing envelope is considered a good general purpose evidence container.
False
True or False: Charred debris recovered from the scene of an arson is best placed in a porous container. ______
False
True or False: Crime-scene notes should be written from memory back at the laboratory.
False
True or False: If the investigator does not recognize physical evidence or does not properly preserve it for laboratory examination, sophisticate laboratory instrumentation or technical expertise can salvage the situation and attain the desired results. _____
False
True or False: The value of crime scene photographs lies in their ability to show the layout of the scene, position of witnesses, and relation of people to one another in the scene.
False
___________ is responsible for developing the first statistical study proving the uniqueness of fingerprints.
Francis Galton
The "general acceptance" principle, which serves as a criterion for the judicial admissibility of scientific evidence, was set forth in the case of _____________.
Frye v. US
The application of science of science to criminal investigation was advocated by the Austrian magistrate _________________.
Hans Gross
Evidence that can be traced to a common source with an extremely high degree of probability is said to possess ____ characteristics.
Individual
The Italian scientist _______________ devised the first workable procedure for typing dried bloodstains.
Leone Lattes
The first forensic laboratory in the United States was created in 1923 by the ______________ Police Department.
Los Angeles
The 2009 U.S. Supreme Court decision _______________ addressed the practice of using affidavits in lieu of in person testimony by forensic examiners.
Melendez Diaz
The ____ database contains chemical and color information pertaining to original automotive paints.
PDQ
The ____ database allows firearm analysts to compare markings made by firearms on bullets that have been recovered from crime scenes.
NIBIN
Before located evidence is collected, it must be fully described in the investigator's ______.
Notes
The term _________________ encompasses all objects that can establish or disprove whether a crime has been committed or can link a crime and its victim or its perpetrator.
Physical Evidence
The fictional exploits of __________ excited the imagination of an emerging generation of forensic scientist and criminal investigators.
Sherlock Holmes
The examination of body fluids and organs for drugs and poisons is a function of the ______________ unit.
Toxicology
True of False: 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 adjacent areas were important acts occurred _____.
True
True or False: Failure to protect a crime scene properly may result in the destruction or altering of evidence.
True
True or False: Given the potential weight of scientific evidence in a trial setting, failure to take proper safeguards may unfairly prejudice a case against the suspect.
True
True or False: In 2004, the US Supreme Court addressed issues relating to the Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment in the case of Crawford v. Washington.
True
True or False: One of the major deficiencies of forensic science is the inability of the examiner to assign exact or approximate probability values to the comparison of most class physical evidence.
True
True or False: The expert witness's courtroom demeanor may play an important role in deciding what weight the court will assign to his or her testimony.
True
True or 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.
True
True or False: The note-taking process begins with the call to to a crime scene investigator to report to a scene.
True
Bloodstain patterns may convey to the analyst the location and movements of ____ or ____ during the commission of a crime.
Victims; suspects
As a matter of routine, all items of clothing are to be ________ before packaging.
air dried
In the case of Michigan v. Tyler, the Supreme Court dealt with search-and-seizure procedures at a(n) ___________ scene.
arson/fire
Besides the more obvious items of physical evidence, possible ________ of trace evidence must be collected for detailed examination in the laboratory.
carriers
The possibility of future legal proceedings requires that a(n) _______________ be established with respect to the possession and location of physical evidence.
chain of custody
A(n) _____________ is a person who can demonstrate a particular skill or has knowledge in a trade or profession that will help the court determine the truth of the matter at issue.
expert witness
Evidence associated with a group and not with a single source is said to possess ____ characteristics.
class
Photographs of physical evidence must include overviews as well as ________ to record the details of objects
close up
A(n) ____ 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.
comparative
The proper interpretation of bloodstain patterns necessitates carefully planned ____ using surface materials comparable to those found at the crime scene.
control experiments
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
The increasing demand for __________ analyses has been the single most important factor in recent expansion of crime laboratory services in the US.
drug
Students studying forensic science must be cautioned that merely reading relevant textbooks and journals is no substitute for ____ in this most practical of sciences.
experience
The examination of bullets, cartridge cases, shotgun shells, and ammunition of all types is the responsibility of the ___________ unit.
firearms
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 responding officer
The crime scene notes should include a precise record of personnel movements in and out of the scene starting with the ____________________.
first responding officer
The process of ________ determines a substance's physical or chemical identity with as near absolute certainty as existing analytical techniques will permit.
identification
An airtight container is, ______recommended packaging material for bloodstained garments.
is not
Whenever possible, trace evidence is, is not to be removed from the object that bears it.
is not
Even though no unauthorized personnel are admitted to the scene, an accurate ____ must be kept of those who do enter and exit the scene and the time they do so.
log
At a crime scene, first priority should be given to obtaining _________________ for individuals in need of it and attempting to minimize 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
Three methods for recording the crime scene are ___________, __________ and ______.
photography, sketching, and notes
The crime scene search is undertaken to locate _________________.
physical evidence
The application of chemistry, physics, and geology, to the identification and comparison of crime science evidence is the function of _________ unit of a crime laboratory.
physical science
A digital camera captures light on a light sensitive ________.
pixels
____ is the frequency of occurrence of an event.
probability
In contrast to the US, Britain's crime laboratory system is characterized by a national system of _________________ laboratories.
regional
An investigator need only draw a(n) _______ sketch at the crime scene to show its dimensions and pertinent objects.
rough
Each item collected at the crime scene must be placed in a(n) _________ container.
separte
The most commonly used camera for crime scene photography is the ________________ camera, which can be film or digital.
single lens reflex
To ensure that their digital images will be admissible many jurisdictions have developed or are developing __________________________.
standard operating procedures
Most physical evidence collected at the crime scene will require the accompanying submission of ___________________ material for comparison purposes.
standard or reference
True or False: The testimony of an expert witness incorporates his or her personal opinion relating to the matter he or she has either studied or examined.
training
The most important prerequisite for photographing a crime scene is to have it in a(n) __________ condition.
unaltered
In the case of Mincey v. Arizona, the Supreme Court restricted the practice of conducting a(n) ____________ search at a homicide scene.
unwarranted
The process of ________________________ the crime scene essentially combines notes and photography.
videotaping
The ____ accorded physical evidence during a trial is left entirely to the trier of fact.
weight
