• Certainly going back to Sherlock Holmes we have a

tradition of forensic science featured in detective stories.

Jeffery Deaver

Definition…….

• The application of the sciences to answer questions by the legal system in relation to a crime or a civil action.

• Encompasses methodology, norms and facts to authenticate the answers to the questions posed.

Forensic Science

• Match the people, places and things with their definitions.

Challenge One: People, Places and Things

Crime Scene

• Crime Scene• Primary Crime

Scene• Secondary Crime

Scene• Suspect• Accomplice

• Alibi• Victim

• Evidence

• Investigator

• Crime lab

• Evidence used to resolve a crime can be split into 2 areas: testimonial evidence and physical evidence.

– The testimonial evidence would be any witnessed accounts of an incident or crime.

– The physical evidence would refer to any material items that would be present on the crime scene or the victims. These items would be presented in a crime investigation to prove or disprove the facts of the issue.

• Examples include DNA, the body itself, the weapon used, pieces of carpet, blood and other body fluids, fingerprints, or casts of footprints or tire prints.

• Trace evidence refers to evidence that is found at a crime scene in small but measurable amounts.

Evidence

Evidence Examples

• Paint• Explosives• Glass• Dust and Dirt• Firearms or Ballistics• Fluids• Blood• Wounds• Tool Marks

• Shoeprints & Tire Prints

• Physical Fracture Matches

• Questioned Documents• Bite Marks• Hairs & Fibers• Skeletal Remains• Fingerprints

Source: http://www.virtualsciencefair.org/2004/fren4j0/public_html/trace_evidence.htm

Challenge Two: Evidence Talks

• List three things that the evidence tells us about the crime.

Source: http://www.virtualsciencefair.org/2004/fren4j0/public_html/trace_evidence.htm

In reality, those rare few cases with good forensic evidence are the ones that make it to court.

Pat Brown

What will evidence collected at a scene do for the investigation?

• May prove that a crime has been committed• Establish any key elements of a crime• Link a suspect with a crime scene or a victim• Establish the identity of a victim or suspect• Corroborate verbal witness testimony • Exonerate the innocent. • Give detectives leads to work with in the case

What evidence can be found at a crime scene? Brainstorm with your group to come up with a list of evidence you might find at a crime scene and how it could be used by investigators.

Drug Chemistry – Determines the presence of controlled substances and the identification of marijuana

Trace Chemistry - Identification and comparison of materials from fires, explosions, paints, and glass.

Microscopy - Identification and comparison of hairs, fibers, woods, soils, building materials, insulation and a broad group of materials referred to as "particulate unknowns.”

Biology/DNA - Presence and comparison of body fluids and dried stains such as blood, semen, and saliva.

Toxicology – Determines the presence of drugs and poisons in tissue, blood, urine and other body fluids.

Latent Prints - Identification and comparison of hidden impressions from sources like fingers, palms, feet, shoes, ears, lips or the tread on vehicle tires.

Firearms & Toolmarks - Examination and comparison of fired bullets, discharged cartridges, guns, gunpowder patterns, and marks left by erased serial numbers in metal or by burglary tools like a pry bar or screwdriver.

Questioned Documents - Side by side comparisons of questioned handwriting and hand printing, ink, paper, writing instruments, printers, photocopiers, additions, eradications, obliterations, watermarks, and impressions.

Investigating the EvidenceInvestigating the Evidence

• Put the five-step crime scene protocol in order of what you do first, second, third, fourth and last.

Challenge Three:Crime Scene Protocol

• Interview•Examine •Photograph•Sketch•Process

Crime Scene Protocol

Match the forensic careers with the graphic or picture that represents

the career.

Challenge Four: Careers

• Criminalistics• Digital Forensics• Forensic Anthropology• Forensic Archaeology• Forensic Entomology• Forensic Geology

Crime Laboratory

• Forensic Meteorology• Forensic Odontology• Forensic Pathology• Forensic Psychology• Forensic Toxicology

The evidence is collected and the experts in the laboratory test all of the evidence. Below is a list of some of the specialists you might find in the lab.

• I wanted to be a forensic scientist for a long

time...It's like putting the pieces of a puzzle together. Solving mysteries seemed like it would be fun, scary

and exciting all at the same time.

• Kristin Kreuk