Term
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Definition
| 360-degree photographic view of a crime scene that allows viewers to virtually "walk through it" as though they were there |
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Term
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Definition
| refers to the fineness of image detail captured with a camera, displayed on a monitor or on printed paper |
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Term
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Definition
| the smallest unit of a digital image, generally a dot within the image |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| photographic technique whereby the entire scene is photographed in a clockwise direction so that a specific object is on the right side of the first photograph, on the next photo the same object is on the left side of the photo and so on until the entire scene is photographed |
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Term
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Definition
| anything used in a photograph to show accurate or relative size |
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Term
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Definition
| the technique of extrapolating 3-D measurements from 2-D photographs |
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Term
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Definition
| a unique, patented computer technology that integrates various aerial shots of a land-based artifact taken straight down and from numerous angles; the result is a high resolution 3-D image of the object |
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Term
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Definition
| takes pictures through a microscope and can help identify minute particles of evidence such as hairs or fibers |
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Term
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Definition
| enlarges a subject (fingerprint/tool mark |
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Term
| ultraviolet-light photography |
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Definition
| uses the low end of the color spectrum to make visible impressions of bruises and injuries long after their actual occurrence |
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Term
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Definition
| mug shots gathered in files and displayed in groups |
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Term
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Definition
| marking photographs on their back with a felt-tip pen or label to indicate the photographer's initials, date photo was taken, a brief description of what it depicts and the direction of north; evidence can be circled on the back of the photo in the same way |
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Term
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Definition
| image that relates to the specific case and the subject being discussed |
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Term
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Definition
| image that assists or explains |
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Term
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Definition
| accurately represents what it purports to represent, is properly identified and is properly placed in the chain of evidence and secured until court presentation |
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Term
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Definition
| first, pencil-drawn outline of the crime scene, which shows the location of objects and evidence within this outline |
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Term
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Definition
| used in sketching, determined by taking the longest measurement at the scene and dividing it by the longest measurement of the paper used for sketching |
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Term
| rectangular coordinate method |
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Definition
| uses two adjacent walls of a room as fixed points from which distances are measured at right angles from each wall |
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Term
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Definition
| establishes a straight line from one fixed point to another, from which measurements are taken at right angles |
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Term
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Definition
| uses straight-line measurements from two fixed objects to the evidence to create a triangle with the evidence in the angle formed by two straight lines; the degree of the angle formed at the location of the object or evidence can then be measured with a protractor |
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Term
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Definition
| uses a protractor to measure the angle formed by two lines |
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Term
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Definition
| presents the floor and walls of a room as though they were on the same surface |
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Term
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Definition
| part of the crime scene sketch containing the case number, type of crime, name of victim or complainant, location, date, time, investigator, anyone assisting, scale of the sketch, direction of north and the name of the person making the sketch |
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Term
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Definition
| done in ink on a good grade of paper and drawn to scale, using exact measurements |
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Term
| Why are notes important to an investigation? |
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Definition
| Investigative notes are a permanent written record of the facts of a case to be used in further investigation, in writing reports and in prosecuting the case |
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Term
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Definition
| Start taking notes ASAP after receiving a call to respond and continue recording information as it is received throughout the investigation |
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Term
| What to record in investigative notes? |
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Definition
| Record all information that helps answer the questions WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHY? HOW? |
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Term
| What the effective characteristics of notes are? |
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Definition
| effective notes are complete, factual, accurate, specific, legible, clear, arranged in chronological order and well organized |
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Term
| What purposes are served by crime scene photography? |
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Definition
| Photographs and video recordings reproduce the crime scene in detail |
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Term
| What the advantages and disadvantages of using photography and videography are? |
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Definition
Advantages: can be taken immediately, accurately represent the crime scene and evidence, create interest and increase attention to testimony
Disadvantages: not selective, do not show actual distances and my be distorted and damaged |
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Term
| What the minimum photographic equipment for an investigator is? |
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Definition
| Polaroid-type instant camera, point and shoot camera, digital single lens reflex camera, fingerprint camera, video equipment |
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Term
| What errors in technique to avoid? |
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Definition
| Take photos and videos before anything is disturbed; avoid inaccuracies and distortions |
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Term
| What types of photography are used in criminal investigations? |
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Definition
| Crime scene, surveillance, aerial, night, laboratory, mug shot and lineup |
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Term
| What basic rules of evidence photographs must adhere to? |
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Definition
| Must be material, relevant, competent, accurate, free of distortion and non-inflammatory |
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Term
| What purposes are served by the crime scene sketch? |
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Definition
| Assists in interviewing and interrogating people, preparing the investigative report and presenting in court |
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Term
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Definition
| All serious crime and crash scenes after photographs are taken; objects and evidence |
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Term
| What materials needed to make a rough sketch? |
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Definition
| Paper, pencil, long steel measuring tape, carpenter rype ruler, clipboard, compass, protractor and thumbtacks |
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Term
| When a sketch or a scale drawing is admissible in court? |
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Definition
| Drawn or personally witnessed by an investigator and accurately portrays a crime scene |
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Term
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Definition
| how a case is disposed of (referred, closed, open, dismissed, pending further info, etc.) |
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Term
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Definition
| What is said in the report |
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Term
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Definition
| How the report is written |
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Term
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Definition
| being non-opinionated, fair and impartial |
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Term
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Definition
| words that have little emotional effect |
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Term
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Definition
| words that do have an emotional effect |
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Term
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Definition
| including only one side of a story or only the facts that tend to support the officer's theory |
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Term
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Definition
| making every word count without leaving out important facts |
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Term
| Why reports are important to an investigation? |
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Definition
| Reports are permanent written records of important faces of a case to be used in the future |
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Term
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Definition
| Examine the past, provide a documented record of incidents, keep others informed, continue investigations, prepare for court |
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Term
| What common problems occur in many police reports? |
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Definition
| Confusing, unclear, inferences, opinions, overuse of abbreviations, misspelled words |
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Term
| How to differentiate between facts, inferences and opinion? |
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Definition
Fact: statement that can be proven
Inference: conclusion based on reasoning
Opinion: A personal belief |
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Term
| Why your report should be well written? |
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Definition
| Helps criminal justice system operate more efficiently |
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Term
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Definition
| courts may not accept evidence obtained by unreasonable sear and seizure, regardless of relevance to case |
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Term
| "fruit of the poisonous tree" doctrine |
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Definition
| established that evidence obtained as a result of an earlier illegality must be excluded from trial |
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Term
| inevitable discovery doctrine |
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Definition
| if legally obtained evidence would have eventually been discovered legally, it may be used |
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Term
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Definition
| illegally obtained evidence may be admissible if the police were truly not aware they were violating 4th Amendment rights |
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Term
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Definition
| more than reasonable suspicion |
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Term
| totality of circumstances test |
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Definition
| principle upon which a number of legal assessments are made; refers to the total of factors leading a reasonable person to a course of action |
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Term
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Definition
| may be issued if evidence may be easily destroyed or if there is advance knowledge of danger to an officer |
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Term
| particularity requirement |
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Definition
| a search conducted with a warrant must be limited to the specific area and specific items named in warrant |
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Term
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Definition
| "based upon an affidavit showing probable cause that at some future time certain evidence of the crime will be located at a specific place" |
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Term
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Definition
| detaining, questioning and possible frisking of an individual based on an officer's reasonable suspicion of criminal activity |
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Term
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Definition
| a search incidental to a lawful arrest must be made simultaneously with the arrest and must be confined to suspect's immediate control |
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Term
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Definition
| authorized search of areas immediately adjoining the place of arrest |
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Term
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Definition
| emergency situations; they do not require a warrant |
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Term
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Definition
| no evidence has been introduced into it or taken from it except by the person who committed the crime |
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Term
| "elephant in a matchbox" doctrine |
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Definition
| requires that searchers consider the probable size and shape of evidence they seek |
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Term
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Definition
| partition the area into lanes using stakes and string |
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Term
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Definition
| adaptation of the lane search pattern that is used when only one officer is available to search |
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Term
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Definition
| begins at the center of the crime scene and then spreads out in ever-widening circles |
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Term
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Definition
| search pattern in which an area is divided into equal squares, numbered, then each square is searched individually |
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Term
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Definition
| unconcealed evidence seen by an officer in a lawful activity- is admissible in court |
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Term
| plain feel/touch evidence |
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Definition
| discovered by a police officer who is lawfully frisking a suspects outer clothing and that is immediately identified |
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Term
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Definition
| portion of the residence that is not open to the public and is reserved for private owner or family use, in contrast to sidewalks and alleys |
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Term
| What is required for an effective search? |
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Definition
| Know the legal requirements for searching, items being searched for and elements of crime being investigated |
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Term
| What basic restriction is placed on all searches? |
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Definition
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Term
| What the preconditions and limitations of a legal search are? |
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Definition
| Search warrant has been issued, consent is given, Officer stops suspicious person and may be armed, search is incidental to arrest, an emergency exists |
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Term
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Definition
| exclusionary rule applicable at the federal level |
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Term
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Definition
| exclusionary rule applicable to all courts |
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Term
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Definition
| patdown is a "protective search for weapons" |
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Term
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Definition
| search incidental to a lawful arrest must be mad simultaneously with the arrest |
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Term
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Definition
| automobiles may be searched without a warrant if there is probable cause, and no time to get a warrant |
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Term
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Definition
| a vehicle may be taken to headquarter to be searched |
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Term
| What a successful crime scene search accomplishes? |
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Definition
| locates, identifies, and preserves all evidence present |
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Term
| What is included in organizing a crime scene search? |
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Definition
| dividing duties, selecting search pattern, assigning personnel, giving instructions |
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Term
| What search patters are used in exterior searches? Interior searches? |
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Definition
Exterior: lane-search, circle-search, zone-search
Interior: general to specific covering all surfaces |
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Term
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Definition
| remove occupants from car; search area around then exterior, search interior |
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Term
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Definition
| If not arrested, confine to a patdown. If arrested, make a complete body search for weapons and evidence |
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Term
| How to search a dead body? |
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Definition
| systematically and completely. Include immediate area around and under the body |
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Term
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Definition
| application of scientific processes to solve legal problems |
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Term
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Definition
| evidence analyzed by forensic to uncover the relationships between people, places and objects |
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Term
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Definition
| original evidence or highest available degree or proof that can be produced |
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Term
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Definition
| establishes proof of a fact without any other evidence |
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Term
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Definition
| tends to incriminate a person (footprint at crime scene) |
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Term
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Definition
| evidence from which inferences are drawn |
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Term
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Definition
| evidence established by law |
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Term
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Definition
| links a suspect with a crime |
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Term
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Definition
| establishes that a crime has been committed |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| tends to prove or actually proving guilt or innocence |
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Term
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Definition
| has a legitimate and effective influence on the decision of the case |
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Term
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Definition
| applies to the matter in question |
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Term
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Definition
| has been properly collected, identified, files and secured |
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Term
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Definition
| any item introduced in court must be in the same condition as when it was found at the crime scene |
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Term
| chain of evidence/custody |
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Definition
| documentation of what has happened to the evidence from the time it was discovered until needed in court |
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Term
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Definition
| object, measure, or model evidence is compared to to determine whether both came from the same source |
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Term
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Definition
| allowing items of evidence to touch one another and exchange matter |
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Term
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Definition
| an expert's testimony must be both reliable and relevant |
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Term
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Definition
| features that place an item into a specific category |
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Term
| individual characteristics |
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Definition
| features that distinguish one item from another of the same type |
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Term
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Definition
| impressions transferred to a surface; not readily seen but can be developed through powder or chemicals |
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Term
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Definition
| made when fingers are dirty or stained; can be dusted or lifted |
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Term
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Definition
| impressions left in soft substances such as putty; photographed not dusted |
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Term
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Definition
| prints of persons with reason to be at the scene are taken and used to eliminate them |
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Term
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Definition
| electronic image stored in a database for rapid retrieval |
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Term
| Advanced Fingerprint Information Technology (AFIT) |
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Definition
| upgraded AFIS, integrated system that can also incorporate additional biometric data |
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Term
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Definition
| graphic record made by a sound spectograph of the energy patterns emitted by speech |
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Term
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Definition
| uses material from which chromosomes are made to identify individuals positively |
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Term
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Definition
| the study of the dynamics of projectiles |
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Term
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Definition
| inside portion of a weapon's barrel |
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Term
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Definition
| lands and grooves inside the barrel of the weapon |
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Term
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Definition
| diameter of the bore as measured between lands, as well as the size of the bullet |
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Term
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Definition
| scratches from the rifling on bullet |
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Term
| what is involved in processing physical evidence? |
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Definition
| discovering/recognizing it; collecting, recording, packaging, conveying and storing it; examining, exhibiting and disposing of it when case is closed |
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Term
| How to determine what is evidence? |
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Definition
| Consider the apparent crime, look for objects unrelated/foreign to scene, damaged/broken or suggests pattern that fits the crime |
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Term
| What the common errors in collecting evidence are? |
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Definition
| not collecting enough of the sample, not obtaining standards of comparison, not maintaining integrity of evidence |
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Term
| How to identify evidence? |
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Definition
| Indicate date and case number as well as your personal identifying mark or initials |
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Term
| What to record in your notes? |
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Definition
| date and time of collection, where found and by whom, case number, description of item and who has custody |
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Term
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Definition
| package each item separately in a durable container to maintain the integrity of evidence |
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Term
| How to convey evidence to a department or laboratory? |
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Definition
| personal delivery, registered mail, insured parcel post, air express, UPS,FedEx, needs to be signed for |
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Term
| How and where evidence is stored? |
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Definition
| packaged properly and document custody at every stage |
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Term
| How to ensure admissibility of physical evidence in court? |
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Definition
| identify evidence, describe where it was found, establish its custody, explain any changes that have occurred |
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Term
| How physical evidence is finally disposed of? |
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Definition
| Evidence is returned to the owner, auctioned, or destroyed |
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Term
| What types of evidence are most commonly found in criminal investigations & how to collect identify and package each? |
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Definition
| fingerprints, language, DNA, blood, scent, hairs, shoe prints, tool marks, firearms, ammo, glass, soils, etc. |
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Term
| Where fingerprints can be found and how they should be preserved? |
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Definition
| Any hard, smooth, nonporous surface can contain latent fingerprints, do not powder unless necessary |
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Term
| How identifying blood and hair are useful? |
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Definition
| Useful in eliminating suspects, |
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Term
| Where shoe and tire impressions can be found and how they should be preserved? |
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Definition
| dirt, sand or snow, after photographing make a cast |
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Term
| How to preserve tools and the marks they made? |
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Definition
| identify with string tag and wrap separately, photograph tool marks and cast |
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Term
| What a tool mark should be compared with during forensic analysis |
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Definition
| compared with a standard-of-comparison impression |
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Term
| What evidence UV light can help discover? |
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Definition
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Term
| What evidence to collect in hit-and-run cases? |
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Definition
| paint samples from any area of vehicle that had contact with victim |
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Term
| What can be determined from human skeletal remains? |
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Definition
| sex, race, approximate age at death, approximate height and approximate time since death |
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