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Principles of criminal investigation
The Role of Forensic Science in the Criminal Investigation
Chapter 10 bloodstain analysis
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Bloodstain Pattern Analysis is a forensic discipline which, among others, the position of victims can be determined at crime scenes on which blood has been shed. To determine where the blood source was, investigators use a straight-line approximation for the trajectory, ignoring effects of gravity, drag and overestimating the height of the source. We determined how accurately the location of the origin can be estimated when including gravity and drag into the trajectory reconstruction. We created eight bloodstain patterns at one meter distance from the wall. The origin’s location was determined for each pattern with: the straight-line approximation, the method includes gravity, and the method we use includes both gravity and drag. The latter
In Blood In Blood Out is a drama directed by Taylor Hackford, and starring Damian Chapa (Miklo), Benjamin Bratt (Paco), and Jesse Borrego (Cruz), produced by Hollywood Pictures. The film was based off everyday life in East Los Angeles, from the 1970’s through the 1980’s. Damian Chapa stars as Miklo in the film, a Mexican-American who wanted to be accepted, not by his skin but for the Mexican within him. Benjamin Bratt (Paco) was the older cousin of Miklo, who learned his lesson throughout the movie and changed his ways. Jesse Borrego (Cruz) is the step-brother of Paco who was a talent artist, who ended up turning to drugs because of back problems caused by a rival gang incident.
When it comes to identical twins we have come to learn that twin identical or not will not have the same fingerprint. Fingerprints are unique and are made to identify a person. So even when you clone humans or other primates I believe that the Friction ridge pattern will be similar but not exactly the same. I believe that in the process of the cloning process something will cause the fingerprints to come out different. Because cloning is dangerous there has yet to be a human cloning, but there have been cloning of monkeys and according to the data even though the monkey was cloned the fingerprint still isn’t the same.
Capote opposes the death penalty, almost pleading that Perry is insane. As the Psychologist is unsure of whether or not Perry is insane, the court quickly shuts that escape route down. The imminent death of Perry and Dick makes the reader feel split on the two, where they would rather have Dick put to death and let Perry live, if the reader so chooses that Perry is insane.
The velocity of blood splatter plays a big role in the type of splatter made, this can also be linked to a specific incident/ injury. Blood is a tissue that is circulated within the body to assist other parts of the body. This connective tissue has specialized cells that allow it to carry out its complex functions Blood stain analysis falls into forensics science, the study contains aspects of biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics. The first modern study of blood splatter was in 1895 by Eduard Piotrowski. The second modern origin of blood splatter analysis is the Samuel Sheppard case in 1954 in 1983.
The blood of the unknown person became apparent through comparing the blood type found at the crime scene with the contrasting blood types of the suspects. The blood identified at the crime scene could have possibly belonged to Anna Garcia or Erica Piedmont. This observation was based on the information that the blood type found at the crime scene was type A and these two individuals are the only ones that carry that specific type. In similarity, a microscopic photography was taken of the unknown hair follicle found at the crime scene. Then hair samples were taken from the potential suspects, and the victim. These findings were then compared. This was done by looking at each individuals hair follicles and comparing it with the unknown one. By looking at the similarities and differences in medulla diameter, the discovery of the unknown hair follicle became established that it belonged to Anna Garcia. Further examination resulted in the analyzation of a shoe print found at the crime scene. Shoe patterns and sizes were taken from each suspect, including the victims. They were then identified and compared to the one found at the crime scene. By looking at the distinct pattern, size, and the fact that both shoes were a Columbia brand sneaker it became obvious that the shoe print was extremely similar to Anna’s shoe design. Through this found evidence it became
Crime scenes are known to have many clues left behind. The obvious would be a the body or bodies, clothing, and sometimes even the murder weapon. While these are great way to solve a case there's another kind of evidence; trace evidence. Trace evidence are small pieces of evidence that are laying around a crime scene. There are many types of trace evidence some of them include metal filings, plastic fragments, gunshot residue, glass fragments, feathers, food stains, building materials, lubricants, fingernail scrapings, pollens and spores, cosmetics, chemicals, paper fibers and sawdust, human and animal hairs, plant and vegetable fibers, blood and other body fluids, asphalt or tar, vegetable fats and oils, dusts and other airborne particles, insulation, textile fibers, soot, soils and mineral grains, and explosive residues. Although these are the most common found elements, they are not the only ones. The Trace Evidence Unit is known to examine the largest variety of evidence types and used the biggest range of analytical methods of any unit. materials are compared with standards or knowns samples to determine whether or not they share any common characteristics. In this paper I will discuss the different kinds of trace evidence and how crime scene investigaros use it to solve cases and convict criminal.
DNA, or deoxyribonucleic exists in all living organisms, is self-replicating and gives a person their unique characteristics. No two people have the same matching DNA. There are many different forms of DNA that are tested for situations such as criminal. Bodily fluids, hair follicles and bone tissues are some of the most common types of DNA that is tested in crime labs today. Although the discovery of DNA dates back to 1866 when Gregor Mendel proved the inheritance of factors in pea plants, DNA testing is relatively new and have been the prime factor when solving crimes in general. In 1966, scientists discovered a genetic code that made it possible to predict characteristics by studying DNA. This lead to genetic engineering and genetic counseling. In 1980, Organ was the first to have a conviction based off DNA fingerprinting and DNA testing in forensics cases became famous in 1995 during the O.J. Simpson trial (SMC History , 2011).
The criminal justice system has changed a lot since the good old days of the Wild West when pretty much anything was legal. Criminals were dealt with in any fashion the law enforcement saw fit. The science of catching criminals has evolved since these days. We are better at catching criminals than ever and we owe this advancement to forensic science. The development of forensic science has given us the important techniques of fingerprinting and DNA analysis. We can use these techniques to catch criminals, prove people's innocence, and keep track of inmates after they have been paroled. There are many different ways of solving crimes using forensic evidence. One of these ways is using blood spatter analysis; this is where the distribution and pattern of bloodstains is studied to find the nature of the event that caused the blood spatter. Many things go into the determination of the cause including: the effects of various types of physical forces on blood, the interaction between blood and the surfaces on which it falls, the location of the person shedding the blood, the location and actions of the assailant, and the movement of them both during the incident. Another common type of forensic evidence is trace evidence. This is commonly recovered from any number of items at a crime scene. These items can include carpet fibers, clothing fibers, or hair found in or around the crime scene. Hairs recovered from crime scenes can be used as an important source of DNA. Examination of material recovered from a victim's or suspect's clothing can allow association to be made between the victim and other people, places, or things involved in the investigation. DNA analysis is the most important part of forensic science. DNA evidence can come in many forms at the crime scene. Some of these forms include hair; bodily fluids recovered at the crime scene or on the victim's body, skin under the victim's fingernails, blood, and many others. This DNA can be the basis of someone's guilt or innocence; it has decided many cases in the twentieth century. As the times continue to change and the criminals get smarter we will always need to find new ways to catch them. Forensic science is the most advanced method yet, but is only the beginning. As the field of science grows so will the abilities of the
...me scene, by recreating the scene using the blood direction a bloodstain patterns. Bloodstain pattern analysis use biology, chemistry, math, and physics to solve a crime. In doing research on this topic there is a lot of detail to go into this topic, so in suggestion this paper need to explain the other different investigators that process any crime scene.
Forensic pathologists are the people who determine the cause and time of death if the deceased person died under suspicious circumstances, whether they be violent or not. They determine if the death was accidental, a homicide, natural, a suicide, or even if the cause of death was unknown. They do this by studying said victim’s medical history, evaluating the crime scene for evidence, studying the body for any clues, and performing an autopsy. After determining the cause, time, and the manner in which the victim died, forensic pathologists make a written report on the victim and sometimes testify in court to report their findings.
The use of firearms in crimes has been rapidly increasing, and it seems that one cannot turn on the news without hearing that some crime had been committed with a firearm. Using ballistics as evidence is a way for law enforcement officers to help solve crimes and potentially capture criminals. Ballistics is a very complicated science, where every single detail matters. Every micro-measurement makes a difference when analyzing firearms and ballistics. The most complicated part when solving a crime involving firearms is the fact that no one can recreate the same exact shot. Even though it is an impossible task to do, experts can still duplicate scenarios and environments similar to the original crime, giving law enforcement more evidence to put
The purpose of this experiment was to see the effects of angle and height on the shape of blood splatter. I hypothesized that as heights and angles are changed the shape of each splatter would change. Simulated blood was created with corn syrup, cornstarch, and food coloring, then put into dropper. The dropper was mounted onto projectile launcher for exact angle measures. With the setup the blood was then dropped in different angles and heights. As each splatter was checked, the shape changed minimally and remained a circular shape. Thus it can be concluded that, angle and height as variables isn’t enough to differentiate the shape of blood splatter.
Blood stains are one type of evidence that can be found at a crime scene. Blood that is still in the liquid form should be picked up on a gauze pad. Once the blood is dried thoroughly it should be refrigerated and sent to the Laboratory (Andrus et al., n.d., para. 1). If the blood stain is found dried on clothing, the officer should wrap the piece of clothing in clean paper and place it in a sealed and labeled container. An object with dried blood stains needs to be sent to the Laboratory if it is small enough. If the object is too large to send, then using a clean knife the stain needs to be scraped onto a clean piece of paper, which then can be folded and placed in an envelope (Andrus et al., n.d., para. 2). When collecting autopsy blood samples, the officer should request that the pathologist obtain the sample directly from the heart and place it in a yellow or purple stoppered vacutainer. If the victim is still alive but in serious need of a blood transfusion, then the pre-transfusion blood sample needs to be obtained promptly before the hospital discards it (Andrus et al., n.d., para. 4). It is important for the Laboratory to receive all blood samples within 48 ho...
Forensic Science, recognized as Forensics, is the solicitation of science to law to understand evidences for crime investigation. Forensic scientists are investigators that collect evidences at the crime scene and analyse it uses technology to reveal scientific evidence in a range of fields. Physical evidence are included things that can be seen, whether with the naked eye or through the use of magnification or other analytical tools. Some of this evidence is categorized as impression evidence2.In this report I’ll determine the areas of forensic science that are relevant to particular investigation and setting out in what method the forensic science procedures I have recognized that would be useful for the particular crime scene.
Forensic science has now been recognized as an important part of the law enforcement team to help solve crimes and cold cases. The advances in technology are being used each day and we must continue to strive to develop better advances in this field. The recent discovery of using DNA in criminal cases has helped not only positively identify the suspect, but it has helped exonerate hundreds of innocent individuals. “With new advances in police technology and computer science, crime scene investigation and forensic science will only become more precise as we head into the future.” (Roufa, 2017) Forensic science and evidence helps law enforcement officials solve crimes through the collection, preservation and analysis of evidence. By having a mobile crime laboratory, the scene gets processed quicker and more efficiently. Forensic science will only grow in the future to be a benefit for the criminal justice