Criminal Justice
Trace Evidence
The objectives of a crime scene investigation include locating and preserving evidence the criminal leaves behind, because most crime scene personnel know that no crime goes without some kind of evidence left behind, Locard's principle says a contact must always leave a trace somewhere. That trace can include anything from blood and hairs to fibers and paint chips, and all can be useful to the crime scene investigator. Personnel investigating the crime scene can include detectives, officers, forensic scientists, and even arson investigators.
The personnel at a crime scene have one major purpose, to locate and preserve as much evidence as possible to reconstruct the crime and locate the perpetrator. Whether the crime is a vehicle accident, a murder, or an arson, they must locate the physical evidence that ties the perpetrator to the crime, and have the ability to spot the evidence and preserve it so it can be used effectively in court when the perpetrator is located and tried. That means they have to know how to locate evidence that can be traced, but they also need to know how to test it and preserve it so it can be used at a later date. They have to guard against contamination, and make sure they collect enough evidence to tie it to a perpetrator.
Ultimately, investigators at a crime scene have one purpose and goal, to solve the crime and find the perpetrator. Trace evidence is a key ingredient in solving the crime, and investigators know this, so they are always on the lookout for any type of evidence they can find. Sometimes investigations take years, but with the right crime scene collection and preservation, the trace evidence left behind can lead to conviction, and that is the ultimate purpose of the time and energy that goes into collecting trace evidence.
It is possible that other people have already been through there and touched things, and those people must be eliminated as suspects. Avoiding further contamination, however, is vital to ensuring that the crime has the highest chance of being solved. In addition to wearing gloves, collecting evidence at a crime scene also involves making sure that the evidence, once collected, remains free from any contamination (Penrod, 2003). There are
They prepare a holding statement for the media if necessary. They must record everything they survey and assess. They assume interim control of investigation. They should take photos of the scene. Following investigation, they then contact all necessary officials and make a report. Explain fingerprints and palm prints, the three possible findings, and their value person can be positively identified through their fingerprints. Fingerprints and palm prints are relied on
The next step is evidence collection. Processing a crime scene without disturbing the evidences is a difficult task and investigators should take every precaution to gather evidence without affecting the crime scene. (GSA) Crime scene stepping pads' can be used for walking around the area without damaging potential evidences. Photographs and video must be taken before proceeding with the rough sketching around the crime scene. For this purpose 'crime scene
However, as criminals become more aware of undercover tactics, the covert officer is required to provide more and more proof that he is indeed a criminal- which leads to the officer committing acts that compromise his or her integrity for the sake of maintaining cover. By understanding the often conflicting nature of these goals, deception and integrity, we can see how an undercover officer can become confused, lost, and
Criminal Justice Theory and the Los Angeles County Probation Department Criminal and antisocial behaviors have been studied in the field of criminology for many years. Criminologists are very interested to learn what types of things cause specific criminal and antisocial behaviors. While criminal behavior and antisocial behavior are not always related, they often have close ties. Criminologists and other researchers are looking to find commonalities between certain genetic makeups and deviant
, 2005) In the same way that traditional techniques of criminal identification have enabled law enforcement authorities to establish national fingerprint information databases for the purposes of connecting evidence to possible previous offenders, DNA-based forensic evidence has allowed the creation of similar databases greatly expanding the types of forensic evidence used to increase the security of sensitive facilities and restricted areas. When combined with the ever-increasing power of modern computer technology to
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