Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation
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Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation
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"If you are a Professional Crime Scene Investigator, then this book is a must have for both your personal forensic reference library, as well as your office reference library."
—Edward W. Wallace Jr., Certified Senior Crime Scene Analyst, Retired First Grade Detective, NYPD
"Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation is a well-written, comprehensive guide to the investigative and technical aspects of CSI. The textbook is an educational standard on the theory and practice of crime scene investigation and includes many informative casework examples and photographs. On reading this book, students, entry-level personnel, and experienced practitioners will have a better understanding of the strengths and limitations of forensic science in its application to crime scene investigations."
—Professor Don Johnson, School of Criminal Justice and Criminalistics, California State University, Los Angeles
The application of science and technology plays a critical role in the investigation and adjudication of crimes in our criminal justice system. But before science can be brought to bear on evidence, it must be recognized and collected in an appropriate manner at crime scenes. Written by authors with over 50 years of combined experience in forensic science, Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation examines the concepts, field-tested techniques, and procedures of crime scene investigation. Detectives, crime scene technicians, and forensic scientists can rely on this updated version of the "forensics bible" to effectively apply science and technology to the tasks of solving crimes.
What’s New in the Eighth Edition:
Table of Contents
Introduction
Classification and Individualization of Physical Evidence
Collection and Preservation of Physical Evidence
Important Considerations in Crime Scene Investigations
Courtroom Testimony Tips
Before Going to Court
Giving Expert Testimony
Cross-Examination
Other Points
Teamwork
Professional Development
First Officer at the Crime Scene
The Case of the Lady in Cement
The First Officer at the Scene
Recording the Time
When a Suspect Is Found at the Scene
Entering the Scene Proper
Protecting the Integrity of the Scene
Injured Person on the Scene
Dead Person on the Scene
Summoning the Coroner/Medical Examiner
Firearms and Ammunition on the Scene
What to Do Until Investigating Personnel Arrive
Continued Protection of the Scene
The Crime Scene Investigator
Actual Examination of the Scene
Specialized Personnel at the Crime Scene
Health and Safety Issues at Crime Scenes
Processing the Crime Scene
Plan of Action
Note Taking
Crime Scene Search
Crime Scene Photography
Sketching the Crime Scene
Collection of Evidence
Establishing Identity
Fingerprints and Palm Prints
Handwriting Examination
Identification of Human Remains
Trace Evidence
Sources of Trace Evidence
Collection and Preservation of Trace Evidence
Examples of Trace Evidence
Objects Left at the Crime Scene
Blood, Forensic Biology, and DNA
A Word of Caution!
Contamination
Bloodstain Pattern Analysis
Presumptive Tests for Blood†
Searching for Bloodstains
Description and Recording of Bloodstains
Collection and Preservation of Bloodstains
Removal of Bloodstains
Bloodstained Objects
Semen-Stained Objects
Forensic DNA Typing
PCR-Based Technology
High Sensitivity DNA Testing/Touch DNA
Mitochondrial DNA
Y-STRs
CODIS
Forensic DNA and Unsolved Cases
Partial Matches and Familial Searching
Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods
DNA Cases
The Molecular Autopsy
Missing Persons
Biogeographical Ancestry
The Future
Impression Evidence
Footprints
Marks on Clothes and Parts of the Body
Casting Material for Bite Mark Evidence
Tool Marks
Firearms Examination
Characteristics of Firearms
Ammunition
Firearms Evidence
Gunshot Residue (GSR) Analysis
Collecting Firearms Evidence
Handling of Firearms
Cartridge Cases
Bullets
Arson and Explosives
Physical Evidence
Explosives
Homemade Explosives
Bomb Scene Investigation
Illicit Drugs and Toxicology
Psychoactive Drugs
Crime Scene Search
Clandestine Drug Laboratories
Collection and Preservation of Evidence
The Field Investigation Drug Officer
Toxicology
U.S. DEA Drug Schedule Classification
Investigating Sexual Assault
Rape
Other Assaults
Public Lewdness/Forcible Touching
Burglary Investigation
Points of Entry
Entry through Windows
Entry through Doors
Entry through Basement Windows and Skylights
Entry through Roofs
Entry through Walls
Entry through Floors
Simulated Burglaries
Detailed Examination of the Scene
Safe Burglaries
Safe Burglaries Using Explosives
Motor Vehicle Investigation
Vehicle Theft
Abandoned Vehicles
Homicide in a Vehicle
Hit-and-Run Investigation
Marks from Vehicles
Homicide Investigation
Murder, Suicide, or Accident?
Cause of Death
Suicide
Signs of Struggle
Location of Weapon
Examination of a Dead Body at the Crime Scene
Murder
Detailed Examination of the Scene of the Crime
Outdoor Crime Scenes
Discovering a Body Hidden at Another Location
Investigation of a Greatly Altered Body or Skeleton
The Scene of Discovery
Packing and Transporting
Examining Remains of Clothing and Other Objects
Estimating the Time of Death
Decomposition of the Body
Action of Insects and Other Animals on a Dead Body
Other Indications of Time of Death
The Autopsy
Injuries from External Mechanical Violence
Injuries from Sharp External Violence
Marks or Damage on Clothing
Defense Injuries
Firearm Injuries
Bullet Injuries
Close and Distant Shots
Marks from Primers
Traces from Bullets
Traces from Cartridge Cases
Traces from the Barrel of the Weapon
Injuries from Small Shot
Damage to Clothes from Shooting
Modes of Death from Shooting
Explosion Injuries
Death by Suffocation
Death from Electric Currents
Violent Death in Fires
Death by Freezing
Death by Poisoning
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Rape-Homicide and Sexual Assault-Related Murders
Infanticide and Child Abuse
Trunk Murder, Dismemberment of the Body
Accidental Death
Serial Murders
Digital Evidence
Computer Seizure
Steps to Remember
Collecting Video Evidence
Determine If There Is a Video
Stop the Recorder
Confiscate the Recording Medium Immediately
Document the Video System’s Physical Relationship to the Crime Scene
Seek Technical Assistance If Problems Occur
Appendix A
Appendix B
Bibliography
Index
Author(s)
Biography
Barry A. J. Fisher served as the crime laboratory director for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, a position he held from 1987 until his retirement in 2009. He is a Distinguished Fellow and past president of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and was awarded the Academy’s highest award, the Gradwohl Medallion. He served as president of the International Association of Forensic Sciences, president of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors, and is a past chairman of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors—Laboratory Accreditation Board. He has lectured throughout the United States, Canada, England, Australia, Singapore, France, Israel, Japan, China, Turkey, and Portugal on forensic science laboratory practices, quality assurance, and related topics. In 2000, he led a forensic science delegation to lecture to forensic scientists in the People’s Republic of China. Since retiring, Fisher has consulted for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the United States Department of Justice, International Criminal Investigative Training Program (ICITAP), and Analytic Services Inc.
David R. Fisher
currently works as a criminalist supervisor in a large public forensic laboratory in New York City. He has worked on hundreds of homicide, sexual assault, and property crime cases and has testified in court and in the grand jury as a DNA expert on numerous occasions. Fisher is certified by the American Board of Criminalistics and is a Fellow in the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. He also maintains membership in the International Association for Identification, the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists and is an associate member in the International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts. Fisher also has much experience in mass fatality incidents. After the events of 9/11, he helped with the identifications of victims from the World Trade Center attack. As an intermittent federal employee with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT), he was deployed to the Gulf region in 2005 to aid in the identification of victims from Hurricane Katrina.Reviews
"If you are a Professional Crime Scene Investigator, then this book is a must-have for both your personal forensic reference library, as well as your office reference library."
—Edward W. Wallace Jr., Certified Senior Crime Scene Analyst, Retired First Grade Detective, NYPD
"Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation is a well-written, comprehensive guide to the investigative and technical aspects of CSI. The textbook is an educational standard on the theory and practice of crime scene investigation and includes many informative casework examples and photographs. On reading this book, students, entry-level personnel, and experienced practitioners will have a better understanding of the strengths and limitations of forensic science in its application to crime scene investigations."
—Professor Don Johnson, School of Criminal Justice and Criminalistics, California State University, Los Angeles