Logical ReasoningLogical Reasoning

IntroductionIntroduction

What is Forensics?What is Forensics?

An application of science to those criminal An application of science to those criminal and civil laws that are enforced by and civil laws that are enforced by police agencies in a criminal justice police agencies in a criminal justice system.system.

It is the responsibility of this science to It is the responsibility of this science to provide timely, accurate, and through provide timely, accurate, and through information to all levels of decision information to all levels of decision makers in our criminal justice system.makers in our criminal justice system.

PERFECTION IS YOUR PRIORITY!PERFECTION IS YOUR PRIORITY!

HistoryHistory

Sherlock Holmes- fictional character Sherlock Holmes- fictional character developed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; used developed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; used early forensic detectionearly forensic detection

Mathieu Orfilia- father of forensic toxicologyMathieu Orfilia- father of forensic toxicology Bertillon- developed personal identification Bertillon- developed personal identification

system (based on bodily measurements). system (based on bodily measurements). Known as the father of criminal identificationKnown as the father of criminal identification

Francis Galton- developed first fingerprint Francis Galton- developed first fingerprint classification system, but was not the first to classification system, but was not the first to consider fingerprints as a means of consider fingerprints as a means of identificationidentification

History Cont.History Cont. Leone Lattes- discovered Leone Lattes- discovered

blood type could be used in blood type could be used in identificationidentification

Calvin Goddard- refined bullet Calvin Goddard- refined bullet comparison using comparison comparison using comparison microscopemicroscope

Albert S. Osborn- est. Albert S. Osborn- est. fundamental principles of fundamental principles of document examinationdocument examination

Hans Gross- described the Hans Gross- described the application of science to the application of science to the field of investigationfield of investigation

Edmond Locard- put Gross’s Edmond Locard- put Gross’s method into a laboratory; est. method into a laboratory; est. exchange principleexchange principle

J. Edgar Hoover- director of J. Edgar Hoover- director of FBI; est. national lab aimed at FBI; est. national lab aimed at offering forensic services to offering forensic services to all law enforcementall law enforcement

Crime Lab ServicesCrime Lab Services

Federal LevelFederal LevelFBI- maintains the largest crime laboratory in the FBI- maintains the largest crime laboratory in the

WORLDWORLDDEA- Drug Enforcement Administration DEA- Drug Enforcement Administration

-(Dept. of Justice) analysis of drugs -(Dept. of Justice) analysis of drugs seized in violation of federal lawsseized in violation of federal lawsBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and FirearmsBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms

- (Dept. of Treasure) analyzing alcoholic - (Dept. of Treasure) analyzing alcoholic beverages, tax law, weapons, explosives, beverages, tax law, weapons, explosives,

and related evidenceand related evidenceU.S. Postal Inspection Service- investigation U.S. Postal Inspection Service- investigation related to related to postal postal servicesservices

STATE LEVELSTATE LEVEL

Must maintain a crime laboratory to service state Must maintain a crime laboratory to service state and local law enforcement agencies that do not and local law enforcement agencies that do not have ready access to a lab. have ready access to a lab.

LOCAL LEVELLOCAL LEVEL- Provide services to county and municipal Provide services to county and municipal

agenciesagencies

- KY provides 6 crime labsKY provides 6 crime labs- 5 regional labs and 1 central lab5 regional labs and 1 central lab

- Go to kentuckystatepolice.orgGo to kentuckystatepolice.org

10 UNITS10 UNITS

1.) 1.) Physical Evidence-Physical Evidence- applies applies principles and techniques of principles and techniques of chemistry, physics and geology for chemistry, physics and geology for comparison and identification of crime comparison and identification of crime scene evidencescene evidence

2.) 2.) BiologyBiology-- bloodstains, body fluids, bloodstains, body fluids, hairs, fibers and botanical materialshairs, fibers and botanical materials

3.) 3.) FirearmsFirearms- firearms, discharged - firearms, discharged bullets, cartridge cases, shotgun bullets, cartridge cases, shotgun shells, and ammunitionshells, and ammunition

4.) 4.) Document Examination-Document Examination- handwriting and typewriting handwriting and typewriting ascertaining authenticity and/or ascertaining authenticity and/or sourcesource

5.) 5.) PhotographyPhotography- examines and - examines and records evidence, prepares exhibits records evidence, prepares exhibits for courtroom presentationsfor courtroom presentations

Of those 10 Units only the first five are “basic” services, the following are optional and are not offered by all crime labs

6.) 6.) ToxicologyToxicology- presence or absence - presence or absence of drugs and poisonsof drugs and poisons

7.) 7.) Latent Fingerprint-Latent Fingerprint- processing and processing and examining evidence for fingerprintsexamining evidence for fingerprints

8.) 8.) PolygraphPolygraph- lie detector - lie detector

9.) 9.) Voiceprint Analysis-Voiceprint Analysis- sound sound spectrograph transforms speech into spectrograph transforms speech into visual graphicvisual graphic

10.) 10.) EvidenceEvidence- collection; collects and - collection; collects and PRESERVES physical evidence to be PRESERVES physical evidence to be processedprocessed

Fingerprint Experts-Fingerprint Experts- dactyloscopy dactyloscopy

Crime Scene Photographers-Crime Scene Photographers- id id technician or identification officer: can also technician or identification officer: can also be trained in fingerprint lifting and be trained in fingerprint lifting and analysisanalysis

Pathologist-Pathologist- determines cellular changes in determines cellular changes in tissue, studies disease; causes, processes, tissue, studies disease; causes, processes, dev., and consequencesdev., and consequences

Psychologists-Psychologists- develops psychological develops psychological profile of the criminalprofile of the criminal

Serologists-Serologists- studies blood groups and studies blood groups and other bodily fluidsother bodily fluids

Odontologists- Odontologists- examines teeth and bite examines teeth and bite marksmarks

Ballistics Expert-Ballistics Expert- study of firearms study of firearms

Chemists-Chemists- chemical analysis of physical chemical analysis of physical evidenceevidence

Geologists-Geologists- studies soil samples studies soil samples

Entomologists-Entomologists- study of insects and study of insects and decompostiondecompostion

Anthropologists- Anthropologists- study of bones to study of bones to determine height, weight, sex, race, determine height, weight, sex, race, physical characteristicsphysical characteristics

Artists- Artists- drawing likeness based on drawing likeness based on eyewitness description or aging a eyewitness description or aging a photographphotograph

Sculptors-Sculptors- reconstruction with reconstruction with modeling clay modeling clay

Linguists-Linguists- analyze written and oral analyze written and oral communication to identify who is communication to identify who is speaking, speakers intentspeaking, speakers intent

Engineering-Engineering- concerned with failure concerned with failure analysis, accident reconstruction and analysis, accident reconstruction and causes and origin of fires and causes and origin of fires and explosionsexplosions

Expert Witness

A forensic scientist may also provide expert court testimony.

An expert witness is an individual whom the court determines possesses knowledge relevant to the trial that is not expected of the average person.

The Frye Standard

The Frye v. United States decision set guidelines for determining the admissibility of scientific evidence into the courtroom.

To meet the Frye standard, the evidence in question must be “generally accepted” by the scientific community.

Frye Not Absolute

Trial judges were said to be ultimately responsible as “gatekeepers” for the admissibility and validity of scientific evidence presented in their courts, as well as all expert testimony.