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Forensic Science
CHEM 107
60
Chemistry
Undergraduate 1
02/28/2010

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Term
Forensic Science
Definition
the application of science to the criminal and civil laws that are enforced by police agencies in a criminal justice system
Term
Mathieu Orfila
Definition
Father of forensic toxicology.
Term
Alphonse Bertillon
Definition

Father of criminal identification.

Devised first scientific system of personal identification: anthropometry. System of taking body measurements. 

Term
Francis Galton
Definition
Undertook first definitive study of fingerprints and developed method of classifying them. Led to the present system of ID by fingerprints.
Term
Leone Lattes
Definition
Devised a procedure to determine the blood group of a dried bloodstain.
Term
Calvin Goddard
Definition
A US army colonel that refined the examination of bullets by using the comparison microscope.
Term
Albert Osborn
Definition
Developed fundamental principles of document examination.
Term
Walter McCrone
Definition
Preeminent microscopist, advocating the use of microscopy to analyze problems.
Term
Hans Gross
Definition
Promoted the application of scientific disciplines to criminal investigation.
Term
Edmond Locard
Definition

Established first crime laboratory in Lyons police department. Founder of the Institute of Criminalistics at the University of Lyons.

 

Locard's Exchange Principle: Whenever two objects come into contact, there is an exchange of materials.

Term
J. Edgar Hoover
Definition
Director of the FBI (Currently the world's largest forensic laboratory)
Term
California Association of Criminalists
Definition
1972 the California Department of Justice created a system of integrated forensic labs that exchanged information and expertise.
Term
Forensic Science Service
Definition
UK national system of regional laboratories, which police agencies are charged a fee for services rendered.
Term
Number of crime laboratories in the United States
Definition
350 Public crime laboratories, more than three times the number of crime laboratories operating in 1966.
Term
Modern crime laboratories
Definition
Most function as part of a police department or prosecutor/district attorney's office, some are with universities or independent agencies in government
Term
Reasons explaining the rapid growth of crime laboratories
Definition
Supreme Court decisions that Illegal drug seizures must be sent to a forensic laboratory for confirmatory chemical analysis before the case can be adjudicated.

DNA profiling mandated for individuals convicted of crimes.
Term
Four major U.S. crime labs
Definition
1. Federal Bureau of Investigation
2. Drug Enforcement Administration Laboratories
3. Laboratories of the Bureau of Alchohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
4. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service
Term
Three Major Canadian Crime Labs
Definition
1. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Regional Laboratories
2. Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto
3. Institute of Legal Medicine and Police Science in Montreal
Term
Reasons for the wide variety of total services offered in different communities
Definition
1. Variations in local laws
2. different capabilities and functions of the organizations to which the lab is attached
3. budgetary and staffing limitations
Term
Physical Science Unit
Definition
Expertise in chemical tests and modern instrumentation to examine drugs glass paint explosives and soil
Term
Biology Unit
Definition
Identify and profile DNA on blood stains, body fluids hair and fibers. Also botanical materials such as wood and plants.
Term
Firearms Unit
Definition
Firearms discharged bullets ammo casings GUN STUFF Discharge residue and marks made by tools.
Term
Document examination unit
Definition
Handwriting and typewriting To determine authenticity and source paper analyzing paper ink indented writing obliterations erasures burned or charred documents
Term
Photography unit
Definition
record physical evidence techniques include digital imaging infrared ultraviolet and xray photography to make it visible to the unclothed eye
Term
Toxicology Unit
Definition
examines body fluids and organs for presence of drugs or poisons
Term
Latent fingerprint unit
Definition
Processes and examines evidence for latent fingerprints when they are submitted in conjunction with other laboratory examinations.
Term
Polygraph Unit
Definition
Handled by people trained in the techniques of criminal investigation and interrogation.
Many agencies incorporated this unit into lab administration structure, where it sometimes remains today.
Term
Voiceprint Analysis Unit
Definition
Telephone threats or tape recorded messages
Links a voice to a particular suspect
Term
Crime-Scene Investigation Unit
Definition
Dispatches specially trained personnel to the crime scene to collect and preserve physical evidence that will later be processed at the crime laboratory.
Term
1923 District of Columbia Circuit Court
Definition
Rejected the scientific validity of the lie detector (polygraph)
Term
Frye v. United States
Definition
the court must decide whether the questioned procedure, technique or principle is "generally accepted" by a meaningful segment of the scientific community.
Term
Federal Rules of Evidence
Definition
1. the testimony is based upon sufficient facts or data
2. testimony is the product of reliable principles and methods
3. witness has applied the principles and methods reliably to the facts of the case
Term
Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Definition
Judge acts as "gatekeeper" of scientific evidence. 1Whether the theory can be tested 2Theory subject to peer review 3Technique's potential rate of error 4Existence of standards controlling the technique's operation 5Whether scientific theory has attracted widespread acceptance
Term
Kumho Tire Co., Ltd. v. Carmichael
Definition
"gatekeeping' role of judge extended from scientific testimony to all expert testimony
Term
Expert Witness
Definition
An individual whom the court determines to possess knowledge relevant to the trial that is not expected of the average layperson.
Term
Forensic Pathology
Definition
Investigation of sudden, unnatural, unexplained, or violent deaths
Term
Autopsy
Definition
medical dissection and examination of a body in order to determine the cause of death
Term
Rigor Mortis
Definition
Medical condition that occurs after death and results in the stiffening of muscle mass. The rigidly of the body normally occurs within 24hours of death and disappears within 36hours.
Term
Livor Mortis
Definition
medical condition that occurs after death and results in the settling of blood in areas of the body closest to the ground.
Term
Algor Mortis
Definition
Postmortem changes that cause a body to lose heat
Term
Ways to approximate time of death
Definition
1. The stages of decomposition
2. Rate of heart loss
3. Potassium levels of ocular fluid
Term
Forensic Anthropology
Definition
identification and examination of human skeletal remains
Term
Forensic Entomology
Definition
Study of insects and their relation to a criminal investigation
Term
Forensic Psychiatry
Definition
Relationship between human behavior and legal proceedings. ie. Determining mental competency
Term
Forensic Odontology
Definition
Identify victims when the body is left in an unrecognizable state using dental records.
Term
Forensic Engineering
Definition
Failure analysis, accident reconstruction, and causes and origins of fires or explosions
Term
Forensic Compter and Digital Analysis
Definition
Identification, collection, preservation and examination of information from computer and digital devices.
Term
Common Types of Physical Evidence Part1.
Definition
1Blood, semen and saliva 2Documents 3Drugs 4Explosives 5Fibers 6Fingerprints 7Firearms and ammunition 8Glass 9Hair 10Impressions
Term
Identification
Definition
Process of determining a substance's physical or chemical identity. ie. Drug analysis, species determination and explosive residue analysis
Term
Comparison
Definition
Process of ascertaining whether two or more objects have a common origin
Term
Identification
Definition
Process of determining a substance's physical or chemical identity. ie. Drug analysis, species determination and explosive residue analysis
Term
Comparison
Definition
Process of ascertaining whether two or more objects have a common origin
Term
Individual Characteristics
Definition
Properties of evidence that can be attributed to a common source with an extremely high degree of certainty
Term
Class Characteristics
Definition
Properties of evidence that can be associated only with a group and never with a single source
Term
Product Rule
Definition
Multiplying together the frequencies of independently occurring genetic markers to obtain an overall frequency of occurrence for a genetic profile
Term
Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS)
Definition
national fingerprint and criminal history system maintained by the FBI
Term
Combined DNA Index System (CODIS)
Definition
data bank containing DNA profiles of individuals convicted of felony sexual offenses and forensic indexes of DNA from unsolved crime-scene evidence.
Term
National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN)
Definition
maintained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives allows firearms analysts compare markings on bullets and cartridge casings.
Term
Reconstruction
Definition
The method used to support a likely sequence of events by observing and evaluating physical evidence and statements made by those involved with the incident.
Term
Common Types of Physical Evidence Part2.
Definition
11Organs and physiological fluids 12Paint 13Petroleum products 14Plastic bags 15Plastic, rubber, and other polymers 16Powder residues 17Serial numbers 18Soil and minerals 19Tool marks 20Vehicle lights 21Wood and other vegetable matter
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