Transcript Crime Scene Investigator

Most Often Full Time Gigs
Crime Scene Investigator
Pam O’Neill
Crime Scene Investigator
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Process the crime scene by:
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Locating items of evidence that pertain to
the crime
Documenting the scene (photographs,
sketches, and detailed notes)
Collecting evidence for further analysis
Education
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College degree in general studies,
criminal justice, or forensics
Courses in basic computer training,
drafting, and photography
recommended
Different levels of certification
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Level I -- Crime Scene Technician
Level II -- Crime Scene Analyst
Level III -- Senior Crime Scene Analyst.
Responsibilities
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Processes all evidence at the scene and
distributes for proper analysis
Criminalistics
A Criminalist Job Description
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Analyze, compare, identify & interpret
physical evidence
Identify evidence & link:
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Suspect
Victim
crime scene
…through the physical evidence
Education
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Bachelor’s in chemistry, biology, physics,
molecular biology or a related science
Can be general or get into many
specialties like:
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Hair & fibers
DNA
Glass
Fingerprints
Forensic Laboratory Director
Drake Kelley
Forensic Laboratory Director
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Job Description:
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Plan and direct the work of others working
in the lab as well as instructing them in
their duties
Also must be effective in dealing with
governmental officials and the general
public in order to establish and maintain
effective working relationships
Forensic Laboratory Director
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Knowledge and Education Required:
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Must have at least a bachelor’s degree in a
physical/natural science.
Most directors intern for little or no pay to gain
their experience
Chemistry, physics, and mechanics
Criminal court procedures and practices
State, federal, and local criminal laws
Budget management and leadership experience
Forensic Laboratory Director
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Examples of work:
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Plan, organize, and direct the crime lab
Develop and administer a budget for the
lab
Assure compliance with operating
standards in the lab
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Source: State of MN Job Class Specifications
Forensic Toxicology
Amie Barber
What is Forensic Toxicology??
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In simplest terms, Forensic Toxicology
looks at everything pertaining to any
toxins or poisons that may have legal
significance.
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Three main areas: Postmortem Drug
Testing, Workplace Drug Testing, &
Investigation of Contraband Materials.
Toxicologists use blood, urine, gastric
contents, bile & liver, & hair as specimens
for testing.
I need an Education!
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Forensic Toxicologists need many of the things
found vital within any Forensic field:
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a bachelor's degree — SCIENCE, chemistry, biology,
math, English composition
good speaking skills - take public speaking, join the
drama club, the soccer team, or the debate team
good note-taking skill
the ability to write an understandable scientific
reports
intellectual curiosity
Crime Scene
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The evidence from the crime scene
would be anything from blood, in which
a blood test can be performed, to hair,
where a forensic toxicologist can tell a
whole persons’ lies, or truths.
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Pretty much any bodily fluids can be used
in order to determine whether justice is
being served or not.
Forensic Pathologist
Chris Lyle
Forensic Pathologist
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WHAT DO THEY DO?
A PATHOLOGIST IS USED TO INVESTIGATE THE
DEATHS OF PEOPLE WHO DIE SUDDENLY OR
UNEXPECTEDLY OR AS A RESULT OF INJURY, THEY
ALSO EXAMINE CRIME SCENES, PERFORM
AUTOPSIES, AND MUCH MORE
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF PATHOLOGISTS –
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ANATOMIC PATHOLOGISTS: PERFORM AUTOPSIES AND
EXAMINE TISSUES THROUGH MICROSCOPES
CLINICAL PATHOLOGISTS: MANAGE LABORATORIES WHERE
BODY FLUIDS ARE TESTED, MANY PATHOLOGIST WORK IN
HOSPITALS.
Education Needed
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MEDICAL SCHOOL: 1ST REQUIREMENT ….4 YEARS
$25,000 TUITION / YEAR
POSTGRADUATE TRAINING IN PATHOLOGY: AT LEAST 4 MORE
YEARS OF POSTMEDICAL SCHOOL TRAINING SALARY OF
$20,000 PER YEAR OF TRAINING
ADDITIONAL FORENSIC PATHOLOGY TRAINING:
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ONE MORE YEAR OF TRAINING IS REQUIRED AFTER
COMPLETION OF POST-GRAD TRAINING….. SALARY OF $50,000
PER YEAR
UPON COMPLETION OF TRAINING PATHOLOGIST MUST PASS A 2
TO 3 DAY EXAMINATION TO BECOME CERTIFIED.
(ROUGHLY 500 FORENSIC PATHOLOGISTS PRACTICE IN THE
USA)
Example
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IN DEALING WITH A SUPSECTED CHILD
ABUSE CASE….
A DISSECTION OF THE VICTIIM’S NECK
WOULD BE PERFORMED TO SHOW INJURY
TO MUSCLES, LIGAMENTS, AND SPINAL
CORD. ALSO INCISIONS WOULD BE MADE
TO DEMONSTRATE BRUISES THAT DO NOT
SHOW UP EXTERNALLY.
Full time…Part time???
Forensic Document Examiner
Jessica Cabellaro
Forensic Document Examiners
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To examine documents and
related materials to discover
what was used to create the
document, and most importantly,
what could have been used to
alter it.
Forensic Document Examiners
Education: Bachelor’s Degree in a
Science
 No degree program available in the
US; Usually part of criminal justice
or forensic science degree programs
 2 Year apprenticeship is often
required under a member of the
American Board of Forensic Document
Examiners
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Forensic Document Examiners
Some cases handled by Forensic
Document Examiners involve the
study of pens, papers, handwriting
analysis and other materials used
to create documents in order to
answer questions involving
authenticity.
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Think Catch Me If You Can
Forensic Computer Science &
Digital Evidence Examination
Danny Ellison
• What a forensic computer scientist does is
recover evidence used for a crime that has
been erased or deleted from the suspects
computer.
• That information is stored somewhere when it
is deleted it just isn’t erased permanently.
• It is stored in the archives of the computer
and this forensic department deals with this.
Education
• Start with attending the Federal Law
Enforcement Training Center (FLETC).
• Train and gain the valuable skills in order to
pass the certification program for The
International Association of Computer
Investigation Specialists (IACIS).
• This association is by far the largest association
for computer investigation specialists and the one
the government uses to gather the individuals to
collect the digital evidence and then analyze the
information collected.
Evidence from a crime
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A typical scenario would play out something like this
example:
A man who is writing love emails to a woman who in
turn he is having an affair with.
His wife finds out about the emails and confronts the
man with the evidence.
The man so embarrassed about getting caught decides
to write the woman he is having an affair with that he
plans on killing her by making it look like a suicide. He
does this by cutting the brake lines on her car so she
can’t stop and dies.
The man not wanting to be a suspect deletes all of his
emails and tells the woman to stop writing for awhile.
While he has deleted the email a forensic computer
scientist can recover these emails and then prove the
motive and the case.
Forensic Engineering
Meghann Carreiro
Forensic Engineering
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A quick description of the career:
A Forensic Engineer is responsible for answering the following
three questions:
1. What happened?
2. Why did it happen?
3. How could it have been prevented?
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They ultimately reconstruct the crime scene like a puzzle
applying engineering principles.
After an accident, a Forensic Engineer would examine all broken
parts and construct a list of probable failure mechanisms to be
investigated. They will also conduct interviews to determine a
sequence of events.
Following this, their drawings, specifications, and operational
procedures are reviewed and then the final step is to use
analytical and testing tools to confirm their findings.
Education Needed:
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A Forensic Engineer must have mastered the basic
technical skills of engineering in addition to being
very knowledgeable in the codes and industry
standards relating to construction, manufacturing and
selling products.
Along with the Engineering degree, they also usually
specialize in electrical engineering, mechanical
engineering, civil engineering, materials engineering
and traffic engineering.
An ideal Forensic Engineer candidate will have:
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A good honors degree in a scientific or engineering discipline
Post-graduate experience in a technical role involving on-site
experience
A willingness to relocate
The ability to communicate clearly both orally and in writing
Meghann Carreiro
Example
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After a automobile accident a Forensic Engineer
would examine all broken parts of the cars involved
and also examine all available evidence, including
eyewitness accounts.
Then, they will try to piece together a sequence of
events and generate a time line leading to the
accident.
Should they need to defend their findings in court as
an expert witness, then they would also proceed to
do so.
* The work is much like that of a crime scene
examiner but with fewer bodies and better hours and
generally much higher pay.
Meghann Carreiro
Most Often Part Time Gigs
Forensic Nursing
Grant Jordan
What is Forensic Nursing?
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By definition, Forensic Nursing is the application of
forensic science combined with the biological and
psychological education of the registered nurse in the
scientific investigation evidence collection and
preservation, analysis, prevention, and treatment of
trauma and death-related medical issues.
Education needed
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Some nursing jobs may be acquired
after short training courses, in order to
achieve greater responsibility further
training, on the job experience as well
as advance degrees in nursing or
forensic science are needed.
What does a forensic nurse
do?
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There are several different jobs with in the realm or forensic
nursing depending on the subspecialty of the nurse. However, in
summary a forensic nurse collects evidence. initiates chain of
custody as well as begins the process of documentation.
Other jobs of forensic nurse specialist:
Forensic nurse photographer prepares photographs for use
in the courtroom.
A forensic psychiatric nurse deals with individuals who have
court ordered psychiatric evaluations. They asses evaluate and
plan treatment for these individuals.
Forensic nurse reconstructionist specialize in recreating
crime scenes and accidents based on the mechanism of injury
Forensic Anthropologist
Dem bones
Scott Wilkie
Career Description
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3 focuses of career
1) Identifying victim or providing a biological
profile – age, sex, stature, individual
features…
2) Reconstructing postmortem features
based on condition of remains/recovery
context
3) Providing data regarding death event
including evidence of trauma
Other Parts of Career
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Forensic anthropologists are sometimes
consultants to medical examiners,
coroners, and law enforcement officials
They also are frequently asked to testify
in court
Education
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Governing body is the American Board
of Forensic Anthropology (ABFA)
To join the board:
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PHD in physical anthropology
Minimum 3 years of postdoctorate practice
in forensics
Pass a rigorous written and practice exam
Only 60-70 in USA
Evidence
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Recover bones from a crime scene
Once recovered, process these bones
Examine the skull to obtain a dental
record and a facial re-creation
Collect evidence about the person’s
racial/cultural background to create a
biological profile
Forensic Taphonomy
Zach Hasenyager
What is it?
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Study of the history of a body after death
Affects estimates of time since death, ID of
the body, and ability to determine cause and
manner of death
Examines the decomposition of a body after
death from individual, cultural, and
environmental factors.
Education Needed
Forensic Taphonomy is very broad
Archaeology/Biology/Earth Sciences
are all useful
Types of Evidence
Taphonomic Evidence
-Individual factors
-Age, sex, body weight, properties of bones, cause of death
-Cultural factors
-Burial Practices
-Allterations due to unusual circumstances
-War
-Environmental factors
-Temperature-Higher temps. Means more
decomposition
-Moisture Content
-pH levels
-Properties in the soil
Forensic Entomology
Maria Andrews
Forensic Entomology
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Entomology: the study of insects.
Forensic Entomology: the study of
insects associated with a dead body.
After 72 hours, entomological evidence is the most accurate,
and often the only way to determine the time since death.
Can be used to determine if body has been moved after death,
whether it was disturbed, the presence of position of wound
sites, and whether the victim used drugs or was poisoned.
Do NOT work fulltime in a crime lab, but mostly in research and
teaching (most are research scientists)
Education Needed
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B.Sc. In biology, zoology, or entomology
Followed by an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in
entomology, preferably in forensic
entomology, insect ecology, and taxonomy.
Five years in case work are required following
the Ph.D.
Most active forensic entomologists are
university professors, and conduct ongoing
research.
Example of Evidence
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Drugs: because insects feed on body
tissues, they also feed on any unnatural
substances in the victim’s body,
including alcohol, drugs, or poison.
Insect is likely to be affected by poison
or drugs.
Analysis of the insect can often reveal
the toxin, when body is severely
decomposed.
Forensic Odontology
Lauren McClain
*Forensic Odontology*
(Forensic Dentistry)
Specialized field of dentistry
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Mass disaster victim identification
Missing peoples databases and identification
Bite-mark analysis
Other legal issues
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*How to become an Odontologist*
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At least 3 years of college
4 years of dental school
1 to 4 years of training
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Earn a Certificate
Once certified & practice 3 to 5 additional years, they
then take a series of exams
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Earn a specialty board certification by ADA
Examples of evidence
Forensic Psychology
by
Lucy Meliksetian
Career Description
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Deals with application of psychology to
legal issues and the criminal justice
system.
Key roles:
- piloting and implementing treatment
programs
- expert witness
- modifying offender behavior
Education
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Receiving a Master’s or Doctorate
Key classes for undergraduates:
- criminology
- criminal law
- statistics
- social psychology
* motivational psychology
Examining Evidence?
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Criminal profiling
Crime analysis
Forensic Psychiatry
Forensic Psychiatry
Description
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Forensic Psychiatry involves the
assessment and evaluation of
individuals rather than the treatment of
psychiatric patients, although there is
occasional involvement with treatment
of criminal offenders. Treatments are
limited to the assessment of individuals
involved in legal matters.
Three major subgroups
There are three different types of
forensic psychiatry:
Criminal forensic psychiatry
Civil forensic psychiatry
Administrative forensic psychiatry
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Administrative Forensic
Psychiatry
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Administrative forensic psychiatry
addresses confidentiality, privileged
communications, privacy issues,
patients rights to treatment or the right
to refuse treatment, and newer
considerations involving commitment or
involuntary hospitalization.
Civil Forensic Psychiatry
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Civil forensic psychiatry encompasses
personal injury cases, domestic
relations matters, and competency
issues.
Criminal Forensic Psychiatry
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Criminal forensic psychiatry emphasizes
the competency to stand trial, legal
insanity, sentencing issues, and
treatment of the mentally ill offender.
Education
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A board certified psychiatrist (M.D. plus
residency)
For an individual to be certified in
forensic psychiatry, the person must
take a 1 year accredited program of
training in forensic psychiatry. There
are over 25 accredited programs in the
U.S.
Case
Example
A serial murderer was also suffering from
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dissociative identity disorder. The man was
accused of killing four prostitutes, but had no
memory of the killing. He had a rich fantasy
life, but was found to have a number of
distinct personalities, one of which was
amoral and homicidal. Once he learned of his
murderous tendencies, he agreed to spend
his life in a hospital or prison. Through a
diagnosis, other alternative personalities
emerged. With the help of psychiatric
treatment, the alters were combined into one
personality. He rests comfortably in prison,
thus preventing the homicidal alter to
emerge.
Wildlife Forensics
Sarah Gilham
Wildlife Forensics
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Wildlife forensics is
criminal forensics
when the victim is
an animal
They analyze,
compare, identify,
and interpret
physical evidence
from all species of
animal
•Always developing
new ways of
identifying evidence
Education
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bachelor's degree in chemistry, biology,
physics or other related science
At least 24 semester hours of chemistry
or biology
Math classes are necessary
Evidence
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carved ivory objects
fur coats
Endangered animal’s
blood on a hunter’s
jacket
While most criminologists
have very small samples
to work with, often
wildlife evidence is seized
in large quantities