Name ___________________________________________________ Date ______________________
Crime Scene Processing and Trace Evidence Review
1. A fingerprint found at a crime scene would be evidence that is thought to have
characteristics.
2. The 1978 Supreme Court case that related to the impropriety of the warrantless collection of physical
evidence at a homicide scene is
.
3. Any evidence gathered as a result of an illegal search, even at a time later than the search itself, will
be excluded from evidence. This doctrine is known as
_____________________________________________.
4. List the methods of recording a crime-scene.
5.
Why is this so critical to photograph a crime scene in it unaltered condition?
6. What information must it accurately reflected in a rough sketch?
7. Describe the different search patterns that may be used at a crime scene and under what situations are
each most likely used.
8. Why is it important to package items of physical evidence in separate containers?
9. Why shouldn’t ordinary mailing envelopes be used for packaging physical evidence?
10. Define chain of custody.
11. What is a standard/reference sample and why is it important to the criminalist?
12. List situations in which a warrantless search may be justified.
13. Blood type is considered to be class evidence. Although it may not specifically identify the suspect,
explain how it still could be useful in helping to investigate a crime.
14. When examining physical evidence, what is meant by comparison versus identification?
15. Explain how the product rule can be used to determine whether two blood samples come from the
same source.
16. What are IAFIS and CODIS? Describe the purpose of each.
17. Identify the error in each of the following scenerios:
a. At the scene of the crime, the evidence collector found a damp, bloody shirt. The evidence
collector quickly wrapped the shirt in a paper bag. He inserted the paper bag with the shirt into an
evidence bag. The bag was sealed with tape, and the collector wrote his name across the tape. The
evidence collection log was completed and taped to the evidence bag.
b. A single hair was found on the back of a couch. The evidence collector placed it into a small
manila envelope. He then inserted the envelope into a plastic evidence bag. Using tape, the evidence
collector sealed the bag. After completing the evidence log and chain of custody form, he brought the
evidence to the crime lab.