SPO #1-EVIDENCE IS
DEFINED AS:
• ANYTHING THAT WILL SUPPORT OR
CHALLENGE INFORMATION THAT SUBJECT
OR WITNESSES ALLEGES TO BE A FACT
• ANY LEGALLY OBTAINED OBJECT OR
MATERIAL WHICH AIDS THE
INVESTIGATOR IN
RECONTRUCTION OF THE
OFFENSE OR THE
IDENTIFICATION OF THE
OFFENDER
PHYSICAL EVIDENCE CAN
BE OF ASSISTANCE IN
RECONSTRUCTION OF
THE CRIME SCENE
DETERMINING THE
ACCURACY OF STATEMENTS
DETERMINING WHETHER A CRIME
ACTUALLY OCCURRED
LINKING A SUSPECT WITH THE
VICTIM OR WITH A CRIME SCENE
SPO #2-ADVANTAGES OF
PHYSICAL EVIDENCE OVER
TESTIMONIAL EVIDENCE
• PHYSICAL EVIDENCE PROVIDES A
TANGIBLE OBJECT FOR THE JURY TO SEE
• DEFENDANT CANNOT MISREPRESENT
PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
• PHYSICAL EVIDENCE IS NOT
SUBJECT TO MEMORY LOSS
• CAN BE INDEPENDENTLY
TESTED
SPO #3-TYPES OF PHYSICAL
EVIDENCE
• TRANSIENT
• CONDITIONAL
• PATTERN
• TRANSFER
TRANSIENT
• TEMPORARY, EASILY LOST OR
CHANGED
• EXAMPLES: IMPRINTS, RESIDUE,
INDENTATIONS, ODORS
CONDITIONAL
• WHETHER LIGHTS OR WINDOWS
WERE LOCKED OR UNLOCKED
• NOISE
• RIGOR MORTIS
• WEATHER
PATTERN
• FORCED CONTACT BETWEEN
PERSONS AND OBJECTS (VICTIM
OR SUSPECT)
• HIT SKIP ATTACHMENTS
• BLOOD SPLATTER
PATTERNS
• GLASS FRACTURES
• TIRE SKID MARKS
TRANSFER
• FINGERPRINTS
• BLOODSTAINS
• TOOLMARKS
• GLASS
• HAIR
SPO #4-CLASS
CHARACTERISTICS OF EVIDENCE
• SHARED BY ALL MEMBERS OF ITS
CLASS
• CANNOT BE IDENTIFIED TO A
SINGLE SOURCE
• EXAMPLES: HAIR,
SOIL, FIBERS
SPO #5- INDIVIDUAL
CHARACTERISTICS OF EVIDENCE
• SETS THE OBJECT APART FROM
ALL OTHERS IN ITS CLASS
• INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS
ARE UNIQUE
• ALLOWS FOR
“INDIVIDUALIZATION”
OF EVIDENCE OR
IDENTIFICATION OF THE
INDIVIDUAL SOURCE
INDIVIDUAL
CHARACTERISTICS
EXAMPLES
• FINGERPRINTS
• FIRED BULLETS AND
CARTRIDGE CASES
• TOOL MARKS
• HANDWRITING
SPO#6-COLLECTED
EVIDENCE MUST MEET
FOUR REQUIREMENTS
• LEGALLY OBTAINED
• RELEVANT
• IDENTIFIABLE
• CHAIN OF CUSTODY
MUST BE MAINTAINED
SPO #7-DUTIES OF FIRST
RESPONDER TO SCENE
• SECURE THE SCENE
• OBSERVE AND
RECORD SCENE DATA
• PHOTO THE SCENE
BEFORE DISTURBING
ANYTHING
• PREPARE SKETCH OF
THE CRIME SCENE
SPO #8-TYPES OF
CRIME SCENE
SEARCH PATTERNS
• STRIP METHOD
• ZONE METHOD
• GRID METHOD
• SPIRAL METHOD
• RADIUS METHOD
• CAR SEARCH
STRIP
ZONE
GRID
SPIRAL
EVIDENCE COLLECTION
EQUIPMENT
• TAMPER PROOF
EVIDENCE/SECURITY TAPE
• RULERS AND 50 FT.
MEASURING TAPE
• DISPOSABLE SCALPELS
• BLACK EVIDENCE
MARKERS
• STERILE COTTON TIP
SWABS
EVIDENCE EQUIPMENT
• PLASTIC TWEEZERS
• CRIME SCENE TAPE
• CRIME SCENE EVIDENCE
MARKERS
• LATEX GLOVES
• PHOTO EVIDENCE
SCALES
(RULERS)
• CASTING MATERIALS
• FLASHLIGHT
Leica Stations
A.F.I.S.
SPO #9-PRECAUTIONS TO AVOID
CROSS CONTAMINATION OF
PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
• INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED
• INDIVIDUALLY PACKAGED
SPO #10-FACTORS TO SHOW
CHAIN OF CUSTODY/INTEGRITY
• EVIDENCE COLLECTED AT A
CRIME SCENE IS THE SAME
AS PRESENTED IN COURT
• THE ITEM MUST NOT BE
ALTERED OR CHANGED
• CHAIN MUST BE
MAINTAINED IN ORDER TO
DOCUMENT REASONS WHY
ANY PARTY HAS DEALT
WITH THE EVIDENCE
Weapon?
SPO #11-ITEMS A CHAIN OF
CUSTODY MUST REFLECT
• WHO FOUND OR HAD
CONTACT WITH THE
EVIDENCE
• TO WHOM THE EVIDENCE
WAS GIVEN
• REASON THE EVIDENCE
WAS GIVEN TO THAT
PERSON
• WHEN AND BY WHOM THE
EVIDENCE WAS RETURNED
SPO #11-ITEMS A CHAIN
OF CUSTODY MUST
REFLECT
• WHERE AND HOW
THE EVIDENCE WAS
STORED UNTIL
TAKEN TO COURT
• ANY CHANGES
WHICH WERE MADE
TO THE EVIDENCE
SPO #12-ITEMS OF
INFORMATION WHICH
MUST BE SHOWN ON
AN EVIDENCE TAG
• DATE RECOVERED
• TIME RECOVERED
• EXACT LOCATION OF
RECOVERY
• REPORT/CASE NUMBER
• ITEM NUMBER
• DESCRIPTION OF THE
ITEM
SPO #12-ITEMS OF
INFORMATION WHICH MUST BE
SHOWN ON AN EVIDENCE TAG
• RECOVERING
OFFICER’S
INITIALS/BADGE #
• MARKED TO SHOW
BIO-HAZARD OR
SHARP OBJECT
• VICTIM’S NAME, IF
KNOWN
• TYPE OF CRIME
EVIDENCE TAGS
• SHOULD BE DIRECTLY
ATTACHED TO THE
EVIDENCE AT THE TIME
OF COLLECTION
• SHOULD NEVER BE
REMOVED
• ARE A LEGAL
REQUIREMENT WHICH
ALLOWS EVIDENCE TO BE
INTRODUCED IN COURT
Conference Rape Case
SPO #13-BASIC
OBJECTIVES OF
EVIDENCE COLLECTION
• NOT TO ALTER THE STATE
OR CHARACTERISTICS OF
THE EVIDENCE
• MAINTAIN ABSOLUTE
CONTROL AND INTEGRITY OF
THE COLLECTION PROCESS
• AVOID CONTAMINATING OR
CROSS CONTAMINATING
ANY PIECE OF EVIDENCE
• PHOTOGRAPH ALL ITEMS
BEFORE YOU COLLECT IT
Shotgun Behind the Door
SPO #14-MOST COMMON
TYPES OF TRACE EVIDENCE
• HAIR
• FIBER
• GLASS
• PAINT
• SOIL
Rape/Homicide
67
IF HAIR IS OF HUMAN
ORIGIN, SEVERAL FINDINGS
MUST BE GIVEN
• RACE
• LOCATION ON BODY FROM
WHICH THE HAIR CAME
FROM
• WHETHER HAIR WAS
FORCIBLY REMOVED
• WHETHER HAIR IS
BLEACHED OR DIED
• POTENTIAL DNA TYPING
SPO #15-THE PURPOSE OF FIBER
EVIDENCE IS
• TO LINK A SUSPECT,
VICTIM, OR CRIME
SCENE
CLASSES OF FIBERS
• MINERAL (GLASS & ASBESTOS)
• ANIMAL (WOOL, SILK, FURS)
• PLANT (COTTON, LINEN, HEMP)
• SYNTHETIC (RAYON, NYLON,
POLYESTER, ACRYLIC)
SPO #16-THE PURPOSE OF
COLLECTING SOIL EVIDENCE IS
• TO RECONTRUCT THE CRIME
• TO LINK THE SUSPECT, VICTIM AND
CRIME SCENE
I.D. AND TYPING OF
BLOOD CAN
• ESTABLISH THE ELEMENTS
OF THE CRIME
• PROVIDE I.D. OR
ELIMINATION OF A
SUSPECT
• RECONSTRUCT THE CRIME
• CORROBORATE OR
DISPUTE A SUBJECT’S
STATEMENT
Blood Spatter
SPO #17-REASONS BLOOD IS
COLLECTED AT A CRIME SCENE
• BLOODSTAIN PATTERN
INTERPRETATION
• GENETIC MARKER I.D.
Laundry
Room
Murder
Husbands
Coat
DNA Typing &
Comparison
INFORMATION OBTAINED
FROM BLOODSTAIN PATTERN
ANALYSIS
• AREA OF ORIGIN
• MOVEMENTS OF A PERSON, FROM
WHICH BLOODSTAIN ORGINATED
• MINIMUM NUMBER OF BLOWS INFLICTED
• INFORMATION ABOUT THE WEAPON
USED
• TYPE AND DIRECTION OF THE IMPACT
PRODUCING THE BLOODSTAIN PATTERN
• FORCE OR ENERGY OF THE WEAPON
USED
Wishes he was dead?
HUMAN DNA
• If our DNA coding was stretched it
would reach from New York to the
California coastline.
• Our DNA coding would fill 200
Manhattan size phonebooks with
1,000 pages each.
• All 100,000 of your genes are
crammed into the 23 pairs of
chromosomes in the nucleus
of each of your cells!
HUMAN DNA
• Children share 99.5% of their
parents DNA
• ½ mom ½ dad = YOU
•ALL of God’s people
share over 99% of
the exact same
DNA!!!