Name _____________________________
Date: ___________
Review Questions for Crime Scene Exam.
Complete the following when you are not actively engaged in your crime scene activity. It will be used as
a guide while preparing for your exam on the crime scene.
Crime Scene Exam Date: ____________________
Part !: Pick the letter that best answers the following questions.
____1.
Locard’s exchange principle implies all of the following except
a. Fibers can be transferred from one person to another
b. Blood spatter can be used to identify blood type
c. Cat hair can be transferred to your pants
d. Soil samples can be carried from the yard into your home
___2.
Transfer evidence can include all of the following except
a. the victim’s own blood gushing from a wound
b. hair that was transferred to a hairbrush
c. the blood of the victim found on a suspect
d. a footprint
___3.
The reason it is important to separate the witnesses at the crime scene is to
a. prevent contamination of the evidence
b. prevent fighting among the witnesses
c. prevent the witnesses from talking to each other
d. protect them from the perpetrator
___4.
Correct collection of evidence requires which of the following?
a. documenting the location where the evidence was found.
b. correct packaging of evidence
c. maintaining proper chain of custody
d. all of the above
___5.
A crime-scene sketch should include all of the following except
a. a scale of distance
b. date and location of the crime scene
c. a north heading on the diagram
d. the type of search pattern used to collect evidence
___6.
A type of evidence, like odor, that is temporary and easily changed or lost is called
a. transient evidence
c. pattern evidence
b. Conditional evidence
d. transfer evidence
___7.
A type of evidence that is produced from direct contact between a person and an object or
between two objects is called?
a. transient evidence
c. pattern evidence
b. Conditional evidence
d. transfer evidence
___8.
All of the following would be classified as individual evidence except
a. fingerprints
b. DNA
c. blood type
___9.
d. bite marks
A type of evidence, like a personal belonging, that may associate a victim or a suspect with a
scene or with each other.
a. transient evidence
c. pattern evidence
b. Conditional evidence
d. transfer evidence
Name _____________________________
___10.
All of the following would be considered biological evidence except;
a. blood
c. animal material
b. ink
d. semen
___11.
All of the following people are part of the crime scene investigative team except the
a. first responder
c.
detectives
b. medical examiner
d.
news reporter
___12.
The Seven S’s of Crime Scene Investigation include
a. securing the crime scene
c.
b. sketching the crime scene
d.
separating the witnesses
all of the above
Part II: Fill-in
1.
__________________________ is a statement made under oath; also known as direct evidence
or prima facie evidence.
2.
__________________________ is evidence that involves an object or material that is relevant in a
crime; also known as indirect evidence.
3.
A type of evidence that may be in the form of imprints, indentations, striations, markings, fractures
or deposits is ____________________.
4.
A __________________________ is a medical doctor, usually a pathologist, and is appointed by
the governing body of the area and must be present at any crime scene in which there has been a
death.
5.
One of the Medical Examiners responsibilities is to determine the __________________________
of death or the physiological reason that the person died.
6.
When a crime has occurred in one place but evidence can be collected in a second place, the
place in which the evidence is collected is called a _____________________ crime scene.
7.
A ____________________ , or druggist fold, is a paper package that is folded to keep the
evidence secure in it.
8.
When evidence is examined, the forensic analyst must be shore to fill out the
________________________ to ensure the evidence is accounted for at all times and no
contamination occurs.
9.
A ____________________ sample should be collected along with evidence from the scene for
comparison back at the lab.
Windows that are found open at the crime scene are an example of __________________
evidence.
A ______________________ is a key on a crime scene scetch that is used to indicate the location
of the evidence and describe it.
10.
11.
Part III: Case Studies:
1.
A note was found by a student in the math lab at a community college. It was written in blue
ballpoint ink on a piece of lined paper torn from a spiral notebook; it stated that there was a bomb
hidden in the building. The student quickly turned the note over to the authorities, who evacuated
the building. It being a pleasant summer evening, a lot of students hung around waiting for the
bomb squad. A campus police officer walking through the crowd noted a student with a math book
Name _____________________________
Date: ___________
and a spiral notebook. on a whim, the officer struck up a conversation with the student and asked if
she might look at the student’s notebook. The notes, and equations before the blank pages were
written in blue ballpoint ink, and at least one page had been torn out, leaving scraps of paper stuck
behind the spirals. The officer felt that this was enough cause for her to seize the notebook as
evidence. Later, at the crime lab, a comparison of all the scraps of paper caught in the spirals
yielded one that matched the bomb threat note. Is this an example of individual or group evidence?
Explain.
2.
3.
When the crime-scene investigators arrive at a crime scene, one of their duties is to try to collect all
evidence from the victim’s body. However, due to the location of the crime scene, some of the
evidence will need to be collected off the body at a later time in the crime lab. For each type of
situation below, describe the type(s) of evidence that could be obtained by:
a.
transporting the body in a closed body bag.
b.
taking nail clippings from the deceased
c.
placing a plastic bag over the hands of the deceased before transporting the person to the
morgue
d.
brushing the clothing of the victim with a clothes brush.
Identify the error in each of the following scenarios
a. Case 1:
A dead body and a gun were found in a small room. The room was empty except for a small desk
and a chair. The room had two windows, a closet, and a door leading into a hallway. The
crime-scene sketch artist measured the perimeter of the room and drew the walls to scale. He
sketched the approximate position of the dead body and the gun. He sketched the approximate
location of the chair and desk. What did he forget to do?
b. Case 2:
At the scene of the crime, the evidence collector found a damp, bloody shirt. The evidence
collector quickly wrapped the shirt in a paper bindle. He inserted the paper bindle with the shirt into
Name _____________________________
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. What did he do
incorrectly?
c.
Case 3:
A single hair was found on the back of a couch. The evidence collector placed it in a paper bindle.
He then inserted the paper bindle into a plastic evidence bag. Using tape, the evidence collector
sealed the bag. After completing the evidence log and the chain-of-custody form, he brought the
evidence bag to the crime lab. What did he do incorrectly?
d. Case 4:
Often, several different labs,need to share a very small amount of evidence. It is important that the
chain of custody be maintained. If the chain of custody is broken, then the evidence may not be
allowed in court proceeding. Identify the error in the following case. After obtaining the evidence,
the first lab technician remove the tape that contained the signature of the crime scene evidence
collector. On completion of her examination of the evidence the lab technician put the evidence
back into a paper bindle, and inserted the bindle into an evidence bag. The technician resealed the
bag in the same place as the original crime-scene investigator. After carefully sealing the bag, the
lab technician signed her name across the tape. She completed the chain of custody form on the
outside of the evidence bag and brought the evidence to the next lab technician at the crime lab.
Part IV: Short Answer
1. What is class evidence? How is it useful?
2. What is crimse scene reconstruction? Why is it performed?
3. How would you determine whether or not a crime scene was staged?
Name _____________________________
Date: ___________
4. What is the spiral search method? When is it used?
5. Compare a rough sketch of a crime scene with the final sketch. Describe at least three similaritites
and four differences.