Forensics Course Expectations

Unit 1: Intro to Forensics

Understand:

1. The Constitution of the United States is the source document for all laws.

2. The Amendments of the Constitution guarantee certain legal rights which all investigative procedures must observe.

Know:

  1. The definition of forensics is relating to the application of scientific knowledge to legal questions
  2. Locard Principle is contact between individuals and locations that leads to an exchange of trace evidence
  3. The definition of evidence is data presented to a court or jury in proof of the facts in issue and which may include the testimony of witnesses, records, documents, or objects
  4. The services of each unit provided by a full service crime lab
  5. Physical Science Unit: Soil Chemicals, paint metals Drugs
  6. Biology unit: DNA, Blood, Hair Fibers, Botanical materials
  7. Firearms Unit: firearms, discharged bullets, cartridge cases, shot gun shells, ammunition of all types, trajectory
  8. Document and examination Unit: handwriting, forgery
  9. Photography unit: records physical evidence, x-rays, digital imaging to make invisible images visible
  10. What probable cause is
  11. What warrants are, how they are issued and how they work
  12. The definition of eyewitness accounts
  13. That eyewitness accounts have limitations
  14. The innocence project is a not for profit organization designed to reexamine post-conviction cases using DNA and other evidence to provide conclusive proof of guilt or innocence.
  15. 200 people have been set free because of the innocence project 17 of which were on death row

Be Able to:

  1. Define forensics
  2. Explain the Locard principle
  3. Define what Evidence is
  4. List services provided by a full service crime lab
  5. Define probable cause
  6. Explain the purpose and process of obtaining a warrant
  7. Explain what an eyewitness account is and the limitations
  8. Identify the purpose and success of the innocence project

Unit 2: Processing a Crime Scene

Understand:

1. Science is the systematic examination of events occurring in the natural world. Scientists construct theories, based on evidence, about how and why things happen.

2. Processes and procedures are established to ensure Forensic scientist and other investigators collect and preserve evidence that can be used in court.

3. Failure to follow the correct process and procedures may result in missed evidence or evidence that is inadmissible in a court of law.

Know:

  1. A crime scene is a place where any evidence may be located and gathered to help explain events
  2. The seven S’s of Crime scene investigation:
  3. A crime scene is photographed unaltered
  4. The four crime search patterns
  5. What chain of custody means and why it must be preserved
  6. The different evidence requires different packaging
  7. Sketching is used to indicate spatial relationship between objects
  8. Note and log documentation is to record sequence of actions, time of day, temperature and who was present

Be Able to:

  1. Define what a crime scene is
  2. List 7 S’s of a crime scene
  3. secure
  4. separate witness

3 scan the scene

4. see the scene

5. sketch the scene

6. search for evidence

7. secure evidence

  1. Explain the value of photographic evidence
  2. Demonstrate the crime search patterns
  3. Collect and package evidence for processing
  4. Take notes and Sketch a crime scene

Unit 3: Forensics Entomology

Understand:

1. All living things have a life cycle

2. Application of scientific knowledge about the life cycles of other living organisms can provide valuable information to the Forensic Scientist.

Know:

  1. The definition of forensic entomology
  2. Characteristics of rigor mortis, liver mortis, and algor mortis
  3. What a dichotomous key is and its purpose
  4. All things are classified
  5. System was created by CarolusLinneus
  6. The taxonomy of insects that are attracted to decaying flesh
  7. The life cycle of insects from larvae to adult
  8. Variables effect the life cycle of insects

Be Able to:

  1. Define Forensic Entomology
  2. Describe the differences between liver mortis, rigor mortis, algor mortis
  3. Use a Dichotomous Key
  4. Identify different types of insects pertaining to forensics
  5. Diagram the life cycle of an insect

Unit 4: Forensic Anthropology

Understand:

1. Anatomical structures have distinguishing characteristics and change as an organism grows.

2. Application of scientific knowledge about anatomy can provide valuable clues to the forensic scientist.

Know:

1. That parts of a skeleton can determine age, race, and sex

2. That identification can be made from dental records

Be Able to:

1. Classify remains according to age race and sex

2. Match bite marks with dental impressions

Unit 5: Trace Evidence

Understand:

1. Minute particles of trace evidence can help tell the story of a crime scene.

2. Some types of evidence are unique to individuals and therefore can be used to identify a particular person.

Know:

  1. The part of a microscope
  2. The various types of microscopes
  3. What trace evidence includes
  4. The 3 types of fingerprints
  5. The frequencies of the 3 types of fingerprints
  6. The 3 types of finger print evidence
  7. There are different methods for collecting fingerprints off of different surfaces

Be Able to:

  1. Use a light microscope and a dissection microscope for analysis of evidence
  2. Identify each type of microscope listed
  3. Electron Microscope
  4. Light Microscope
  5. Dissection microscope
  6. Stereoscope
  7. List the most common types of trace evidence: fiber, paint hair, pollen, soil, metal
  8. Label the three types of fingerprints and express their frequencies
  9. Arches 5%
  10. Whorls 30%
  11. Loops 65%
  12. Compare latent, visible, and plastic fingerprints
  13. Collect fingerprints for analysis

Unit 6: Biological Evidence

Understand:

1. Application of the biological sciences is a central part of forensic science.

Know:

  1. DNA is composed of nucleotides
  2. DNA is unique for every person
  3. DNA can be used to identify or exonerate suspects from a crime
  4. The 4 steps of DNA fingerprinting
  5. Gel electrophoresis separates DNA fragments according to size and molecular weight
  6. Mitochondrial DNA is used for identification of skeletal remains
  7. DNA can be extracted from nucleated cells
  8. Serology is the study of bodily fluids
  9. Bodily fluids include blood, semen, saliva
  10. The composition of blood
  11. The composition of semen
  12. The composition of saliva
  13. The 4 types of blood
  14. That blood splatter analysis is a field of forensics that deals with the physical properties of blood and he patterns produced under different condition as a result of various forces applied to the source of blood
  15. Toxicology is the study of poisons and the identification of drugs and other substances a person may have used for medicinal, recreational or criminal purposes.

Be Able to:

  1. Analyze segments of DNA for identification
  2. List in order the sequence of DNA fingerprinting
  3. Extraction
  4. Restriction Fragments
  5. Amplification
  6. Electrophoresis
  7. Explain the process of gel-eletrophoresis
  8. Explain when and why mitochondrial DNA would be used
  9. Extract their own DNA from saliva
  10. Identify the components of different bodily fluids
  11. List the types of bodily fluids in serology, (blood, semen, saliva)
  12. List the four types of blood
  13. Explain blood splatter analysis
  14. Identify different types and the trajectory of blood splatter
  15. Define Toxicology
  16. Drugs
  17. Types of Poisons
  18. Sobriety (Beer Goggles)
  19. Alcohol
  20. Heavy Metals and Pesticides
  21. Bioterrorism Agents
  22. Measuring Toxicity

Unit 7: Physical Evidence

Understand:

1. Forensic scientists apply our understanding of physics and material science to analyze crimes scenes.

2. A “picture’ of what happened at a crime scene can be constructed based on the evidence and an understanding of physical and material science.

Know:

  1. The difference between a bullets and cartridge cases
  2. That a caliber of Bullet relates to barrel size of gun
  3. That a fired gun can produce Gunshot Residue
  4. The difference between a hand gun, a rifle, and a shot gun
  5. That certain tools will leave specific identifiable impressions
  6. That each tire shoe and bite mark can be identified by their impression
  7. That there are different types and characteristics of glass
  8. That glass has two types of fracture patterns, (radial and concentric)

Be Able To:

  1. Identify types of bullets, guns, and cartridges
  2. Test for GSR simulation
  3. Match the marks made from a hammer, screw driver, and tire iron
  4. Take casts of shoe prints and tire marks
  5. List characteristics and types of glass
  6. Determine the chronological order of fracture pattern breaks by analyzing conchoidial lines
  7. Identify radial and concentric fracture patterns

Unit 8: Forgery

Understand:

1. Scientific principles can be applied to the analysis of documents to establish their authenticity.

Know:

  1. That there are 12 categories of handwriting analysis
  2. The difference between and forgery and fraudulence
  3. The that counterfeiting is the production of imitation of currency, works of art, documents, name brand look-a-likes for the purpose of deception

Be Able To:

  1. Analyze samples for the 12 categories of handwriting
  2. Explain the difference between forgery and fraudulence
  3. Determine if documents are counterfeit