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Forensic Science
Christie Osorio
Who Killed the IceMan
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http://store.discoveryeducation.com/product/s
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Forensic Science
Forensic Science
 The application of a broad spectrum of sciences
to answer questions of interest to the legal
system which can include both criminal and civil
cases.
Charlotte Mecklenburg Police
Department
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One of the only police departments in NC to
have their own crime lab
Most departments have to rely on the SBI
Creates a backlog of cases
Crimes are generally not solved in a short period
of time
CMPD Forensic Crime Lab
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Chemistry Section
Firearms Examination Section
Microanalysis/ DNA Section
Fingerprint Identification Section
Question Documents Section
How does forensic science help the
police department?
CMPD CSI
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Civilian Position / $30,000 yearly
Need college education
Learn on the job
Job is to locate, identify and preserve and
package any physical evidence
Photography, sketches and diagrams
Testify in court
Types of Calls
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Homicide & serious assaults
Suicide & unintended deaths
Home break-ins and burglaries
Robberies and sexual assaults
Domestic violence, child abuse, & elder abuse
Mass disasters
Detective's Job
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CSI works under a detective or a patrol officer’s
direction
Decide what is to be sent to the lab and what is
to be analyzed
Forensic science is one piece of the puzzle
Combine with interviews, confessions, and eyewitness identifications to solve crimes
Make the Case
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Generally Forensic Science is used to make a
solid case in Mecklenburg County
Detectives identify a suspect and forensic
science confirms or exonerates him or her
Break the Case
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The only time forensic science gives a name out
of thin air is in a case involving DNA,
fingerprints, or firearms examinations
We may have no idea who committed a crime,
but if this evidence is put into CODIS, AFIS, or
IBIS-it can tell us who likely committed a crime
CODIS
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Combined DNA Index System
DNA began to be used in the 1980s
Based on finding genetic markers of a crime
scene sample that matches a standard from a
suspect
Uses old evidence to clear cases that would have
never been solved otherwise
DNA is still only one small piece of the puzzle
AFIS
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Automated Fingerprint Identification System
No 2 fingerprints are the same-DNA not true
Fingerprints are made up of a series of arches,
loops, and whorls
Forms 6 months before we are born
Never change except for scars
Quality prints can be put into AFIS and can
produce a name of a suspect
Fingerprint
AFIS System
IBIS
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Intergrated Ballistics Identification System
Firearms examination is less of an exact science
When a bullet is fired, all kinds of markings
appear on the shell casing and projectile
Lands, grooves, striations
Pictures of markings are put into the IBIS
system and matched with other bullets from the
same gun
Autopsies
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Have nothing to do with the crime lab
Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner’s Office
3 forensic pathologists in Mecklenburg county
Handle autopsies in Mecklenburg and the
surrounding counties
Some smaller counties use coroners with no
medical experience at all
Medical Examiners
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Ultimately decides the cause of death
Open body, probe the wounds, recover the
bullets
Sometimes can tell what kind of knife was used
No one can touch the body without the medical
examiner’s permission until after the autopsy is
done
Livor Mortis
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Settling of blood in the lower portion of the body
Purplish-red discoloration of the skin
Does not occur in areas where the body is in contact
with other objects
Medical personal can use livor mortis as indication not
to start CPR or to stop if it is in progress
Can be used to tell if the body has been moved
Starts 20 min- 3 hrs after death
Livor Mortis
Rigor Mortis
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Stiffening of the body
Helps to determine time of death
Begins to set in 3-4 hrs after death
Full rigor at 12 hrs.
Relaxes again at 36 hrs.
Rigor Mortis
Medical Personnel
How can they help?
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Person/body is a crime scene
Medical personnel are usually the first ones to talk to
the victim and sometimes the last
Listen and make notes of what your patient says
Domestic violence & child abuse cases
Projectiles sometimes fall out of the victim’s clothing
Try not to cut through any holes made by the bullet in
the clothing
Traffic accident victims may have glass or paint chips in
their clothing
Don’t let the clothing get thrown away
Hands Bagged for GSR
GSR Kit
Stab Wounds
Gun Shot Wound
Defensive Wounds
Luminal