Chapters 1&2

Henry Goddard. To use bullet and firearm comparisons to trace bullets found in victims to the individual weapons that fired them, thereby tying the victim and the weapon together.

Alphonse Bertillon developed a detailed system involving the measurement of anatomical features which he believed could be used to identify a particular person

Edmond Locard. When two objects come into contact, some materials or information is transferred between the two. If this transferred evidence can be found, then the connection between the two can be established.

When two objects came into contact, physical matter is exchanged between the two.

Basic: the discovering the hows whats and whys of things. Applied: it scours basic research field and uses those tools to build in specific fields of research

Nothing can be truly identical, at some level they have to be different. (even to Atomic or molecular)

Mathiew Orfila. The branch of science concerned with the nature, effects, and detection of poisons.

Francis Galton He developed systems for classifying fingerprints for personal identification based upon similarities in patterns found in each print’s details.

Fingerprints, chemical analyses for blood, logical deductive reasoning, and aspects of toxicology are just some of the techniques of detection that were employed in fictional literature long before they were widely accepted or even discovered for real-life situations.

“A phenomenon reported by prosecutors who claim that television shows based on scientific crime solving have made actual jurors reluctant to vote to convict when, as is typically true, forensic evidence is neither necessary nor available.” The CSI Effect has certainly engendered the public image that forensic science is fast, infallible, and always successful in catching the criminal – things that in reality are not always true.

The Frye decision became the standard for the admissibility of all expert scientific testimony in the US, both in federal and in state courts. The key feature of the Frye Standard is that the “relevant field” of science became the decider as to what was admissible in court. A potential expert and their testimony must meet the “Frye test” before they were allowed to testify and have the evidence admitted.

Set the trial judge as the “gatekeeper” for what scientific testimony is admissible.

Requires that experts limit their opinions to straightforward extensions of the data and have limitations on what they can say

Requires that an all expert testimony meets the Daubert standard – not just scientific expert testimony.

Defendants may be require analysts to “face” them in court when presenting scientific analyses.

The application of science to law. Scientific tests or techniques used in connection with the detection of crime

Evidence that pertains to some matter not previously decided (such as a prior conviction) or establishes a preconceived bias in a matter being decided. In some ways, all evidence against someone is prejudicial, but must not be unfairly prejudicial.

Evidence that has the ability to prove or demonstrate something relevant to the case.

Physical evidence is generally recognized to be a material object, such as a weapon, fingerprint, or item of clothing. It forms part of the broader world of evidence, however, that encompasses other types of forensic evidence that includes chemical, biological, cyber, linguistic and behavioral evidence.

Paramedics if someone’s life is in jeopardy.

Those that place the piece of evidence within a particular group, such as a lead pipe, or a particular model automobile tire, or type of blood (e.g., AB+).

Relate the sample to a unique and specific origin with a very high degree of certainty, such as the fine details found in the pattern in a fingerprint or scratches on a test fired bullet.

A person’s 4th amendment protection from unreasonable search and seizure currently only applies to searches by government officials (e.g., police officers, court officials, etc.) and not to private security guards.

The police must first show a probable cause and present to the judge objective facts or evidence that support that they will find what they are looking for during the search.