W1: Introduction to Forensic Science – Stephen
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STEPHEN BAILEY posted Apr 5, 2024 2:32 PM
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Good Afternoon Professor/Class,
Upon taking on the investigation, when the investigation department receives a call or leads on a crime, once arrives the crime scene must be taped off and secured properly. Once the crime scene is blocked off, it’s very crucial that the investigating officers observe everything on the scene. By then, as the investigating officer, they will have to observe how the particular person has died. Gathering evidence is the key factor in this case. As the investigator, we will have to see how this person became deceased. He or she could have been stabbed, shot, struck with an object, etc. The first thing as an investigator is to collect DNA samples of the person and/or anyone who may have been involved in this crime scene. This will also include collecting blood samples from the deceased personnel, along with any objects that may have connected with the person. This can be one of the most critical moments to solving how the person died on the scene. Gathering everything that may be relevant to the case is one of the most important things to do to solve and crack the case.
First let’s define what evidence is. According to FindLaw, evidence is defined as “item or information offered to make the existence of a fact more or less probable.” When using evidence through our judicial system, it is stated that the Supreme Court has ruled that courts must be exclude any evidence seized in violation of the 4tth Amendment (Mapp v. Ohio (961)). When evidence is presented to the court, it must all be admitted to the court using the Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE). This allows the evidence to be properly used through the system. Rules 401, states:
Evidence is relevant if:
(a) it has any tendency to make a fact more or less probable than it would be without the evidence; and
(b) the fact is of consequence in determining the action.
Applying these rules to the court must all be relevant to the case with official probable cause. If the evidence cannot be properly presented through the process, then it will not be used in the case.
Stephen
Reference
Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation Ninth Edition. Barry A J. Fisher and David R. Fisher. The foundation of Forensic Science (2009). https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/apus/reader.action?docID=6985671
FindLaw. Lyle Therese A Hilotin-Lee, J.D. August 14, 2023. https://www.findlaw.com/hirealawyer/choosing-the-right-lawyer/evidence-law.html
FindLaw. Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U.S. 643 (1961). June 19, 1961. https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-supreme-court/367/643.html
28 USC App Fed R Evid Rule 401: Test for Relevant Evidence. https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-2012-title28a-node253-article4-rule401&num=0&edition=2012
