Deck 8: Forensic Traces

Question 1

A suspect is arrested wearing a torn blue t-shirt. The shirt is collected, packaged in a paper bag and sent to the crime lab. At the crime scene of a burglary an investigator collected blue color fibers from the area near a broken window. The investigator packaged the fibers in a small envelope and submitted them to the lab for comparison to the suspect's shirt. All the tests at the crime lab on the evidence fiber and exemplar fibers from the shirt show them to be identical. Therefore, it can be concluded that the blue fiber from the scene definitely came from a unique source, the torn blue shirt worn by the suspect to the exclusion of all others.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Which of the following items would be classified as trace evidence?

A) Safe insulation
B) Glass shards
C) Soil
D) All of the above

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The Locard Exchange Principle occurs with regard to statement evidence being used to corroborate or refute physical evidence collected at the crime scene.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

When dealing with a homicide victim's clothing, which of the following procedures is the best way to capture any trace evidence?

A) Let the medical examiner collect the clothing at the autopsy.
B) Examine the clothing for trace evidence prior to transporting the body for an autopsy and collect any items that you find.
C) Remove the clothes at the scene and package together to minimize cross-contamination.
D) Allow the clothes to fully dry on the body before transporting to the autopsy.

Question 5

The ____________ exemplars must never be packaged with the questioned samples.

A) Known
B) Unknown
C) Crime Scene
D) Standard

Question 6

You are responsible for the collection of evidence related to a hit-and-run accident. Choose the proper procedure for collecting paint samples from the two vehicles involved.

A) Collect one paint sample from each vehicle and place it in plastic bags.
B) Collect two paint samples, one from the accident area and one control, from each vehicle and place them in separate druggist folds and separate envelopes.
C) Collect one sample from each vehicle and place in a clean paint can.
D) Collect two samples from each vehicle and place in heat sealed plastic bags

Question 7

Which of the following techniques would be the best method for collecting fibers found on the floor at the point of entry at a homicide scene?

A) Using forceps
B) Tape lifts
C) Vacuum
D) All are accepted

Question 8

When trying to determine the direction of force in glass using a concentric edge, the side of the glass forming a right angle with the conchoidal fracture is the side the force came from.

Question 9

Some of the characteristics that a criminalist can provide when examining hair is determining whether it originated from an animal, synthetic, or human; Determine possible body location; or whether it was chemically treated.

Question 10

During a rape the female victim stated that she tore the suspects blue sweater. At the crime scene you recover five blue fibers reported to be the sample the victim ripped from the suspect's sweater. The police arrested a suspect and in the back seat of his vehicle was a torn blue sweater. The items are then sent to the crime lab for comparison. What is the best determination that could be made in assessing if they came from the same single garment?

A) individualization
B) Classification
C) Exclusion only
D) A comparison can never be made

Question 11

If you are tasked with collecting computer evidence, which of the following is the most appropriate choice:

A) Look at the data on scene by using normal start up and access procedures.
B) Use common software to start up the equipment to see if it works.
C) Leave the equipment in place until you consult with a computer crimes member that is trained to analyze the evidence.
D) Immediately unplug the system and transport to the computer crimes personnel.

Question 12

Shoes and footwear are valuable items of evidence. In addition to the presence of trace items such as soil, dust, debris, vegetation, and blood the footwear can also be useful in shoe impression comparison and demonstrating directionality.

Question 13

Special care should be taken when collecting items that contain trace evidence on them. Trace evidence from the body may be microscopic and not readily observed such as ____________.

A) Bullet wound
B) Incised wound
C) Bruising
D) Gunshot residue

Question 14

You are tasked with recovering trace hairs and fibers from the exterior of a vehicle that is at the scene of a crime. Which of the following is the most appropriate action?

A) Tow the vehicle to the crime lab and process it there under controlled conditions
B) Collect the hairs or fibers on scene and place them in a paint can
C) Collect the hairs and fibers on scene and place them in a druggist fold and then in a larger envelope
D) Place tape over the hairs and fibers and have the vehicle towed back to the crime lab for processing

Question 15

Microscopic examination of the hair root may indicate that the hair was forcefully pulled out as opposed to falling out naturally.

Question 16

While investigating a bank robbery you notice that there is significant damage to the vault with cement dust, insulation fibers, and other material throughout the crime scene. You are then notified a suspect was arrested and you respond to the police department to collect evidence from the suspect. You notice similar fibers and dust on the suspect's clothes. Which is the best method to collect the trace evidence?

A) Leave the trace evidence on the clothing and collect the entire article of clothing wrapped in butcher paper and placed in paper bags
B) Scrape the trace evidence off the clothing into a paint can
C) Ask the suspect to wipe the fibers and powder material onto a piece of butcher paper
D) Wet wash the clothes and take them directly to the lab

Question 17

Referring to the diagram below, choose the correct sequence of bullet impacts to glass.
(FIGURE 1)

A) A is first
B) B is first
C) A and B impact at the same time
D) Unable to be determined

Question 18

A piece of duct tape used to bind the victim was recovered and a roll of duct tape was recovered later from the suspects vehicle. In addition to fingerprints and trace evidence that may be on the tape from the scene, a comparison to the roll of tape may be conducted to see if the piece originated from that roll. Which of the following techniques performed:

A) SPR
B) Fracture / tear match
C) Chemical analysis
D) Ninhydrin

Question 19

When analyzing headlights that are damaged during a hit-and-run vehicle accident there are key characteristics that may provide contextual information about the vehicle at the time of the accident. They are:

A) Headlight filament to determine if lights were on or off during impact
B) Pieces of the broken headlight may link scene location to vehicles involved (Mechanical fit)
C) Both A and B
D) None of the above

Question 20

In a court of law the unique fit of known and unknown fragments of a broken headlight is important for presenting information that:

A) Shows generally the manner in which the headlight broke
B) Demonstrates a definitive origin of the unknown pieces to known
C) Is statistically complicated to explain to nontechnical juries
D) Is simplified because the jury can't understand more technical work

Question 21

Tools are commonly used during the commission of a burglary to gain access to otherwise secured locations or items. When collecting tools they can all be packaged together for tool mark analysis. Although they may have trace evidence on them it is more important to preserve the tool marks.