Television Shows 03/27/15

In this post, I want to talk about all of the television shows that are related to crime scene investigations. Nowadays, there are so many shows on T.V. that have to deal with the investigations of crimes that are committed. Whether they are accurate or not, I don't really know but I guess we'll find out by the end of this post. Off the top of my head, the shows that I can name off are:

• CSI: Miami/New York/ Las Vegas
• NCIS/ NCIS LA
• Criminal Minds
• Arrow
• Law and Order: SVU/ Criminal Intent
• Hawaii 5-O
• Rizzoli and Isles
• Bones
• Cold Case
• The Following
• Sherlock
• Castle
• White Collar
• Common Law
• Graceland

These obviously aren't all of the crime shows, but they are all of the ones that I can think of at this moment. I will now discuss a couple of my favorite shows and give a brief synopsis of each series.

Hawaii 5-O
This is one of my all time favorite shows. Not just in the genre of crime shows, but out of all of the shows that I watch on a daily basis, this one comes pretty close to the top of my list. This show is about detectives that are part of an elite task force whose mission is to eliminate crime on the beaches of the Hawaii. Assisting McGarrett and Danno is former Honolulu Police detective Chin Ho Kelly, who has been relegated to a federal security patrol after being wrongfully accused of corruption. Chin's fresh-out-of-the-academy cousin, Kono, also joins the team as she tries to establish herself among the department's elite. This show is jam-packed with action and mystery as well as some romance and a lot of humor.

Arrow
This show is one of my favorite shows as well. It always leaves me wanting more. This show is about

a presumed-dead billionaire playboy, Oliver Queen, who returns home to Starling City after five years stranded on a remote island in the Pacific. He hides the ways the experience has changed him. As he reconnects with those closest to him, including his sister, Thea, Oliver appears to be the same wealthy, carefree bachelor the city has always known. At night, flanked by his devoted friend, Diggle, Oliver uses his secret persona -- that of a vigilante -- to right societal wrongs and transform the city to its former glory. This show contains so much action and adventure. You never know what is going to happen next. Not only is there the action and adventure, there is a lot of humor to go with it. As a bonus, there are attractive male and female roles for a little bit of eye candy. This show attracts both male and female viewers.

 

NCIS: LA

Surprise, surprise, this show is also one of my favorites. It is about highly trained agents that use the most-advanced technologies available and go under cover to catch criminals that are deemed a threat to national security. Special Agent G. Callum can transform himself into whoever he needs to be to infiltrate criminal factions. His partner, former Navy SEAL Sam Hanna, is a surveillance specialist who uses state-of-the-art equipment to monitor field agents and feed them information. However, my favorite characters in this show are Kensi Blye and Marty Deeks. They are partners and the dynamic between them is amazing. They bicker like brother and sister, but when the time comes, they have each other's backs. This show too incorporates a lot of action with humor intertwined. There is also a love story that blooms between some of the main characters (Kensi and Deeks).

 

Bones

This is also a show that I watch religiously. It is about Dr. Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist who works at the Jeffersonian Institution and also writes books. She has an impressive ability to read clues from victims' bones. Law enforcement calls her to assist with investigations when remains are so badly decomposed, burned or destroyed that standard identification methods are useless. Brennan often finds herself teamed with Special Agent Seeley Booth, a former Army sniper, who mistrusts science and scientists when it comes to solving crimes. However, he has developed respect for Brennan, both professionally and personally. This show is very intriguing and there is a lot of scenes that are in the lab rather than out in the field. It has a different perspective on crime scene investigations than all of the other shows.

 

I can talk about all of these shows, but that could take days. I am so fascinated by these shows and I always like to try and figure out who committed the crime before the end of the show. Watching these shows has actually made me consider pursuing a career in the world of crime scene investigations. I actually learn a lot of terminology by watching these shows. Although I don't know for sure that what is being done in these shows are accurate, it still makes for good television. The one thing that I do know for sure that is exaggerated in these shows are the amount of time that it actually takes to solve a crime. In real life, it can take weeks, months, or even years before a crime is solved and the criminal is caught. 

 

Evidence Collection 03/26/15

In this post, I hope to extend my knowledge on the whole process of evidence collecting and the protocol for different types of evidence. Depending on what type of evidence is being collected, there are different guidelines to follow.

"Free Newsletter." Evidence Collection Guidelines. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.                         

This site is a crime scene investigator page that provides details on how to collect and preserve evidence for different types of evidence. It lists the types of evidence that could be collected at a crime scene followed by a description of how to collect the evidence without contaminating it.

Blood Stains
 Blood that is in liquid pools should be picked up on a gauze pad or other clean sterile cotton cloth and air dried thoroughly at room temperature. It should then be refrigerated or frozen as soon as possible and brought to the lab as quickly as possible for processing. Delays beyond 48 hours may decrease the value of the sample or even make the samples useless to the investigation.

Dried blood stains:

On clothing - if possible, wrap the item in clean paper, place it in a brown paper bag or box and seal and label container. Don't attempt to remove the stains from the cloth.

On small solid objects - send the whole stained object to the lab for processing, after labeling and packaging.

On large solid objects - cover the stained area with clean paper and seal the edges down with tape to prevent loss or contamination. If it is impractical to deliver the whole object to the lab, scrape the stain onto a clean piece of paper, which can be folded and placed in an envelope. Do not scrape directly into evidence envelope. Scrape blood from objects using a freshly washed and dried knife or similar tool. Wash and dry the tool before each stain is scraped off. Seal and mark the envelope.

Do not mix dried stains. Place each stain in a separate envelope.

Never attempt to wipe dried stains from an object using a moistened cloth or paper

Blood Samples
Autopsy blood samples:
The pathologist obtains the sample directly from the heart into a yellow or purple stoppered vacutainer. In rare cases when there is no liquid blood is available, the pathologist will collect a section of liver, bone, and/or deep muscle tissue and freeze for typing.

Live individual's blood samples:
For typing purposes, have sample drawn into yellow and purple stoppered vacutainers and have a secondary standard just in case.

Seminal Stains

• Seminal stains are often, but not always, found on clothing, blankets, sheets. Allow any stains to air dry, wrap in paper, and package evidence in paper bags. Do not use plastic bags.
• For sex offense cases, the victim should always be examined by a physician. A Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kit is used to collect evidence from the victim. It is very important that the instructions on the kit be followed with care in order to gain the greatest benefit from the collected evidence.
• Label all garments such as undershorts, panties, or other exhibits and package each garment separately.
• If damp, allow fabric to dry completely before packaging.
• Handle fabrics as little as possible.

Hair

• An examination of human hair can occasionally reveal the possible race of the individual from whom it came and the part of the body from which it originated.
• Human hair can be compared to determine whether or not two samples could have had a common origin. The value of the Lab examinations of such specimens will depend upon the amount of hair recovered and the characteristics found in the examinations.
• Recover all hair present. If possible, use the fingers or tweezers to pick up hair, place it in paper bindles or coin envelopes which should then be folded and sealed in larger envelopes. Label the outer sealed envelope.
• If hair is attached, such as in dry blood, or caught in metal or a crack of glass, do not attempt to remove it but rather leave hair intact on the object. If the object is small, mark it, wrap it, and seal it in an envelope. If the object is large, wrap the area containing the hair in paper to prevent loss of hairs during shipment.
• In rape cases, the victim's pubic region should be combed prior to collecting standard. Get known hair samples from the victim, suspect, or any other possible sources for comparison with unknown specimens. The recommended method for collecting head hairs is to start by having the person from whom they are being collected bend over a large sheet of clean paper, rubbing or massaging their hands through the hair so that loose hair will fall out on the paper. More should then be gathered by plucking them from representative areas all over the head. When the person is a suspect, hair should be gathered from all parts of the body even though there may only be an interest in hair from the head at that particular time.

Firearms Evidence
Firearms:

• Never submit a loaded gun to the Lab, unless it is delivered in person. Unfired cartridges may be left in the mag of a weapon, provided the mag is removed from the gun. A firearm with the cartridge in the chamber should never be shipped by any method, even if the weapon is not cocked or on safety.
• Never clean the bore, chamber, or cylinder before submitting a firearm, and never attempt to fire the gun before it is examined in the Lab.
• Never pick up a weapon by placing a pencil or other object in the end of the barrel.
• Record serial number, make, model, and caliber of the weapon, and mark it in some inconspicuous manner that does not detract from its value before sending it to the Lab. Marking firearms is important since duplicate serial numbers are sometimes found on different guns of the same make and general type. Do not confuse model numbers or patent numbers with serial numbers.
• Place weapons in strong cardboard or wooden boxes, well packed, to prevent shifting of guns in transit.
• Rifles or shotguns should not be taken apart.
• If blood or any other material, which may pertain to an investigation is present on the gun, place a clean paper around the gun and seal it with tape to prevent movement of the gun and loss of the sample during shipment.

Bullets:

• Never mark bullets.
• Wrap recovered bullets in paper and seal in separate labeled pill boxes or envelopes.
• Submit all evidence bullets recovered to the Lab. A conclusive identification may be possible on only one of several bullets recovered even when they all appear to be in good condition.
• Do not attempt to clean recovered bullets before sending them to the Laboratory. Bullets recovered from a body should be air dried and wrapped in paper. Washing may destroy trace evidence.

Cartridge cases:

• Wrap recovered cartridge cases in and seal in separate labeled pill boxes or envelopes.
• Fired shotgun shells may be marked either on the inside or outside of the paper or plastic portion of the shell.
• If an examination is required to determine if a shot shell or cartridge case was fired by a specific weapon, submit the weapon and all recovered unfired ammunition
• Submit all evidence cartridge cases or shotgun shells recovered to the Lab. Some cases contain more identifying detail than others
• Wrap each cartridge in paper to prevent damaging the breech clock, firing pin, or other markings by contact with other cartridge cases. Place wrapped cartridge cases in envelopes or pill boxes. Label and seal container.

These are only a few of the ways evidence should be collected and how they should be packaged and preserved. There are many different types of protocols that are discussed for the different evidence types but there are too many for me to list them all. This page also includes protocols for:

• Fibers and Threads
• Glass
• Paint
• Flammable Liquids
• Tool Marks
• Controlled Substances and Medicinal Preparations
• Questioned Documents
• Latent Fingerprints

At first, I though that the whole evidence collection process would be a lot easier because of how it looks on the television shows, but after reading the contents of this website and actually learning about how evidence is collected and preserved, it is actually a lot harder that I originally expected. It turns out that evidence collectors have to follow a very strict protocol as to not tamper with the evidence. It takes a lot of precision and experience to be an evidence collector. I would feel an immense amount of pressure if I were ever and evidence collector because if I were to mess up, it could skew the results and affect the whole case. Now that I have learned about how to collect evidence properly, I feel like would somewhat know what to do if I were ever put in a situation that required collecting evidence and there was no one there to do it. On the other hand, knowing me, I would probably find a way to mess it up so that might not be the beset idea.

Forensic Pathology 03/26/15

Today, I would like to explore the field of forensic pathology. To start off, I want to identify what forensic pathology is and what is required to become a forensic pathologist.

"ExploreHealthCareers.org." Forensic Pathologist. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.

According to this website, a forensic pathologist, also known as a medical examiner, is a specially trained physician that examines bodies of deceased people that have "died suddenly, unexpectedly or violently." Their ultimate goal is to determine the cause and manner of death; whether it me homicide, suicide, accidental, natural, or unknown. In order for the forensic pathologist to identify and determine all of this, there are several things that they must do. This includes:

• Studying the medical history
• Evaluating crime scene evidence including witness statements
• Performing an autopsy to uncover evidence of injury or disease
• Collecting medical and trace evidence from the body for further analysis

Once all of this is found, the forensic pathologist prepares a written report of their findings and sometimes testifies to these findings in court. There are a lot of things that go into becoming a forensic pathologist. It is not an easy path to pursue. It takes a minimum of 13 years of schooling and training after high school. You also need to have a strong stomach because the job can get very gruesome and there will be bad odors that will have to be endured. And lastly, what I believe to be one of the most important, is that you need to "have a lot of confidence in order to defend your conclusions in the face of opposition from lawyers, the media and even the victims’ families." I believe that you can be the best and most knowledgeable forensic pathologist, but if you don't have confidence in your own work, why should others?

"What Is a Medical Examiner?" How to Become a Crime Scene Investigator. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar.
          2015.

This site states that a medical examiner, also known as a forensic pathologist, is a medical doctor that is responsible for examining dead bodies to try and determine the cause of death. They are generally called upon to investigate all deaths that may affect the public's well-being. In doing so, the must determine "the cause, the manner of death, and the circumstances surrounding the death of an individual." Forensic pathologists are specially trained to:

• Perform autopsies
• Evaluate historical and law-enforcement investigative information
• Collect medical evidence
• Document sexual assault
• Reconstruct a cause of death

In addition to their traditional medical training, they are also trained in:

• toxicology
• wound ballistics
• trace evidence
• DNA technology
• forensic serology

Their job description includes:

• Investigating sudden and unnatural deaths
• Performing forensic medicine and pathology consultations
• Counseling families regarding the manners and causes of death
• Testifying in courts regarding autopsies and the results of the autopsies
• Conducting physical examinations and laboratory tests resulting from court or district attorney requests
• Conducting inquests and serving subpoenas for witnesses

Because they are considered doctors, they are specific professional standards that must be met to become a licensed forensic pathologist/medical examiner. These standards consist of:

1. Graduating from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree in one of the sciences, while focusing their curriculum on such areas as anatomy, cell biology and statistics
2. Graduating from an accredited medical school
3. Passing the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
4. Completing a course of graduate medical education in pathologic forensic training. This often includes training in anatomic and clinical pathology (usually 4 or 5 years), followed by a residency in anatomic pathology or fellowship in forensic pathology (usually 1 year).
5. Passing an examination and receiving certification in anatomic pathology and forensic pathology through the American Board of Pathology (or anatomic pathology, clinical pathology, and forensic pathology)

As you can see, there are a lot of things that a person must do to become a forensic pathologist/medical examiner. There is a lot of training and experience that is needed to do this job.This is not an easy process and will take years before they may actually be a working forensic pathologist/medical examiner.

I can only imagine the stress and sacrifices that these individuals must go through in this line of work. After a while, this job must start to take a toll on these people; what with seeing and working with dead bodies that can get pretty gruesome or can be very disheartening. They are often told to not to make emotional connections to the victims because it will cloud their judgment and may affect their work. After learning about this field, I give props to the people that can endure this job. I myself want to pursue a career in the medical field, but I don't know if I would be able to handle working with dead bodies everyday. Although I find this field of work and the topic of criminology fascinating, I think I am way too emotional to fulfill this job and would have a lot trouble with emotionally disconnecting myself from the victim; especially if the victim were a child. Those that are able to fulfill this job are very brave in my eyes.

Forensic Science 03/25/15

Before I can move forward, I want to make sure that I have a really good understanding of forensic science. To do so, I want to define what forensic science is and how it contributes to investigations.

 "What Is Forensics?" How to Become a Crime Scene Investigator. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.

This website defines forensics in general and what fields of study are generally pursued to become a forensic scientist. Forensic science is the application of scientific methods and processes to solving crimes. For years, "the development of forensic science has been used to uncover mysteries, solve crimes, and convict or exonerate suspects of crime." Forensic science utilizes a vast spectrum of sciences such as biology, chemistry, and physics; which is why the majority of people pursue degrees in these sciences. Forensics is an essential part in many crime cases and convictions. They "perform both physical and chemical analyses on physical evidence obtained by crime scene investigators and law enforcement officials at the crime scene." This site further organizes forensic science into different fields. These fields include:

• Trace Evidence Analysis
• Forensic Toxicology
• Forensic Psychology
• Forensic Podiatry
• Forensic Pathology
• Forensic Optometry
• Forensic Odontology
• Forensic Linguistics
• Forensic Geology
• Forensic Entomology
• Forensic Engineering
• Forensic DNA Analysis
• Forensic Botany
• Forensic Archeology
• Forensic Anthropology
• Digital Forensics
• Criminalistics

"Forensic Science." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. Ed. Shirelle Phelps and Jeffrey Lehman
          2nd ed. Vol. 4. Detroit: Gale, 2005. 453-455. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 25 Mar.
          2015.

Forensic science incorporates all different fields of science including "anthropology, biology, chemistry, engineering, genetics, medicine, pathology, phonetics, psychiatry, and toxicology." Forensic scientists often offer expert testimonies in court using purely scientific evidence.

Now that I have a good idea of what forensic science is and what other branches of forensics there are, I will be able to pick which branches I want to explore and see how they tie into and contribute to investigations.

CSI Questions 03/25/15

As of today, the questions that I have are more geared towards  the field of crime scene investigation. These questions include:

• What is forensic science?
• How much to forensic scientists make?
• What is the process for collecting evidence?
• How is evidence preserved?
• Does the accuracy of evidence ever "expire"?
• Do the television shows accurately portray crime scene investigations in reality?
• What is the procedure for an autopsy?
• Are autopsies only for investigations?
• What is the procedure for a victim that is dead vs. a victim that is still alive?
• What is the process after there is a possible suspect?
• What happens after the criminal is caught?
• If a person goes to jail for a crime they didn't commit and is later proven innocent, what happens to them and do they get anything for being wrongfully accused?

CSI and CSI profession definitions 03/24/15

In this post, I simply want to define crime scene investigators and the professions that are involved in this field.

Gooch, Graham, and Michael Williams. A Dictionary of Law Enforcement. Oxford: Oxford UP,
          2007. Print.

This source provides a definition of what a crime scene investigator is and what their job entails. A crime scene investigator is "an employee of a police force specially trained and employed to examine and record crime scenes, recover, package, and store physical evidence, and give evidence of those findings in court."

"Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) Career and Job Options." How to Become a Crime Scene
          Investigator. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.

This website provides information on the professions within the world of crime scene investigators. Depending on their expertise, crime scene investigators "work as a team at the scene of a crime to identify, collect and process evidence that is then studied by forensic scientists and used to identify the perpetrator of a crime and ultimately to prosecute offenders in a criminal court of law." These professions include:

• Crime Scene Leader - A person with extensive experience that oversees the crime scene. The job entails "managing the processing of the crime scene... prevent crime scene contamination, and make an initial assessment of the scene... oversees a team of crime scene investigators to ensure the proper collection, preservation and labeling of evidence." They also coordinate evidence collection and with the crime lab and law enforcement.
• Crime Scene Photographer - A person who is generally the first person on the scene that takes photos of the scene. They take photos of the initial scene as well as details of the scene that include "the crime scene victims, victim wounds, and all evidence at the scene of the crime." The photographer often plays a significant role in the analysis of the crime.
• Evidence Collector - A person that preserves evidence and ensures that the evidence has not been compromised in any way. They do anything from " lifting fingerprints to collecting blood, hair and DNA trace evidence... make impressions of shoe prints, tire tracks and tool marks and recover everything from broken glass to weapon fragments...  [and] recover evidence from victims found at the scene." Because their role is so crucial in an investigation, they have to follow a strict protocol to ensure the accuracy and authenticity of the evidence collected.
•  CSI Technician - People that are responsible for "documenting crime scenes, processing evidence, examining items for trace evidence, performing tests on victims and evidence, and packaging and transporting evidence to the forensic laboratory... ensure the completion of diagrams, reports, evidence logs, wound charts, and firearm forms. Their jobs are often repetitive and tedious, but it can also be rewarding. They're the person that makes sure that the investigative equipment is cleaned, in good working order, and that all of the supplies are stocked before and after every investigation.
• Firearms/ DNA/ Toolmark/ Fingerprint Specialist - CSI professionals that are called in for their expertise. They specialize in a specific area of forensics such as " firearms, toolmarks, DNA and fingerprints."
• Forensic Artist/ Sketch Artist - A person that helps law enforcement by interviewing witnesses and victims to gather information and make a sketch of the possible suspect. They also can sketch and recreate the crime scene using the forensic evidence provided. Furthermore, they can engage in " composite imagery, which includes sketching images of the human face; image modification, which includes using computer software to manipulate images; demonstrative evidence, which includes sketches and other visual information that is used in court; and reconstructive/postmortem drawings, which use 2D and 3D facial software reconstruction to identify human remains."

All of the professions and roles in the field of CSI play a vital role in solving crimes and putting away dangerous people.

In-Class Scavenger Hunt 03/24/15

While completing an in-class scavenger hunt assignment, we were asked to find various sources about our topic. The purpose of this assignment was to find several sources that could be useful in helping us with our research. Today, I will be discussing some of the sources that I found, what information was found within those sources, and how these sources can help me with my research.

Conklin, John E. Criminology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print.

I searched criminology in the Skyline Catalog and found a book on criminology. This book is an introduction into the world of criminology. It examines broad-based concepts of criminology rather than only focusing on types of crimes. These concepts include "social control and neutralization of the law; factors that facilitate crime; criminal careers; and the organization of criminal behavior." To further help individuals understand these concepts, the author provides "real-life examples and special feature boxes [that] appear throughout and address crime and the media, crime on campus, cross-cultural perspectives and critical issues." This source can be useful in helping me understand the broad concepts of criminology before really delving into the more specific aspects of criminology.

Hagan, Frank E. Introduction to Criminology: Theories, Methods, and Criminal Behavior.

Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, 2013. Print.

I found this source using Prospector. This book is more geared towards undergraduate courses. It provides an introduction into the world of criminology "with more attention to crime typologies than other texts, plus Crime Files boxes that offer real-world, well-known examples of the crime types discussed." The book was written by an active researcher with the intent to arouse students' interests in the fascinating world of criminology.  This source can be useful in giving me information and an idea of what is taught to students in collegiate level courses.

"What It Takes to Become a CSI (Crime Scene Investigator)." How to Become a Crime

Scene Investigator. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.

This source is a credible organization that contains all of the information on what it takes to be a part of a crime scene investigation. It provides links to all of the different jobs that are involved in the world of crime scene investigators and the requirements that are needed to fulfill those jobs. It also includes where in each state the schooling can be completed. Their mission statement is:

“While CSI professionals collect and preserve evidence from active crime scenes, forensic lab professionals decipher their findings through DNA testing and other forensic analysis. Together, crime scene investigators and forensic scientists form comprehensive investigative teams responsible for solving crimes.”

This source is very useful to me because it has sparked my interest in the crime scene world. This source provided a brief explanation of each job that relates to crime scene investigators. By having these explanations, it allows me to figure out which jobs I want to research more in depth based on what sounds interesting to me.

Homicide Studies: Special Issue on Fatality/Death Reviews." Homicide

            Studies 16.4 (2012): 445. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.
This source was found using the Auraria Library database. It contains multiple papers that focus on all types of fatalities and deaths. The topics of these papers include "issues related to consistent data collection; challenges in the identification, selection and composition of cases reviewed; measurement, identification, and tracking of risk factors; the development and uptake of recommendations; identified opportunities and strategies for system change and legislation reform for the prevention of deaths; [and] outcomes and measures of review impact including program evaluations." This will be a useful source in my research because it can be used as a sub-genre of the crime scene investigations genre.

By doing this assignment, I was able to find what direction I wanted to go with this blog. I knew the general topic I wanted to explore, but this assignment has steered me towards the field of crime scene investigators.