Warm-up:

1. What is VOIR DIRE and how is it used

to qualify an expert witness in court?

2. What are the 3 main facets that the

prosecution tries to prove?

3. Who is considered the ‘gatekeeper’ in

terms of evidence and witness

testimony?

Warm-up: Answers

1. What is VOIR DIRE and how is it used to qualify an expert witness in court?

- Voir Dire refers to the line of questioning used by the prosecution/defense to illustrate the credibility of the expert witness.

2. What are the 3 main facets that the prosecution tries to prove?

- Means, motive, and opportunity

3. Who is considered the ‘gatekeeper’ in terms of evidence and witness testimony?

- Judge

VOIR DIRE Examples

Expert Witness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIti_CeZ

C2Y

Http://www.gardenstatecle.com/lawtube/Vinn

y2.html

Jury Selection

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCbcCljf

cs4

History and Organization

Growth

There are approximately 320 crime labs

in the US; more than 3 times the number

than in 1966

Reasons for Growth

Increasing growth of physical evidence

recovered from crime scenes as a result of

rising crime rates.

The need to perform chemical analysis on

drugs, coupled with a significant increase in

illicit drug seizures (all drug seizures must

have confirmatory chemical analysis before

case can go to court)

Supreme Court decisions have enhanced the

rights of the defendant’s right to counsel and

right to remain silent, have encouraged police

agencies to place a greater reliance on

scientific investigative techniques.

Advances in scientific technology have

provided forensic scientists with many new

skills and techniques to extract meaningful

information from physical evidence. (DNA

profiling)

Crime Lab History

First police crime lab in the world was established in France in 1910 by Edmond Locard

First police crime lab in the U.S. opened in 1923 in Los Angeles

The Scientific Crime Detection Lab was founded in Evanston, Illinois in 1929

The first FBI crime lab opened in 1932

Organization

Sizes vary from staff of 1 to 100

Labs in the US are decentralized, under

the direction of federal, state, county,

and municipal governments

Crime Lab—Basic Services

Physical Science Unit

Biology Unit

Firearms Unit

Document Examination Unit

Latent Print Unit

Evidence Collection Unit

The most common types of evidence examined are drugs, firearms, and

fingerprints.

Services of the Crime Lab

Physical Science Unit

(Forensic Chemistry):

a. Identifies & conducts comparisons of crime-scene evidence

b. Items examined include:

○ Drugs (is this a drug, if so, what type?)

○ Trace Evidence (Glass, paint, hair, and fibers)

○ Fire Debris (look for accelerants to identify potential arson cases)

○ Gunpowder residue

Biology Unit:a. Serology – identification of bodily fluids

- Blood, semen, saliva, urine, vaginal

secretions

b. DNA Analysis

Firearms Unit examination of firearms, discharged

bullets, cartridge cases, shotgun shells,

and ammunition of all types

examination of garments and other

objects in order to detect firearm

discharge residues & to approximate the

distance from a target at which a weapon

was fired

examination of marks made by tools

Examination of impression evidence

Shoes, tires, etc.

Document Examination Unit Examination of questioned documents

Handwriting analysis

Ink analysis

Latent Print Unit

Examine and process evidence for

latent prints

Evidence Collection Unit (CSI)

Crime Scene Investigators

**Lab personnel RARELY go to crime scenes**

Collect and preserve evidence found at the

scene

Can be sworn-in officer or civilian

Crime Lab - Optional Services

Toxicology Unit

Examine bodily fluids and organs to

determine the presence of drugs and

poisons

May be done at the Medical Examiner or

Coroners office.

Other Forensic Science Services

Not typically at the crime lab

Forensic Pathology

Forensic Anthropology

Forensic Entomology

Forensic Odontology

Forensic Engineering

Forensic Accounting

Other Forensic Science Services

Forensic pathology – investigation of

sudden, unnatural, unexplained or violent

deaths. E.g. medical examiner or coroner

Perform autopsies to establish cause and

manner of death

Other Forensic Science Services

Forensic Anthropology - identification and

examination of human skeletal remains.

Reveals origin, sex, approximate age, race &

skeletal injury; may create facial reconstruction

Other Forensic Science Services

Forensic Entomology – study of insects &

their relation to criminal investigation

- estimate time of death

Other Forensic Science Services

Forensic Odontology – identification of victims

by examining teeth and dental records.

Bite mark analysis

Forensic Engineering – structural failure

analysis and accident reconstruction

Forensic Accounting – using accounting,

auditing, and investigative skills

Federal Crime Laboratories

FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation

DEA – Drug Enforcement Administration

ATF – Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms

AFDIL – Armed Forces DNA Identification Lab

USACIL – US Army Criminal Investigation

Command

U.S. Postal Service

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

State

Most states maintain a crime lab to

service local agencies that don’t have

access to one.

Some states have a statewide

comprehensive system of regional or

satellite labs under the direction of a

central facility

E.g. North Carolina State Crime Lab

Local

Provide service to county & municipal

agencies

Usually independent of state and

financed by local government

E.g. CMPD Crime Lab

Private Crime Labs

Provide same services as government

labs for a fee.

Held to same restrictions and

regulations as government labs

Examples:

LabCorp - Bode Cellmark

National Forensic Support Lab

NMS Labs

Serological Research Institute (SERI)

Crime Lab Brochure

Where is it located

When was it established?

Lab Level (Federal, State, Local, Private)

How big is it? (# of employees, etc.)

What is the labs mission statement?

How is the lab structured (i.e. what units does it have, what services does it provide?) Might want to present this in a flow chart

Make sure to include types of evidence processed

Does the lab have any open positions (i.e. are they hiring) If so – what positions? Do they give a salary range, educational requirements?

Is the crime lab accredited? If so, by what accrediting body?