A crime scene. A murder. A mystery. The most important person on the scene? The forensic scientist. And yet the intricate details of their work remains a mystery to most of us. Silent Witnesses looks at the history of forensic science over the last two centuries, during which time a combination of remarkable intuition, painstaking observation and leaps in scientific knowledge have developed this fascinating branch of detection. Throwing open the casebook, it introduces us to such luminaries as 'The Wizard of Berkeley' Edward Heinrich, who is credited with having solved over 2000 crimes, and Alphonse Bertillon, the French scientist whose guiding principle 'no two individuals share the same characteristics' became the core of identification. Along the way, it takes us to India and Australia, Columbia and China, Russia, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. And it proves that, in order to solve ever more complicated cases, science must always stay one step ahead of the killer.

Designed to serve as a complete reference guide for psychiatrists, social workers, those working in law enforcement, and students of forensic medicine and psychology Understanding Necrophilia: A Global Multidisciplinary Approach features the writing of experts from around the world who share professional, cultural, social, and legal insights on the subject. This interdisciplinary text provides a balanced and applied approach to studying necrophilia, and examines the phenomenon from the perspectives of abnormal and social psychology, cultural sociology, criminology, criminal justice, forensic anthropology, medical pathology, and legal systems. Specific topics include historical, legal, definitional, and ethical issues surrounding necrophilia, its etiology, paraphilic co-morbidities, and various typologies and links to homicide. Comprehensive and ground-breaking, Understanding Necrophilia is a well-researched, fearless academic examination of a topic that is both challenging and disturbing, and the author contributions are informative yet sensitive. Understanding Necrophilia can serve as a stand-alone text and is also an excellent supplement to standard textbooks on forensic psychology, criminology, and sexual deviance.

We are enamored with stories about cops, but rarely do we get a chance to walk in the shoes of one while reading about the personal and spiritual battles waged when one is fighting crime. Jim's narrative will pull you into the moment of each crisis. These stories are the material of movies but they happened in real life. Jim will weave his experiences into the truth taught in Scripture. Whether or not you are part of the law enforcement community, you will be entertained by the adventures. Regardless of your relationship with Christ, you will be challenged to do something with the claims made by Jesus. There is engaging action in this book, but the serious purpose is that it will serve as a challenging devotional guide and bring you closer to Christ.

Crime Scene Management and Evidence Recovery is a must-have for first responders and crime scene investigators alike. Featuring step-by-step guidance on the techniques involved in crime scene management and evidence recovery, alongside hands-on advice and aide-memoirs from crime scene investigators, the second edition also includes clear scientific explanations and everyday examples for the non-specialist to recognise the importance difference that first responders can make. Whilst crime scene investigators are trained to undertake more detailed forensic examination, the actions of first responders can have a fundamental impact on the success of an examination. By increasing the awareness of forensic aspects of a crime scene investigation, this book ensures that crime scene officers are better equipped to make informed decisions about protecting and preserving scenes and recovering items for evidence. It also helps all police and forensic professionals to develop their understanding of the various analysis techniques available, as well as the pitfalls to avoid. The fifteen chapters offer structured advice on the techniques involved in the preservation, recovery, packaging, and storage of different evidential types such as fingerprints, DNA, glass, footwear, paint, and fibres. An overview of the science behind the various types of forensic analysis is presented alongside the relevant legislation, to reinforce the value of accurate crime scene management within the duration of an investigation, and practical tips, scenarios, and knowledge checks help to test understanding and root best practice within everyday policing. The Blackstone's Practical Policing Series covers a range of topical subjects of vital importance in today's policing arena. Each practical guide contains clear and detailed explanations of the relevant legislation, accompanied by practical scenarios, illustrative diagrams and useful checklists. Packed with a wealth of information, the Blackstone's Practical Policing Series ensures you have ready access to the tools you need to take on any policing challenge.

The emergence of Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) presents an object lesson in the dangers that lie at the intersection of science and criminal law. As often occurs in the context of scientific knowledge, understandings of SBS have evolved. We now know that the diagnostic triad alone does not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that an infant was abused, or that the last person with the baby was responsible for the baby's condition. Nevertheless, our legal system has failed to absorb this new consensus. As a result, innocent parents and caregivers remain incarcerated and, perhaps more perplexingly, triad-only prosecutions continue even to this day. Flawed Convictions: "Shaken Baby Syndrome" and the Inertia of Injustice is the first book to survey the scientific, cultural, and legal history of Shaken Baby Syndrome from inception to formal dissolution. It exposes extraordinary failings in the criminal justice system's treatment of what is, in essence, a medical diagnosis of murder. The story of SBS highlights fundamental inadequacies in the legal response to "science dependent prosecution." A proposed restructuring of the law contends with the uncertainty of scientific knowledge.

Training manual for forensic examination of questioned handwriting, signatures and documents to accompany distance course taught by Reed Hayes. Full payment of tuition includes cost of the printed material. NOTE: This publication is not available for purchase without enrolling in the full Training Course in Questioned Handwriting and Document Examination. For detailed course information, go to: http: //www.reedwrite.com

In "Forensic Media," Greg Siegel considers how photographic, electronic, and digital media have been used to record and reconstruct accidents, particularly high-speed crashes and catastrophes. Focusing in turn on the birth of the field of forensic engineering, Charles Babbage's invention of a "self-registering apparatus" for railroad trains, flight-data and cockpit voice recorders ("black boxes"), the science of automobile crash-testing, and various accident-reconstruction techniques and technologies, Siegel shows how "forensic media" work to transmute disruptive chance occurrences into reassuring narratives of causal succession. Through historical and philosophical analyses, he demonstrates that forensic media are as much technologies of cultural imagination as they are instruments of scientific inscription, as imbued with ideological fantasies as they are compelled by institutional rationales. By rethinking the historical links and cultural relays between accidents and forensics, Siegel sheds new light on the corresponding connections between media, technology, and modernity.

The Most Dangerous Animal of All was co-written by the estranged son of California's infamous Zodiac killer to reveal his father's true identity. When the book hit the streets the skeptics were in full force. Just like those who mocked the boy who cried wolf, no one could blame them. Too many people had already claimed to either be the killer or to know who he really was. The problem is-the skeptics weren't considering the handwriting comparisons skillfully performed by Document Examiner, Michael Wakshull, to finally crack the case. The End of the Zodiac Mystery will enable you to reach your own conclusion whether this decades-long cold case has finally been solved. In it, Wakshull walks you step-by-step through his intriguing forensic analysis, revealing the methodology he used to solve the case other document examiners refused to accept. There is a twist to every story, and his methodology required a twist, too, in order to ensure a credible conclusion. Where The Most Dangerous Animal of All leaves off, The End of the Zodiac Mystery picks up, sharing actual handwriting comparisons between Earl Van Best Jr. and the self-named Zodiac killer. It is virtually certain the documents were written by the same man. If you like surprise endings, don't start reading from the back of the book. Save the thrill in the epilogue for the end

This workbook is designed to assist the Crime Scene Analyst, Technician or Investigator in documenting bloodstained patterns that are located at the crime scene or on bloodstained items that are submitted for an analysis. It is also designed to assist the Crime Scene Analyst, Technician or Investigator in reconstructing or analyzing a bloodstained crime scene or a bloodstained item for which a bloodstain pattern analysis is requested The documentation could be accomplished with overall, midrange photographs and close-up photographs with 2, 3 or 6 centimeter stick-on tapes that should be placed in the center of each rectangular area. The documentation should also consist of notes and rough sketches with measurements. The close-up photographs of the rectangular areas with the 2, 3 or 6 inches stick-on tapes that were placed in the center of those areas should be taken with a parallel film /camera plane. The stick-on tapes should be labeled according to the surface on which they would be placed. Example: West wall of living room #1 (ww of lr #1) and west wall of living room #2 (ww of lr #2) etc. The number of close-up photographs would be determined by the number of rectangular areas with the stick-on tapes. Example: At least ten (10) close-up photographs should be taken if ten (10) stick-on tapes were placed on the bloodstained surface. The bloodstain pattern reconstruction or analysis should be done by first recognizing and or identifying the many different types of patterns in a bloodstained scene or on a bloody item. The next step should involve the reconstruction of the points or areas of convergence and origin and then a determination of how the other patterns were most likely created. The workbook contains several tasks and assignments that would provide the student with the tools to accomplish the documentation and analysis. The Crime Scene Analyst, Technician or Investigator after successfully completing the workbook / workshop should be aware that: 1.0 Single drops of blood in a crime scene or on an item were influenced by the surface from which the blood fell (the volume); the diameter, the shape, the impact angle, the scalloping of the perimeter and the direction of travel of the dropped blood that impacted the target surface (the volume, the height from which the blood fell, the texture of the target surface on which the blood fell, the angle of the targeted bloodstained surface and the horizontal speed of the source that issued the blood). 2.0 Numerous drops of blood in the same pattern in a crime scene or on an item were influenced by the force or the impact (less than 25 feet per second - dropped blood and cast-off bloodstain); (25 to 100 feet per second - medium velocity bloodstain); (over 100 feet per second - high velocity bloodstain); projected blood (arterial bleeding); transfer of blood from one object to another (contact or transfer bloodstains, imprint bloodstains, smears or swipes and wipes); large volumes of blood (splashed or pooled blood) 3.0 The reconstruction or analysis of the points or areas of origin could be determined by strings, scaled drawings or calculations. The interpretation of the other patterns (non impact) along with the Medical Examiner's autopsy report should allow the crime scene analyst, technician or Investigator to complete a bloodstain pattern analysis report and if possible explain and or testify to the sequence of events that occurred at the crime scene.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research, development and evaluation agency of the US Department of Justice. The NIJ is dedicated to improving knowledge and understanding of crime and justice issues through science. NIJ provides objective and independent knowledge and tools to reduce crime and promote justice, particularly at the state and local levels. Each year, the NIJ publishes and sponsors dozens of research and study documents detailing results, analyses and statistics that help to further the organization's mission. These documents relate to topics like biometrics, corrections technology, gun violence, digital forensics, human trafficking, electronic crime, terrorism, tribal justice and more. This document is one of these publications.

"Forensic Investigations" is an anthology designed to address the information gaps found in typical forensic textbooks. The articles selected for this text provide a deeper understanding of both the theory and the practical applications of forensic-investigation skills. Divided into five topical areas, these readings include some of the most up-to-date research studies and suggested practices in the field. Topics include The CSI Effect, Views on the Needs for Forensics, Photography, DNA/Fingerprints, and Digital Evidence. This book also includes historical articles that provide contextual background related to current trends. Joe LeFevre has worked as both a police officer and firefighter during his professional career. He has held positions as a police officer, patrol supervisor, field training officer, evidence technician, firefighter II, fire department engineer, and fire investigator.
After becoming a police field training officer Joseph LeFevre was certified to instruct Wisconsin Police Academy classes. After receiving a Masters Degree in Criminal Justice, LeFevre began teaching at University Wisconsin-Platteville, where he is now a full-time instructor. He is currently working to complete his PhD, and he continues to conduct in-service training and academy classes for police officers and firefighters.