NCJ Number
132436
Journal
Prosecutor Volume: 25 Issue: 1 Dated: (Summer 1991) Pages: 28-32
Date Published
1991
Length
5 pages
Annotation
The advantages and disadvantages of the luminol test (used to discover blood evidence) are addressed, and suggestions are tendered concerning its proper application and protocol at crime scenes.
Abstract
Untrained officers at a crime scene may, by using the serologically destructive chemical, severely damage blood evidence, thereby compromising laboratory tests and weakening or destroying the prosecution of the case. Now more than before, crime scene personnel are taking it upon themselves to conduct chemical analyses at the scene. Police stories on television have emphasized this practice. The luminol test alone is not sufficient to conclusively establish the presence of blood. If blood is visible at the scene, it should be preserved, appropriately packaged, and sent to a forensic laboratory for analysis without luminol testing. If no blood is visible, a forensic serologist should be consulted to determine if the luminol test is appropriate. 12 footnotes