NCJ Number
68570
Date Published
1965
Length
246 pages
Annotation
THIS INSTRUCTION BOOK FOR POLICE INVESTIGATORS TEACHES HOW TO IDENTIFY, COLLECT, AND PRESERVE EVIDENCE SUCH AS BLOODSTAINS, FINGERPRINTS, AND HANDWRITING, AND HOW TO USE VARIOUS INVESTIGATION EQUIPMENT.
Abstract
A DISCUSSION OF CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATIONS COVERS SEARCHING FOR AND PROTECTING EVIDENCE AND ESTABLISHING A CHAIN OF CUSTODY FOR EVIDENCE. CHAPTERS ON HAIR AND BLOODSTAINS CONSIDER THEIR IMPORTANCE AS EVIDENCE AND PROVIDE INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO USE THEM. A DISCUSSION OF POLYGRAPHS COVERS THEIR USE AND THEIR ADMISSIBILITY IN COURT AS EVIDENCE, WHILE A CHAPTER ON GUNS DESCRIBES DIFFERENT MAKES, MODELS, AND CARTRIDGES AND HOW TO COLLECT, MARK, AND TRANSMIT FIREARMS EVIDENCE TO THE LABORATORY. A CHAPTER ON PHOTOGRAPHY DISCUSSES ITS USE IN DRUNKEN DRIVING CASES, STAKE-OUTS, TRAINING, AND OTHER USES, WHILE AN ACCOUNT OF PLASTER CAST USE REVEALS THAT SUCH CASTS ARE FAR SUPERIOR TO PHOTOGRAPHS IN PRESERVING EVIDENCE SUCH AS FOOTPRINTS. DISCUSSION OF THE IMPORTANCE OF FINGERPRINTS AS EVIDENCE REVEALS THEY ARE UNIVERSAL, UNIQUE, AND EASILY OBTAINED; INVESTIGATORS ARE ALSO TAUGHT HOW TO DEVELOP LATENT PRINTS AT A CRIME SCENE. A CHAPTER ON HANDWRITING AS EVIDENCE TEACHES THE INVESTIGATOR HOW TO GET SAMPLES FROM SUSPECTS, DISCUSSES PROBLEMS IN ANALYZING HANDWRITING, AND ALSO COVERS TYPEWRITING AND PRINTING. OTHER TOPICS INCLUDE HOW TO FIND AND PRESERVE EVIDENCE OF POISONING, METHODS OF APPREHENDING DRUNKEN DRIVERS, AND HOW TO COLLECT AND PRESERVE MINUTE EVIDENCE. APPENDIXES PROVIDE RELATED MATERIAL ON POLYGRAPHS AND LABORATORY SERVICES. ILLUSTRATIONS, TABLES, AND A SUBJECT INDEX ARE INCLUDED.