KortneySchaum Lab3

docx

School

Arizona State University *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

548

Subject

Sociology

Date

Feb 20, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by BailiffFreedomStingray18

1 Lab 3 Kortney Schaum Saint Leo University CRJ 548: Crime Scene Investigations Dr. Jade Pumphrey April 22, 2023

2 Lab 3 The use of crime scene photography has expanded significantly since the 1870s due to new technologies (Rohatgi & Kapoor, 2015). Crime scene photography is particularly true to the phrase "a picture is worth a thousand words" (Gouse et al., 2018). In all crime scenes, photography is taken as soon as investigators have arrived at the crime scene. Photographs can also be useful for later analyzing and examining evidence, aside from providing investigators with a permanent visual record of the scene (Rohatgi & Kapoor, 2015). By providing accurate measurements and distances between objects, it surpasses sketches in this respect. Rohatgi & Kapoor (2015) emphasize the importance of photographs in court proceedings and trials in order to provide a permanent record of the scene and evidence collected to show the judge and jury. Throughout this lab will examine photos as an expert witness and provide their defense attorney with what was properly done at each crime scene and what was not. Crime Scene 1: Position of Body Photographic Evidence Correct and Why? (4 points) ● Photo 1 and 2 exemplified the body of the victim. This photo is helpful to investigators because they can see how the body of the victim was found and the position that they were in. Photograph 2 also showed the evidence markers so that anyone viewing the photograph can read and see. It also helps to see what type of evidence was found near the victim. ● The third photograph was a partial view of the body with a closeup of the victims face before the body was flipped over. The photograph shows the place card along with how the victim was found. His face was laid on the right side with the left

3 view visible. there was also three blood stains on the victims upper back that was able to be seen in this photograph. ● The fourth photograph was taken to show the wounds to the victim after he was flipped over onto his back. The photo showed the wounds to the right side of his chest and to his face. They were able to see the blood all over the wounds with extreme wounds to his nose. ● The eighth photograph showed a close up evidence #5 showing the blood spatter. In the photograph the place card is shown and the bloodstains were able to be seen. There are eight droplets of blood that are able to be seen in the hallway. Incorrect or Needs Improvement and Why? (4 points) ● The first photograph is not taken correctly. This photo is taken at an angle where it is showing the whole victim's body, however the whole place card is cut out. This photograph did not provide the place card number, so there was no documentation for the evidence number. ● Photograph 4 was showing the view of the wounds on the victim however it was also missing the place card. This was important evidence in this case to see how the victim was killed however the place card was not shown to know the evidence number. With this photo the next should have followed with close ups of the wounds including those without the victim's clothes to see the type of wounds. ● Photograph 5 apparently showed the trail of blood on the carpet however it was very difficult to see. There should have been different types of photographs taken including angles to help better see the blood trail. It is possible to detect blood stains on fabrics and non-porous surfaces using infrared (IR) photography (Gouse

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

4 et al., 2018). Using IR in this photograph would have helped see the evidence how there is no way to see the bloodstain in this photograph. ● The continuing photographs after five are poorly taken including 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, and 12. There are glares shown in the photographs making it difficult to see some of the evidence including the blood stains. It also makes it hard to see the place card numbers. Crime Scene 2: Residence of Suspect Photographic Evidence Correct and Why? (4 points) ● Although the first photograph of the house was depicted in poor quality. It was important for this photograph to be included so that everyone can see the suspects home. This was important because it became a second crime scene so it was important to depict the location. ● The second photograph showed the firearm was important even though it was missing the place card. It showed the location of where the firearm was found. This helped viewer know that the firearm was found on the right side of the couch under a couch cushion. ● The close up of the evidence depicted that it was indeed a firearm. It also showed that the firearm was partially place under the back of the couch to better hide. This photograph will allow investigators to determine the make and model of the firearm. ● The last photograph showed more evidence in great detail. The photograph showed the type of ammunition that is used along with the holster. This will be

5 useful in the future to compare the bullets found at the crime scene with the brand that was found in this ammunition box. Incorrect or Needs Improvement and Why? (4 points) ● The first photograph of the outside is poorly taken as there are many glares making it difficult to view the entrance of the house. It also made it difficult to depict what the entrance looked like including the stairs and more. There should have been more photographs taken of the entrance to show what the porch looked like and the door. ● There was a crucial piece of evidence that was found on the couch that was photographed. The firearm was photographed on the couch but there was not a place card placed near the evidence. Every piece of evidence should have a place card after the initial photographs are taken. ● There should have been a photograph that was taken of the whole couch to exemplify where this evidence was located in the house. There should have been a photograph taken before the couch cushion was moved to show what the scene looked like untouched. These photographs would show that the firearm was hidden and not in plain sight like this photograph depicts. ● A photograph of the whole inside of the house would have been important to his case. This would show what the household looks like to see if there are other crucial pieces of evidence hiding in plain sight. The inside of this house was illustrated using wide-angle shots of the entire scene combined with close-ups in order to show the relationship and position of certain items (Gouse et al., 2018). ●

6 Crime Scene 3: Murder Weapon/Bullet Photographic Evidence Correct and Why? (4 points) ● Photograph 4 was an up-close photo of the bullet. This was a good quality photograph. The bullet was placed near a ruler which was able to be read in this photograph. ● Photograph 6 was the suspected murder weapon which was recovered from the second crime scene. This photograph is taken at an angle to show that weapon was fully loaded with bullets. The photograph showed in great quality the angle which could see the loaded weapon with six bullets in the chamber. ● Photograph 8 showed the firearm and the ammunition taken out. This photograph was important because it showed the ammunition, spent shell casing, and firearm side by side. The spent shell casing showed that this bullet was recently fired. ● A picture of the ammunition box was shown in the last photograph. It was a great photograph because it showed how much ammunition was used from the box. A total of 19 rounds were missing, which was an important point to note. Incorrect or Needs Improvement and Why? (4 points) ● Photograph 1 is showing the bullet wound on the victim. However in this photograph it makes it difficult to see where on the body this bullet wound is. There should have been a full body photograph taken to better depict this photo. ● The photograph 2 showed the ruler near blood spatter which was very difficult to see. The photograph should have been taken above or at a different angle to be able to read the ruler and avoid the glare. This photograph is trying to depict the size of the blood spatter which is helpful but it is poorly taken.

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

7 ● Photograph 5 showed the murder weapon when it was being examined. However the photograph was taken near a ruler but in this photograph the ruler is glared and the numbers are not able to be read. It looks like the flash ruined this photograph which made the ruler not visible. ● There should have been a photograph taken to compare the ammunition found inside the firearm and from inside the ammunition box. This photograph would show the similarities and differences between the types of ammunition. It would also confirm or deny if this ammunition is the same. Sketch: By Fred Sams of Flores Homicide Correct and Why? (3 points) ● Fred Sams made the sketch which properly included a layout of the crime scene including the victim, blood, bullets, and bullet holes. It is important to ensure that photography markers correspond with the same number objects in the sketch and scale. The scale in this sketch is an important piece of any sketch. The scale was labeled one through nine which is each one of the place cards that was at the crime scene which was accurately depicted in this sketch. ● A sketch should represent evidence by lettering or numbering squares, circles, figures, or points, rather than drawing it (Physical Evidence Handbook, 2017). In this sketch Sams used circles and numbers to depict the evidence. The numbers were then well shown in the scale on the side of the sketch. ● All evidence items should be included in the sketch, along with accurate measurements that will allow later reconstruction. This was perfectly shown in

8 this sketch with the distance of each piece of evidence. It even had arrows to show from which area the distance was from. Sketch Improvement Recommendations? (2 points) ● In a sketch must contain the following information: the address, case number, date of the sketch, who made it, a key that identifies the objects in the sketch, an arrow pointing north, and a scale that was used or a statement like "Not to Scale (Physical Evidence Handbook, 2017). Unfortunately, neither the address nor the direction of North was included in this sketch. A sketch like this should have included these important aspects. ● There was a front door that was shown in this sketch however it did not show which would have been an entry or exit point for the suspect. This entry point is critical because it depicts where the suspect entered the crime scene. It will also show if the entry point is where the suspect exited the crime scene. Conclusion There is truth in the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words", especially when it comes to crime scene photography (Gouse et al., 2018) . Every crime scene is photographed as soon as possible, regardless of its complexity. The crime scene sketch and photographs illustrating Daniel Flores' homicide were displayed in this lab. A flash on the camera used caused some of the photographs to be of low quality. There were some photographs where the evidence was obscured by reflections of the floor, and there were others where the flash obscured the numbers on the evidence place cards and rulers. The crime scene sketch was well depicted however it did miss a couple of important parts that will be used against them in the courtroom.

9 References Gouse, S., Karnam, S., Girish, H. C., & Murgod, S. (2018). Forensic photography: Prospect through the lens. Journal of forensic dental sciences , 10 (1), 2–4. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfo.jfds_2_16 Physical Evidence Handbook. (2017). Crime Scene Sketch . Retrieved from https://www.newcastle.k12.ok.us/Downloads/crime-scene-sketch-2017.pdf Rohatgi , R., & Kapoor, A. K. (2015). Importance of Still Photography at Scene of Crime: A Forensic vs. Judicial Perspective . Importance of Still Photography at Scene of Crime: A forensic vs. judicial perspective. Retrieved from https://www.crime-scene- investigator.net/importance-of-still-photography-at-scene-of-crime.html

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

KortneySchaum Lab3

Related Documents