Focuses on the scientific techniques used to investigate different types of crime scenes, including burglaries, murders, rapes, arsons, and bombings. Students learn to recognize, identify, collect, preserve, transport, record, and process physical evidence such as body fluids, body fluid stains, items of trace evidence, tire and shoe impressions, latent fingerprints, weapons, and tools.
The protection and analysis of a crime scene is a complex procedure. Information is obtained by utilizing ever increasing skills and technology. The skills involve the use of improved casting techniques, enhanced latent fingerprinting techniques and sophisticated new photographic techniques. This course introduces the student to these techniques. Lab Fee. prerequisite: FSCS 307-Crime Scene Investigation
Familiarizes students with, and provides basic understanding of, the camera (34mm, digital and video) with respect to crime scene analysis. Using photographic techniques, students will learn how to document a crime scene and pertinent physical evidence including tire impressions, shoe prints, latent prints and blood spatter. In addition, students wil explore available light, flash, flash fill and painting-by-light processes. Students will learn how to construct and maintain a photographic log and how to enter photographs into court as evidence. Students will create a portfolio of their work. Laboratory fee required.
Students learn courtroom presentation techniques designed to elicit direct, persuasive, and comprehensive testimony as it relates to various evidentiary issues at criminal hearings and trials. Students prepare and present direct testimony and are cross-examined by attorneys in a simulated courtroom setting.
as of fall 2018