Crime Lab Services

Federal FBI DEA ATF U.S. Postal Inspection Service

FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation Maintains the largest crime lab in the world

DEA Drug Enforcement Administrative Laboratories (Department of Justice) Analysis of drugs seized in violation of federal laws

ATF Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (Department of Treasure) Analyzing alcoholic beverages and documents relating to tax law enforcement as well as for examining weapons, explosive devices, and related evidence

U.S. Postal Inspection Service Criminal investigation related to the postal service

State Maintain a crime laboratory to service state and local law enforcement agencies that do not have ready access to a laboratory Northville has a state forensic lab…specializes in DNA for the state of Michigan

Local Provide services to county and municipal agencies

Units of a Crime Lab

Physical Science Chemistry Physics Geology Ex: drugs, glass, paint, explosives, soil

Biology DNA/dried blood Other body fluids (semen, stomach acids…) Hair Fibers Plants/wood Pathologist (studies cellular changes/various aspects of disease) Serologist (studies blood groups and other bodily fluids) Entomologist (studies insects and decomposition) Anthropologist (studies bones to determine person’s identity) Odontologist (examines the patterns of bite marks, makes casts of bite marks)

Firearms Discharged bullets Cartridge cases Shotgun shells Ammunition Gun shot residues Distances to target Ballistics expert (studies everything to do with firearms)

Document Examination Handwriting validity (not interpretation) Typing validity Analysis of paper/ink Indented writing

Photography Photographs of evidence/scenes Digital imagery Infrared (heat) Ultraviolet X-rays Prepares photograph exhibits for court

Toxicology Detection of poisons or drugs

Latent Fingerprint Latent (invisible to the naked eye) Collecting, processing and examining fingerprints Dactyloscopy (the study of fingerprints)

Polygraph Lie detector examination and interpretation

Voiceprint Analysis Records and interprets sound which is transformed from speech to visual displays Linguists (studies written and oral communication to identify the speaker)

Evidence Collection Collects and preserves physical evidence to be processed

Other Specialists Crime Scene Photographer – aka identification officer or id technician Forensic Psychologist – develops psychological profile of the criminal Forensic Artist – draws the likeness of the person based solely on an eyewitness description or aging a photograph Forensic Sculptor – reconstructs with modeling clay the appearance of the face based from the structure of the skull Forensic Engineer – concerned with failure analysis, accident reconstruction and causes and origins of fires or explosives