1. Forensic Specialists
Forensics A

2. Crime Scene Examiner Document the scene Find and collect evidence
Protect and transport all evidence to lab
In Maine, they are called Evidence Recovery Technicians.

3. Latent Print Examiner Specializes in all types of prints Fingerprints
Footprints
Ear, palm, hand, etc. ……

4. Firearms/Ballistics Examiner
Identifies types of firearms (pistols, rifles, shotguns)
Compares bullets and casings
Searches for GSR (gun shot residue)

5. Tool mark Examiner
Compares marks from a specific tool (like the marks from a pry bar used to pry open a window), to a suspect one (a pry bar in the trunk of a suspect’s car.

6. Document Examiner Authenticates signatures Looks for forgeries
Compares typewriters, printers, copiers

7. Trace Evidence Examiner
Compares and analyzes the following to determine type and origin:
Hair
Fibers
Soils
Paint

8. Pathologist
An MD who deals with diseases and how it changes the body

9. Anthropologist Studies human skeletal remains
Can determine: age, sex, race and anything that might have happened to them.

10. Odontologist
Examines teeth to identify:
A suspect
A body
A bite mark

11. Entomologist A bug guy or gal Studies insects
Knows the life cycle of flies
Can give approximate time of death from flies on a body and what stage of their life cycle they are in

12. Psychiatrist
Examines someone who has committed a crime to see if they are competent to stand trial.
The examination includes: psychological testing and a medical examination to see if the problem is physical one (like a brain tumor).
Many more tests are used to determine their level of competency.

13. Serologist Studies bodily fluids. Does blood typing
Determines if stain is human blood
Determines if stains are semen, saliva, vaginal fluid, etc.

14. Toxicologist Determines if a drug/poison caused death
Determines the class of drug that was used

15. Botanist Studies plants and plant residue
Identifies plant seeds, pollen, and fragments
Studies where particular plants grow
Are they only found in the north/south?
Are they found in the desert or forest?

16. Medical Examiner A licensed doctor who trained in pathology
Does forensic autopsies
Determines manner, mechanism, and cause of death
Signs the death certificate

17. Medical Examiner Identifies an unknown body Approximates time of death
Gives expert testimony in court
Links wounds and weapons that caused them.

18. Medical Examiner
Presents an unbiased opinion to the court of the test results
Educates the judge and jury about scientific information
Is considered an expert witness

19. Expert Witnesses Specialists in a type of evidence
Give testimony about the evidence after analyzing it

20. Court System Is adversarial Each side tries to out-fox the other
Each side brings in experts
Each side tries to discredit the other’s experts