Crime Scene Reflection

When I enrolled in this course, I had watched a few crime scene shows like CSIU. I considered the investigation of a crime to be like a puzzle. I was curious if what they depict on television is really what happens in an actual crime investigation. In our first assignment, I realized that eye witness memory can be faulty and that up to 87% of wrongful conviction cases are a result of the flawed memory of the testimony of an eye witness. During this first encounter with forensic learning, I also realized the relevance to properly examine, photograph, document and evaluate evidence. The chain of custody must be maintained in all investigations. Documentation of the crime scene especially with the use of a camera, visually preserves the evidence so that it can be presented during trials even years after the crime was committed.

During our investigation of trace evidence, I found the research that I did on Ted Bundy fascinating. I realized that just with soil evidence, they were able to locate the body of one of his victims and and thread fibers found as evidence were used to get his conviction. Early on, I also reconfirmed my knowledge that DNA collection at a crime scene is crucial and

Many crime shows (even cartoon ones) show police dusting for fingerprints. I thought that it was possible to alter your fingerprints. But, realized that all attempts to do so have not been successful. Fingerprint evidence is still one of the most effective ways to identify a criminal. The sections on handwriting, forgery, and counterfeiting were topics that I did not expect to cover in this course nor had I ever even really thought much about. But, I do recognize the relevance of including it in forensic science now and can see in everyday life where you need to be aware that there are people who attempt to get financial or other gains through forgery and