Sunday, April 14, 2013

Open Blog


For my last open blog post, I wanted to address the differences in crime scene investigators in other parts of the world. For example, I decided to do research of the crime scene investigation in South Africa.  In South Africa they have a very tough approach to crime, but they lack  in the knowledge and intelligence of crime. This is due to the lack of training in the police service. Currently the legislation does not allow officials to gather DNA samples mainly because of the lack of knowledge about DNA. There is a new act coming that will make DNA evidence allowed so eventually South Africa will have there own database. Also police are not informed about the importance of DNA found at crime scenes and because of this they leave their own traces of DNA.  However, the country is trying to gain further knowledge and it is about to start a crime scene investigator revolution.  I cannot believe that other countries wouldn’t allow DNA to be apart of their criminal system. DNA can enhance trials and help prove guilty or innocence.  This was actually quite difficult to research because as I was finding more information, most countries don’t use crime scene investigators.

Faull, Andrew. "Forensic Science and the Future of Policing in South Africa." Institue for Security Studies. Bluegate Foundation, n.d. Web.

Reflecting and Research




Top Three Things I learned about Crime Scene Investigators

1.)   The way crime scene investigators are portrayed in popular culture is completely different from the reality of the job.
2.)   It is a very difficult job to do. Not only with the challenge of obtaining evidence and following protocol but also dealing with the negative effects the job has on home life.
3.)   Crime scene investigators have to be team players. At every crime scene there are many people that have specific tasks to perform as well. 

Top Three Things I learned about myself as a Researcher:

1    1.) When it comes to research, it helps me to have a set research question in mind. This allows me to stay focused on what type of information I am looking for.
      2.)  From doing the blog, I know that the Internet is not the only place I can find information at. I actually find it more useful know to get all types of sources like the Internet, Proquest, and the library.
      3.)   I also learned that in doing research I like to structure my findings by author or source now. It helps me be able to cite sources easier.


11.) What are the new technologies investigators hope to use?
22.)  Are crime scene investigators used in the FBI?
33.)  How is crime scene investigators different in different countries?





Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Open Blog


This week for the open blog I wanted to look up books that I could   potentially read to help me become a crime scene investigator.  The book that I found to be the most recommended is called “Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation" by Barry A.J. Fisher.  The book can also be considered the “bible” of crime scene investigation. It talks about everything from the history of crime scene investigation up to future techniques crime scene investigator hope to be able to use. Another good book is “The Crime Scene and Evidence Photographer’s Guide”. This book contains a lot of photography and step-by-step instructions for taking and retaining evidence.  I hope that I read these books over the summer to get even more information on crime scene investigators. It was easy to find a lot of helpful books and I even found them in a library near my home. These books will give me an advantage in my job.



"Crime Scene Investigator Network." Crime Scene Investigaton Bookstore. Crime Scene Resources, 2011. Web.

Practicing Your Knowledge


The only way to get a true perspective of what a job is like is to shadow. This is exactly what I need over the weekend.  From 8- 12 Saturday morning I went to the Lansing District Court. There I was able to experience the atmosphere of lawyers, judges, and victims. I witnessed various parts of a trial. Fortunately, I was able to witness the direct examination of witnesses. This allowed me to see exactly how forensic evidence was presented. The prosecutors used visual aids and photographs to show blood samples and DNA.  If I were to become a crime scene investigator this would be the type of evidence I would give the prosecutors to use to help convict. But unfortunately, the defense came back with the defense that there were problems in contamination by the investigators. This would get very frustrating for the crime scene investigators because they have devoted there lives to this study and know how to do there jobs. After the defense spoke, the judge issued a recess for the rest of the day. From this experience I realize that this field of study is fast paced and may not always be fair. This got me questioning whether or not I can deal with all the injustice in the world.