Deck 2: Documenting the Crime Scene Note Taking Photographing and Sketching

Question 1

These cameras are specially constructed to take pictures of fingerprints without distortion.They provide their own light through four bulbs, one in each corner.Removing a bulb from any corner provides slanted lighting to show fingerprint ridge detail.They are

A)tripod cameras.
B)fingerprint cameras.
C)backlit cameras.
D)blacklight cameras.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Record all information that helps answer the questions:

A)Who? What? Which? When? How? and Why?
B)Who? What? Where? When? How? and Why?
C)Which? When? Why? Where? and How many?
D)Why? When? and Why or why not?

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Photographs should be taken:

A)before officers leave the scene.
B)only after the investigators complete a crime scene sketch.
C)before tending to emergencies, to show the "true" scene as officers found it.
D)before anything is disturbed.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

One of the disadvantages of photographs is that they:

A)can be taken immediately and thus the crime scene processors have not prepared the scene.
B)do not show actual distances.
C)are not admissible into court.
D)are only allowed in court if black and white.

Question 5

A major advance is the ability of computer software to stitch together digital photos of 180 degrees or more to create one 360-degree photo-a panoramic view of a crime scene that is interactive, allowing viewers, including jury members, to walk through it as though they were there.This type of 360-degree photographic view is called:

A)an aerial view.
B)an exploded view.
C)immersive imaging.
D)walkthrough imaging.

Question 6

Notes are:

A)obtaining information.
B)necessary.
C)records of what is seen or heard.
D)measurements of what is seen or heard.

Question 7

According to the Handbook of Forensic Services, what should be used when photographing latent prints?

A)flash and marker
B)ruler and a pencil
C)tripod and cable release
D)macrolens and flashlight set at an oblique angle

Question 8

Photographs should be taken in the following order:

A)specific objects, specific area, and general area.
B)specific area, general area, and specific objects.
C)general area, specific area, and specific objects.
D)micro to macro in all cases.

Question 9

The basic purpose of field notes is to:

A)show the officer was at the scene.
B)show the date and time of the incident.
C)record all facts of the incident.
D)capture the officer's thoughts of the incident.

Question 10

Those tasked with videotaping a crime scene in many agencies fail to provide:

A)enough videotape.
B)adequate training.
C)adequate supervision.
D)enough portable power sources.

Question 11

Surveillance photography is often called:

A)crime scene photography.
B)trap photography.
C)lineup photography.
D)geographical photography.

Question 12

Which type of camera is most likely to cause privacy issues?

A)Polaroid
B)dash camera
C)point-and-shoot camera
D)body camera

Question 13

The Handbook of Forensic Services recommends when taking photographs/videotape, the investigator should:

A)take the primary points of concern or interest.
B)take only those shots wanted by the prosecutor.
C)examine the scene from all sides and take only the sides of the crime scene that show the best view.
D)take sufficient photographs and/or videotape to reconstruct the entire scene.

Question 14

When taking notes, the investigator should:

A)ignore unimportant items.
B)write only the important items.
C)learn to select key facts and record them in abbreviated form.
D)never take notes but always memorize things verbatim and record them later.

Question 15

The Bertillon identification system includes:

A)a written description of a person.
B)a person's complete criminal record.
C)a photograph.
D)a written description, complete measurements, and a photograph of a person.

Question 16

The amount of notes taken is determined by:

A)the conditions of each case.
B)whether the crime is a felony or not.
C)department policy and procedure.
D)calls for service.

Question 17

What should be photographed first?

A)the deceased
B)weapons
C)fragile evidence
D)witnesses

Question 18

Which are permanent written records of the facts of a case to be used in further investigation, in writing reports, and in prosecuting the case?

A)field notes
B)tape recordings
C)investigative notes
D)stenographer notes

Question 19

Which of the following is a disadvantage of photographs?

A)They do not show actual distances.
B)They can show relevant information.
C)They can explain testimony.
D)Photographs are admissible in court.

Question 20

Crime scene photographs are:

A)substitutes for sketches.
B)substitutes for notes.
C)better than sketches.
D)effective visual aids.

Question 21

Admissible photographs must be:

A)inflammatory.
B)material.
C)irrelevant.
D)extraneous.

Question 22

The photographic technique in which a scene is photographed clockwise, with the first picture showing a specific object on one side of the photograph and the next picture showing the same object on the opposite side of the photograph, is called:

A)scoping.
B)cross-projection photography.
C)overlapping.
D)triangulation.

Question 23

A sketch drawn or personally witnessed by an investigator that accurately portrays a crime scene and that is allowed into evidence is referred to as:

A)freehand.
B)exculpatory.
C)admissible.
D)courtroom.

Question 24

The basic purpose of note taking is to convict and punish offenders.

Question 25

Note taking should never, under any circumstance, be delayed or postponed.

Question 26

Which of the following statements about photographic resolution is true?

A)Resolution is commonly quantified by pixels.
B)An image photographed with a high-resolution camera, if printed on a low-resolution printer, will show fine detail clearly.
C)A megapixel is roughly equivalent to 2,000 dots.
D)A low-resolution image, if enlarged too much, will not lose quality.

Question 27

Digital recorders are rapidly replacing notebooks in law enforcement note taking.

Question 28

Which process would enlarge the evidence to be viewed?

A)microphotography
B)macrophotography
C)paleontology
D)odontology

Question 29

What is a frequent objection when photographs are used in court?

A)color distortion
B)image preservation
C)copy distortion
D)tampering

Question 30

According to a national video forensics expert, what is the "new DNA for law enforcement"?

A)fingerprints
B)tire tracks
C)footprints
D)video analysis

Question 31

Which type of photograph would best capture the immediate crime scene and the location of objects in the area or room?

A)long-range shot
B)medium-range shot
C)close-range shot
D)none of these choices

Question 32

Showing the relationship between evidence on the walls and the floors of a room, by flattening out the walls on the sketch, allowing the viewer to look straight down into the sketch, is best done using which of the following methods?

A)compass-point
B)cross-projection
C)rectangular-coordination
D)doll-house

Question 33

Providing proof that the image introduced into evidence is the same image taken at the crime scene is referred to as:

A)redundancy.
B)authentication.
C)concrete evidence.
D)pictometry.

Question 34

Which type of photography is often used to establish the identity of a subject, a location, and in some cases criminal behavior?

A)surveillance
B)infra-red
C)digital
D)mobile

Question 35

Which type of photography may be best used for extensive, large-scale, outside areas?

A)flash photography
B)aerial photography
C)painting with light
D)walking flash

Question 36

Which plotting method establishes a straight line from one fixed point to another fixed point from which measurements are taken at right angles?

A)baseline
B)rectangular-coordinate
C)triangulation
D)cross-projection

Question 37

Sketch all serious crime and crash scenes:

A)after taking photographs.
B)before anything is moved.
C)both after taking photographs and before anything is moved.
D)neither after taking photographs nor before anything is moved.

Question 38

In which direction should the top of a sketch be oriented?

A)west
B)north
C)south
D)east

Question 39

Which of the following does a crime scene sketch accomplish?

A)accurately portrays the measureable facts
B)relates to the disarray of events at the scene
C)establishes the precise location and relationship of objects and evidence at the scene
D)finds perspective witnesses

Question 40

The main problem with night photography is:

A)lack of color.
B)shadows.
C)the cost of calling out a photographer.
D)proper illumination.

Question 41

The advantages of videos include accurate representation of a crime scene and evidence and the ability to show distance and sound capability to more fully document what is being seen.

Question 42

The rough sketch must always be drawn to scale.

Question 43

Digital photographs can create a virtual scene similar to Pictometry.

Question 44

Notes are not admissible in court.

Question 45

A notebook is only a temporary report to record facts and has no real evidentiary value in itself.

Question 46

If an item of evidence has inadvertently been moved before being photographed, put it back immediately and then resume taking photos.

Question 47

Checklists are a critical aspect of the law enforcement function, especially when it comes to crime scene photography.

Question 48

The first step in sketching a crime scene is to outline the area and the crime.

Question 49

Photographs and videotapes reproduce the crime scene in detail, primarily for presentation to the media.

Question 50

Ultraviolet-light photography is used to document bite marks, neck strangulation marks, and other impressions left from intentional injuries.

Question 51

Evidence not discernible to the naked eye can be detected by laser-beam photography.

Question 52

To be admissible in court, photographs must be material, relevant, competent, accurate, free of distortion, and noninflammatory.

Question 53

The purpose of a marker in a photograph is to show the location of the specific object being photographed.

Question 54

It is best to include every possible detail in a crime scene sketch.

Question 55

An investigator's scene sketch is often an extremely important investigative aid.

Question 56

Cameras may be stored wherever they are most readily available for use.

Question 57

The basic purpose of crime scene photography is to record the entire crime scene permanently.

Question 58

It is important to take crime scene photographs from eye level.

Question 59

Digital cameras have not yet been approved for court use for crime scene photography.

Question 60

Microphotography is useful in criminal investigations because it renders bruises and injuries visible long after their actual occurrence.

Question 61

The technique in which a scene is photographed clockwise, with the first picture showing an object on the right side of the photograph and the next picture showing the same object on the left side of the photograph, is called
______________.

Question 62

A crime scene sketch contains, among other things, the scale of the sketch, the direction of north, and the name of the person making the sketch.This is referred to as the .

Question 63

What are trip cameras, and what are they used for?

Question 64

is commonly used in outdoor scenes but can also be used indoors.This process of locating evidence or other items uses straight-line measures from two fixed objects.

Question 65

The plotting method restricted to square or rectangular areas is the ________________coordinate method.

Question 66

What kind of camera is useful for photographing trace evidence such as bloodstains and tool marks?

Question 67

When rechecking measurements, if an error is made, cross it out, make the correction and .

Question 68

What typically determines where and how notes are to be filed?

Question 69

What is immersive imaging?

Question 70

A sketch that is drawn or personally witnessed by an investigator, that accurately portrays a crime scene, and that is introduced as evidence is referred to as a(n) sketch.

Question 71

Imagine you are at the scene of a homicide.The victim was murdered on the sidewalk in front of a public building on a busy street.Briefly record the photographs you need to take and in what order they should be taken.

Question 72

When should the investigator start taking notes?

Question 73

Specialized cameras such as binocular cameras and trip cameras are helpful in .

Question 74

Mug shots can be used in ________________ lineups to help identify suspects.

Question 75

What are some of the advantages of videos?

Question 76

Take _______________ shots first because they are the most subject to alteration by weather and security violations.

Question 77

To overcome defense challenges that a digital image was altered or otherwise tampered with, investigators must rigorously maintain the _______________.

Question 78

One of the ways a crime scene sketch can be used to assist an investigation is to _______________ people.

Question 79

How long does evidence, including photographic evidence, need to be kept?

Question 80

What are some of the disadvantages of videos?