Deck 3: The Crime Scene

Question 1

According to the authors, the __________________________ encompasses all areas over which the actors move during the commission of a crim

A) victim search area
B) cursory search area
C) crime scene
D) neighborhood scene
E) suspect search area

Answer 1

C

Question 2

According to the authors, to exclude reporters, government officials, curiosity seekers, as well as superior police officers who are not directly involved in an investigation is to ensure that a crime scene is

A) properly protected
B) being searched thoroughly
C) contaminated
D) top secret in nature
E) all of the above

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The crime scene provides the major opportunity to

A) apprehend the suspect
B) interview the victim
C) develop the perpetrator's modus operandi
D) locate physical evidence
E) all of the above

Answer 3

D

Question 4

In 1984, the United States Supreme Court, in ___________________, reversed a decision based on evidence obtained by investigators who entered the scene of a suspected arson five hours after the blaze had been extinguished

A) Michigan v. Tyler
B) Mincey v. Arizona
C) Thompson v. Oklahoma
D) Thompson v. Louisiana
E) Michigan v. Clifford

Question 5

In Katz v. United States, the United States Supreme Court created the presumption that

A) the legality of a search may be supported by the circumstance of the crime
B) the criminal investigator is best situated to determine the need for a search
C) all searches conducted without warrants are unreasonable
D) most situations merit a search without a warrant
E) none of the above

Question 6

The clothing and body of the victim, as well as the items under the control of the suspect, are considered to be

A) useless to a criminal investigation
B) inadmissible to a court of law
C) of no practical use to the crime laboratory
D) possible sources of physical evidence
E) none of the above

Question 7

According to the text, before any physical evidence can be collected and transported, it must first be

A) recognized as physical evidence
B) photographed
C) sketched and logged by the investigator
D) dusted for fingerprints
E) all of the above

Question 8

The major methods of recording the situation, conditions, and physical evidence discovered at the crime scene include

A) photographs, sketches, and crime laboratory report
B) notes, photographs, and sketches
C) crime laboratory report, photographs, and notes
D) notes, sketches, and investigator's report
E) all of the above

Question 9

A relatively crude, freehand representation of all essential information and measurements made at the crime scene is known as a

A) Photo-Fit sketch
B) rough sketch
C) finished sketch
D) crime scene drawing
E) crime scene template

Question 10

When the distances in it are precise and proportional, with lines drawn by a skilled drafter, a finished sketch is known as a

A) finished sketch
B) freehand sketch
C) scale drawing
D) finished template
E) finished drawing

Question 11

After each item of physical evidence has been properly recorded, it must then be

A) collected separately and preserved for examination in the laboratory and eventually in court
B) photographed and labeled
C) packaged in the same containers for shipment to the crime laboratory
D) transported to the crime laboratory by anyone having the authority to do so
E) all of the above

Question 12

Biological specimens, particularly blood and semen stains, are best preserved by permitting the specimens to dry at

A) room temperature, preferably in sunlight
B) high temperatures, such as in a dryer
C) slightly below room temperature to prevent moisture from developing on the specimens
D) room temperature, away from direct sunlight
E) high temperatures, such as under heat lamps

Question 13

Comparison specimens of known origin are called

A) variables
B) control variables
C) exemplars
D) samples
E) examples

Question 14

According to the authors, the techniques for discovering and gathering trace evidence are

A) vacuuming, dusting, and raking
B) vacuuming, adhesion to tape, and raking
C) adhesion to tape, raking, and sweeping
D) adhesion to tape, shaking or sweeping, and vacuuming
E) all of the above

Question 15

According to NYPD Detective Nicholas Petraco, the most important and versatile instrument available to the criminalist for the study of trace evidential material is the

A) vacuum
B) comparison microscope
C) stereomicroscope
D) stethoscope
E) microscope, especially the polarized microscope

Question 16

According to the authors, the initial response to the crime scene should be to regard it as the only chance to recognize, record, and collect physical evidence.

Question 17

Delayed or late attempts to enter a crime scene are legal if the permission of the owner of the premises is obtained in writing.

Question 18

Scale drawings are not beneficial in court because exact distances are not demonstrated.

Question 19

According to the authors, it is not necessary to account for evidence continuously from the time of its discovery until it is presented in court.

Question 20

According to the authors, most criminal investigators do not collect comparison samples of adequate size or quantity.

Question 21

The boundaries of a crime scene are always well defined.

Question 22

Res gestae records are considered to be an exception to the hearsay rule and may be admitted as evidence for consideration by a jury.

Question 23

A warrant must always be secured before any crime scene search is undertaken except in an emergency situation or consent to search as allowed by the Court.

Question 24

To be admissible in court, an item of evidence must be shown to be identical with that discovered at the crime scene or secured at the time of arrest.

Question 25

One purpose of a crime scene search is to attempt to recognize the perpetrator's MO.