Question 1

Vehicle tracking systems can use radio frequency, cell phone tracking, or ________.

Accepted Answer

a. Correct. Vehicle tracking systems can use radio frequency, cell phone tracking, or GPS.
b. Incorrect. Night vision devices are photographic and viewing devices that allow visibility in darkness.
c. Incorrect. Live Scan is the electronic taking and transmission of fingerprints as opposed to tradition ink methodsLO4; Bloom's: Remember [Surveillance Technology]
d. Incorrect. UAV stands for unmanned aerial vehicles (aka drones). They are unmanned aircraft piloted remotely, used for surveillance and reconnaissance.

Question 2

Concerns about drones being used by police are primarily about __________.

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. Drones are unmanned so there is very little concern regarding accidental injuries.
b. Correct. There are violation-of-privacy concerns about the use of drones by law enforcement.
c. Incorrect. Global positioning systems are a satellite system used to
d. Incorrect. Pilot ability is not the primary concern about drones. Drones are unmanned so there is little concern about pilot safety.

Question 3

Which system digitizes a picture of a suspect and stores the image on a computer so that it can be retrieved later?

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. Digital photography is being increasingly recognized and used in law enforcement as an efficient tool that enables instant viewing and distribution of images that aid in criminal investigation.
b. Incorrect. Age progression photos are photo systems that show changes that will naturally occur to the face with age; also called age-enhanced photos.
c. Correct. Mug shot imaging is a system of digitizing a mug shot picture and storing its image on a computer so that it can be retrieved later.
d. Incorrect. Latent print photos are pictures of latent prints. Pictures of latent prints must be taken prior to lifting the developed latent print.

Question 4

What capability does the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI's) age-progression software have that enables it to create more accurate images of how a missing child may have aged?

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. The FBI's software for aging children's faces allows pictures of parents and older siblings to be fused into photos of missing children to obtain a more accurate image.
b. Correct. The FBI's software for aging children's faces allows pictures of parents and older siblings to be fused into photos of missing children to obtain a more accurate image.
c. Incorrect. The FBI's software for aging children's faces allows pictures of parents and older siblings to be fused into photos of missing children to obtain a more accurate image.
d. Incorrect. The FBI's software for aging children's faces allows pictures of parents and older siblings to be fused into photos of missing children to obtain a more accurate image.

Question 5

The ballistics section of the crime lab conducts scientific analyses of guns and bullets. Ballistics is the science of the study of __________.

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. Ballistics is the science of the study of objects in motion and at rest.
b. Incorrect. Ballistics is the science of the study of objects in motion and at rest.
c. Correct. Ballistics is the science of the study of objects in motion and at rest.
d. Incorrect. Ballistics is the science of the study of objects in motion and at rest.

Question 6

The mother of a crime victim is angry with the police for taking so long to run DNA samples. She thinks it should be done before the end of the day, like on her favorite crime shows, and is surprised to hear that it could take months. She is exhibiting __________.

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. Irrationality is the quality of being illogical or unreasonable. In this scenario, the mother may seem irrational but it is because she is experiencing the CSI effect. The CSI effect refers to the phenomenon in which the popularity of the television series CSI makes the public believe that crime labs in real life can operate at the speed they do in fiction.
b. Incorrect. It is not the modern forensic expectation that evidence will be processed as fast as seen on television in crime shows.
c. Correct. The CSI effect refers to the phenomenon in which the popularity of the television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and other television shows and movies make the public and jurors believe that crime labs in real life can operate at the speed that they do in fiction.
d. Incorrect. Crime lab accreditation is designed to ameliorate some of the problems regarding mistakes made by crime labs. The Crime Laboratory Accreditation Program is a voluntary program in which any crime lab may participate to demonstrate that its management, operations, personnel, procedures, equipment, physical plant, security, and personnel safety procedures meet established standards.

Question 7

What type of forensics is used to identify, collect, and analyze evidence from electronic devices?

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. Serology is the scientific analysis of blood, semen, and other body fluids.
b. Correct. Computer or digital forensics is the science of identifying, collecting, preserving, documenting, examining, analyzing, and presenting evidence from computers, computer networks, and other electronic devices.
c. Incorrect. Criminalistics is the use of scientific tests or techniques to examine evidence in criminal cases.
d. Incorrect. The document analysis section of the lab studies handwriting, printing, typewriting, and the paper and ink used in the preparation of a document to provide investigators with leads to the identity of the writer.

Question 8

Which organization certifies forensic laboratory employees?

Accepted Answer

a. Correct. The American Board of Criminalists (ABC) certifies lab employees. Because it ensures that lab personnel are all held to the same standard, certification helps analysts address questions in court about their experience, background, and training.
b. Incorrect. The ASCLD is a nonprofit professional society of crime laboratory directors, devoted to the improvement of crime laboratory operations through sound management practices.
c. Incorrect. The International High Technology Crime Investigation Association is a professional organization that provides networking for computer investigators.
d. Incorrect. IACP stands for The International Association of Chief of Police. The IACP has formed a nationwide computer network for the exchange of semiofficial and informal communications among police departments.

Question 9

Jamal has been jailed for many years for a murder he did not commit, with a death sentencing approaching. All his attempts at appeal have been denied. Jamal decides to contact an organization that freed more than 200 people since 1992 by using DNA evidence. What is the name of the organization Jamal decided to contact?

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. The ACLU is the American Civil Liberties Union. It is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to defend individuals' rights and liberties.
b. Incorrect. IBIS stands for the Integrated Ballistics Information System. It is a computer identification system that correlates and matches both projectile and shell casing ballistic evidence.
c. Correct. The Innocence Project assists prisoners who could be proven innocent through DNA testing; since 1992, the organization has used DNA testing to help exonerate 289 people who were serving time in prison for crimes they did not commit.
d. Incorrect. The IAI is a professional organization for those interested in fingerprint identification.

Question 10

Why can cold cases benefit from the use of mitochondrial DNA (MtDNA)?

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. MtDNA is inherited on the maternal side but it cannot be individualized to a specific individual.
b. Correct. MtDNA analysis can derive evidence from very small or degraded quantities of DNA from hair, bones, teeth, and body fluids.
c. Incorrect. The Daubert and General Electric Co. cases undermined the restrictive Frye test by ruling that federal courts should generally allow admission of all relevant evidence.
d. Incorrect. Nuclear DNA is accepted into the National DNA Index System.

Question 11

Which term describes a DNA sample collected from a crime scene that ties an unknown suspect to the DNA profile of someone in the national or a state's database?

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. A cold hit is a DNA sample collected from a crime scene that ties an unknown suspect to the DNA profile of someone in the national or a state's database.
b. Incorrect. The Frye test is the standard to admitting new scientific evidence into U.S. courts; based on the U.S. Supreme Court case Frye v. United States (1923).
c. Correct. A cold hit is a DNA sample collected from a crime scene that ties an unknown suspect to the DNA profile of someone in the national or a state's database.
d. Incorrect. A DNA polymorphism is any difference in the nucleotide sequence between individuals.

Question 12

Which type of identification distinguishes one person from another and includes fingerprints and palm prints as examples?

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. Isometric is defined as having equal dimension.
b. Correct. Biometric systems use a physical characteristic to distinguish one person from another.
c. Incorrect. Fingerprints and palm prints are not forms of genetic identification. Identical twins who have the same DNA still have different fingerprints and palm prints.
d. Incorrect. Criminalistics means applying scientific techniques to analyze evidence in criminal cases.

Question 13

What percentage of the American public supports the police wearing body cameras according to a 2016 CATO Institute survey?

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. According to a survey published in January 2016 by the CATO Institute, 65 percent of Americans say there is a "war on police."
b. Incorrect. Seventy-one percent of all
c. Correct. According to a survey published in January 2016 by the CATO Institute, 92 percent of the public support the police wearing body cameras.
d. Incorrect. According to a survey published in January 2016 by the CATO Institute, 81 percent of those surveyed believe the police wearing body cameras will protect both the police and citizens equally.

Question 14

The advantage of in-car police video recorders is that ____________.

Accepted Answer

a. Correct. Patrol vehicle video recorders have caught officers being assaulted and even feloniously killed; video also can confirm wrongdoing by officers.
b. Incorrect. Many in-car camera systems are set up to automatically record.
c. Incorrect. Many departments have policies and procedures that prohibit officers from turning off their body camera.
d. Incorrect. Many agencies do not have technology that streams the recording in real time to police headquarters. Some agencies must remove the storage device and upload it to a device upon return to the station.

Question 15

Which of the following do law enforcement officers consider a valuable ability for a robot to have?

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. Although many officers wish robots could complete incident reports for them this is not something a robot is capable of at this time.
b. Incorrect. Robots do not have the ability to smell.
c. Incorrect. Robots may be capable of translating languages, but this is not the ability officers consider a valuable ability for a robot.
d. Correct. The features of the robots considered most important by law enforcement were stair-climbing ability, a robust communication link,

Question 16

What type of technology can take X-rays, photograph packages, search suspect locations, and place explosive devices into a transport vessel, thus keeping personnel safely away from the immediate area?

Accepted Answer

a. Correct. Bomb robots can take X-rays, photograph packages, search suspect
b. Incorrect. Drones are capable of taking videos and photographs, but they are not yet capable of taking X-rays, searching suspect
c. Incorrect. Cell phones are not capable of taking X-rays, photograph packages, search suspect
d. Incorrect. Bomb robots can take X-rays, photograph packages, search suspect

Question 17

Sandy has been arrested for growing marijuana in her backyard. The evidence was obtained by police helicopter that flew over her property and photographed her garden. Martina's lawyer says this is a violation of her constitutional rights. How has the Court ruled in cases like this?

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. In the 1986 U.S. Supreme Court case California v. Ciraolo, the Court ruled that evidence obtained by the police flying over and photographing a person's property was not a violation of the person's Fourth Amendment rights. The Fourth Amendment, not the Sixth, protects against unreasonable search and seizure.
b. Incorrect. In the 1986 U.S. Supreme Court case California v. Ciraolo, the Court ruled that evidence obtained by the police flying over and photographing a person's property was not a violation of the person's Fourth Amendment rights. The Fourth Amendment, not the Sixth, protects against unreasonable search and seizure.
c. Correct. In the 1986 U.S. Supreme Court case California v. Ciraolo, the Court ruled that evidence obtained by the police flying over and photographing a person's property was not a violation of the person's Fourth Amendment rights.
d. Incorrect. In the 1986 U.S. Supreme Court case California v. Ciraolo, the Court ruled that evidence obtained by the police flying over and photographing a person's property was not a violation of the person's Fourth Amendment rights. A person has not expectation to privacy in areas that can be seen by a helicopter flying over the property.

Question 18

Carol Roses of the Massachusetts American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has said, "We don't know all the potential uses of DNA, but once the state has your sample and there are no limits on how it can be used." These vast uses could result in __________.

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. Carol Roses of the Massachusetts ACLU says, "We don't know all the potential uses of DNA; But once the state has your sample and there are no limits on how it can be used, then the potential civil liberty violations are as vast as the uses themselves."
b. Incorrect. Carol Roses of the Massachusetts ACLU says, "We don't know all the potential uses of DNA, but once the state has your sample and there are no limits on how it can be used, then the potential civil liberty violations are as vast as the uses themselves."
c. Incorrect. Carol Roses of the Massachusetts ACLU says, "We don't know all the potential uses of DNA, but once the state has your sample and there are no limits on how it can be used, then the potential civil liberty violations are as vast as the uses themselves."
d. Correct. Carol Roses of the Massachusetts ACLU says, "We don't know all the potential uses of DNA, but once the state has your sample and there are no limits on how it can be used, then the potential civil liberty violations are as vast as the uses themselves."

Quiz 14: Computers, Technology, and Criminalistics in Policing