Download or read book Forensic Laboratory Management written by W. Mark Dale and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2014-09-26 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New technologies, including DNA and digital databases that can compare known and questioned exemplars, have transformed forensic science and greatly impacted the investigative process. They have also made the work more complicated. Obtaining proper resources to provide quality and timely forensic services is frequently a challenge for forensic managers, who are often promoted from casework duties and must now learn a whole new set of leadership skills. The interdisciplinary and scientific nature of laboratories requires strong leadership ability to manage complex issues, often in adversarial settings. Forensic Laboratory Management: Applying Business Principles provides laboratory managers with business tools that apply the best science to the best evidence in a manner that increases the efficiency and effectiveness of their management decision making. The authors present a performance model with seven recommendations to implement, illustrating how forensic managers can serve as leaders and strategically improve the operation and management in scientific laboratories. Topics include: Key business metrics and cost–benefit analyses Ethical lapses: why they occur, possible motives, and how problems can be prevented Forensic training, education, and institutes ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation implementation The book includes case studies simulating a working laboratory in which readers can apply business tools with actual data reinforcing discussion concepts. Each chapter also includes a brief review of current literature of the best management theories and practice. The downloadable resources supply two mock trial transcripts and associated case files along with PowerPoint® slides from Dr. George Carmody’s workshop on Forensic DNA Statistics and Dr. Doug Lucas’s presentation on ethics.

Download or read book Digital Forensics Processing and Procedures written by David Lilburn Watson and published by Newnes. This book was released on 2013-08-30 with total page 914 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first digital forensics book that covers the complete lifecycle of digital evidence and the chain of custody. This comprehensive handbook includes international procedures, best practices, compliance, and a companion web site with downloadable forms. Written by world-renowned digital forensics experts, this book is a must for any digital forensics lab. It provides anyone who handles digital evidence with a guide to proper procedure throughout the chain of custody--from incident response through analysis in the lab. - A step-by-step guide to designing, building and using a digital forensics lab - A comprehensive guide for all roles in a digital forensics laboratory - Based on international standards and certifications

Download or read book Quality Management in Forensic Science written by Sean Doyle and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2018-11-20 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forensic science has been under scrutiny for some time, since the release of the NAS report in 2009. The report cited the need for standardized practices and the accreditation of crime labs. No longer can the forensic community take the position that cross-examination in a courtroom will expose weaknesses in methodology and execution. Quality Management in Forensic Science covers a wide spectrum of forensic disciplines, relevant ISO and non-ISO standards, accreditation and quality management systems necessary in any forensic science laboratory. Written by a globally well-respected forensic scientist with decades of experience in the forensic science laboratory and on the stand, as an expert witness who is also a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences. This book will be a must-have resource for all forensic science stakeholders, particularly law enforcement agents and lawyers less familiar with the impact of quality management on the reliability of scientific evidence. - A comprehensive, multidisciplinary reference of scientific practices for use in the forensic laboratory - Coverage from DNA to toxicology, from trace evidence to crime scene and beyond - Extensive review of ISO and non-ISO standards, accreditation, QMS and much more - Written by a foremost forensic scientist with decades of experience in the laboratory and as an expert witness

Download or read book HR Management in the Forensic Science Laboratory written by John M. Collins and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2018-02-06 with total page 556 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: HR Management in the Forensic Science Laboratory: A 21st Century Approach to Effective Crime Lab Leadership introduces the profession of forensic science to human resource management, and vice versa. The book includes principles of HR management that apply most readily, and most critically, to the practice of forensic science, such as laboratory operations, staffing and assignments, laboratory relations and high impact leadership. A companion website hosts workshop PowerPoint slides, a forensic HR newsletter and other important HR strategies to assist the reader. - Provides principles of HR management that readily apply to the practice of forensic science - Covers and emphasizes the knowledge necessary to make HR management in the forensic science laboratory effective, such as technical standards and practices, laboratory structures and work units, and quality system management - Includes an online website that hosts workshop PowerPoint slides, a forensic HR newsletter and other important HR strategies

Download or read book Forensic Science Progress written by and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the surprising things about the natural world is that animals are dying around us all the time and yet we rarely see any evidence of it. This is a testimony to the efficiency of the large variety of organisms which decompose animal corpses. Whilst bacteria and fungi are the main groups involved in decomposition processes, the larger insects additionally provide an important physical disruption of body tissues, which aids the penetration of micro organisms and speeds the collapse of the body structure. A human corpse is treated no differently and the same groups of organisms are involved. From a forensic science viewpoint the universality of the decay process provides two major advantages. Information based on the decomposition of animals is of considerable value when considering human cases and the successional pattern of decay is broadly equivalent wherever the process is being studied. Historically, the usefulness of insects in solving crime can be traced back in the literature to the 13th century. McKnight [1, 2] translated a Chinese text of this period which contains an account of how a law officer dealt with a case of murder in the rice fields. Death had been caused by a sickle and the official ordered all the field workers to line up and lay their sickles on the ground in front of them. Flies began to be attracted to one of the sickles whereupon its owner confessed to the crime.

Download or read book The Forensic Laboratory Handbook Procedures and Practice written by Ashraf Mozayani and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-12-14 with total page 604 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forensic science has come a long way in the past ten years. It is much more in-depth and much broader in scope, and the information gleaned from any evidence yields so much more information than it had in the past because of incredible advances in analytic instruments and crucial procedures at both the crime scene and in the lab. Many practices have gone digital, a concept not even fathomed ten years ago. And from the first collection of evidence to its lab analysis and interpretation to its final presentation in court, ethics has become an overriding guiding principle. That’s why this new edition of this classic handbook is indispensable. The Forensic Laboratory Handbook Procedures and Practice includes thirteen new chapters written by real-life practitioners who are experts in the field. It covers the tried and true topics of fingerprints, trace evidence, chemistry, biology, explosives and arson, forensic anthropology, forensic pathology, forensic documents, firearms and toolmarks. This text also addresses an array of new topics including accreditation, certification, ethics, and how insects and bugs can assist in determining many facts including a margin of time of death. In the attempt to offer a complete and comprehensive analysis The Forensic Laboratory Handbook Procedures and Practice also includes a chapter discussing the design of a laboratory. In addition, each chapter contains educational requirements needed for the discipline it covers. Complete with questions at the end of each chapter, brief author bios and real crime scene photos, this text has risen to greet the many new challenges and issues that face today’s forensic crime practitioners.

Download or read book The Evaluation of Forensic DNA Evidence written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1996-12-12 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1992 the National Research Council issued DNA Technology in Forensic Science, a book that documented the state of the art in this emerging field. Recently, this volume was brought to worldwide attention in the murder trial of celebrity O. J. Simpson. The Evaluation of Forensic DNA Evidence reports on developments in population genetics and statistics since the original volume was published. The committee comments on statements in the original book that proved controversial or that have been misapplied in the courts. This volume offers recommendations for handling DNA samples, performing calculations, and other aspects of using DNA as a forensic toolâ€"modifying some recommendations presented in the 1992 volume. The update addresses two major areas: Determination of DNA profiles. The committee considers how laboratory errors (particularly false matches) can arise, how errors might be reduced, and how to take into account the fact that the error rate can never be reduced to zero. Interpretation of a finding that the DNA profile of a suspect or victim matches the evidence DNA. The committee addresses controversies in population genetics, exploring the problems that arise from the mixture of groups and subgroups in the American population and how this substructure can be accounted for in calculating frequencies. This volume examines statistical issues in interpreting frequencies as probabilities, including adjustments when a suspect is found through a database search. The committee includes a detailed discussion of what its recommendations would mean in the courtroom, with numerous case citations. By resolving several remaining issues in the evaluation of this increasingly important area of forensic evidence, this technical update will be important to forensic scientists and population geneticistsâ€"and helpful to attorneys, judges, and others who need to understand DNA and the law. Anyone working in laboratories and in the courts or anyone studying this issue should own this book.

Download or read book Crime Laboratory Management written by Jami J. St. Clair and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Crime laboratory management is the first book to address the duties, responsibilities and issues involved with managing a crime laboratory. The book counters the common misconceptions generated by television programs and the media that crime labs can perform 'miracles in minutes' by providing practical information to law enforcement, forensic scientists students, medical examiners, lawyers and crime scene investigators regarding crime laboratory operation

Download or read book DNA Technology in Forensic Science written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1992-02-01 with total page 199 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Matching DNA samples from crime scenes and suspects is rapidly becoming a key source of evidence for use in our justice system. DNA Technology in Forensic Science offers recommendations for resolving crucial questions that are emerging as DNA typing becomes more widespread. The volume addresses key issues: Quality and reliability in DNA typing, including the introduction of new technologies, problems of standardization, and approaches to certification. DNA typing in the courtroom, including issues of population genetics, levels of understanding among judges and juries, and admissibility. Societal issues, such as privacy of DNA data, storage of samples and data, and the rights of defendants to quality testing technology. Combining this original volume with the new update-The Evaluation of Forensic DNA Evidence-provides the complete, up-to-date picture of this highly important and visible topic. This volume offers important guidance to anyone working with this emerging law enforcement tool: policymakers, specialists in criminal law, forensic scientists, geneticists, researchers, faculty, and students.

Download or read book Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2009-07-29 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scores of talented and dedicated people serve the forensic science community, performing vitally important work. However, they are often constrained by lack of adequate resources, sound policies, and national support. It is clear that change and advancements, both systematic and scientific, are needed in a number of forensic science disciplines to ensure the reliability of work, establish enforceable standards, and promote best practices with consistent application. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward provides a detailed plan for addressing these needs and suggests the creation of a new government entity, the National Institute of Forensic Science, to establish and enforce standards within the forensic science community. The benefits of improving and regulating the forensic science disciplines are clear: assisting law enforcement officials, enhancing homeland security, and reducing the risk of wrongful conviction and exoneration. Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States gives a full account of what is needed to advance the forensic science disciplines, including upgrading of systems and organizational structures, better training, widespread adoption of uniform and enforceable best practices, and mandatory certification and accreditation programs. While this book provides an essential call-to-action for congress and policy makers, it also serves as a vital tool for law enforcement agencies, criminal prosecutors and attorneys, and forensic science educators.

Download or read book Animal Investigators written by Laurel A. Neme and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2009-04-07 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inside the Clark R. Bavin U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory lies a rarely seen world, a CSI for wildlife, where a walk-in freezer contains carcasses and animal parts awaiting necropsies (animal autopsies); shelves and drawers hold pills, rugs, carvings, and countless other products made from parts of endangered animals; and a dedicated group of forensic scientists is responsible for victims from thirty thousand animal species. Accomplished environmental journalist Laurel A. Neme goes behind the scenes at the wildlife forensics lab -- the only crime lab of its kind -- to reveal how its forensic scientists and the agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are working to investigate wildlife crimes, protect endangered species, and stem illegal wildlife trafficking, the third largest illegal trade in the world. In three fascinating cases -- headless walrus washed up on the shores of Alaska, black bears killed for the healing powers of their gallbladders, and gorgeous feathered headdresses secretly shipped to the United States from the Amazon -- Neme traces the USFWS's daring undercover investigations and how the scientists' innovative forensic techniques provide conclusive evidence of a crime. Throughout, she underscores the staggering international scope of the supply and demand for wildlife and animal parts. Filled with the suspense and thrilling detail of a crime novel yet driven by the all-too-real drama of a small band of scientists and investigators battling a lucrative, high-stakes underground industry, Animal Investigators is an engrossing account of crime and cutting-edge science.

Download or read book Toxicology Cases for the Clinical and Forensic Laboratory written by Hema Ketha and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2020-06-20 with total page 542 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Toxicology Cases for the Clinical and Forensic Laboratory brings together carefully selected case studies to teach important principles relating to drug and toxin exposures. Each case study includes contemporary clinical and forensic toxicologist studies that include a comprehensive analytical and clinical approach to patient management and address overdoses from designer drugs, to NSAIDS, to opioids, to stimulants. These cases present a comprehensive, analytical and clinical approach to managing a drug overdose. This is a must-have reference for clinical and forensic laboratory scientists, along with toxicology and pathology residents who need to know aspects of both. - Brings together expert cases encompassing analytical toxicology, clinical medicine and basic science in a consolidated format - Presents unique and challenging cases in clinical laboratories contributed by experts in the field - Consolidated format that make concepts in toxicology easy to learn and teach - Key learning points highlighted with multiple choice questions

Download or read book Autopsy of a Crime Lab written by Brandon L. Garrett and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2021-03-23 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book exposes the dangerously imperfect forensic evidence that we rely on for criminal convictions. "That's not my fingerprint, your honor," said the defendant, after FBI experts reported a "100-percent identification." The FBI was wrong. It is shocking how often they are. Autopsy of a Crime Lab is the first book to catalog the sources of error and the faulty science behind a range of well-known forensic evidence, from fingerprints and firearms to forensic algorithms. In this devastating forensic takedown, noted legal expert Brandon L. Garrett poses the questions that should be asked in courtrooms every day: Where are the studies that validate the basic premises of widely accepted techniques such as fingerprinting? How can experts testify with 100-percent certainty about a fingerprint, when there is no such thing as a 100 percent match? Where is the quality control at the crime scenes and in the laboratories? Should we so readily adopt powerful new technologies like facial recognition software and rapid DNA machines? And why have judges been so reluctant to consider the weaknesses of so many long-accepted methods? Taking us into the lives of the wrongfully convicted or nearly convicted, into crime labs rocked by scandal, and onto the front lines of promising reform efforts driven by professionals and researchers alike, Autopsy of a Crime Lab illustrates the persistence and perniciousness of shaky science and its well-meaning practitioners.

Download or read book Digital Forensics and Incident Response written by Gerard Johansen and published by Packt Publishing Ltd. This book was released on 2017-07-24 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A practical guide to deploying digital forensic techniques in response to cyber security incidents About This Book Learn incident response fundamentals and create an effective incident response framework Master forensics investigation utilizing digital investigative techniques Contains real-life scenarios that effectively use threat intelligence and modeling techniques Who This Book Is For This book is targeted at Information Security professionals, forensics practitioners, and students with knowledge and experience in the use of software applications and basic command-line experience. It will also help professionals who are new to the incident response/digital forensics role within their organization. What You Will Learn Create and deploy incident response capabilities within your organization Build a solid foundation for acquiring and handling suitable evidence for later analysis Analyze collected evidence and determine the root cause of a security incident Learn to integrate digital forensic techniques and procedures into the overall incident response process Integrate threat intelligence in digital evidence analysis Prepare written documentation for use internally or with external parties such as regulators or law enforcement agencies In Detail Digital Forensics and Incident Response will guide you through the entire spectrum of tasks associated with incident response, starting with preparatory activities associated with creating an incident response plan and creating a digital forensics capability within your own organization. You will then begin a detailed examination of digital forensic techniques including acquiring evidence, examining volatile memory, hard drive assessment, and network-based evidence. You will also explore the role that threat intelligence plays in the incident response process. Finally, a detailed section on preparing reports will help you prepare a written report for use either internally or in a courtroom. By the end of the book, you will have mastered forensic techniques and incident response and you will have a solid foundation on which to increase your ability to investigate such incidents in your organization. Style and approach The book covers practical scenarios and examples in an enterprise setting to give you an understanding of how digital forensics integrates with the overall response to cyber security incidents. You will also learn the proper use of tools and techniques to investigate common cyber security incidents such as malware infestation, memory analysis, disk analysis, and network analysis.

Download or read book Forensic Science Laboratories written by John Byrd and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2014-06-24 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In November 1996, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Law Enforcement Standards Office (OLES), and the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors held a joint workshop to develop guidelines for planning, designing, constructing, and moving into crime laboratories. The workshop's by-product, Forensic Laboratories: Handbook for Facility Planning, Design, Construction, and Moving, was published in April 1998 and was still in use up to the publication of this update. Over the 15 years since its original publication, however, significant changes have developed within the design and construction industry, specifically in regards to its focus on energy and sustainability. Additionally, dramatic advances in forensic science and research, and the resultant increased demand for forensic services have necessitated this first update to the 1998 handbook.

Download or read book Forensic Science Under Siege written by Kelly Pyrek and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2010-07-27 with total page 562 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forensic science laboratories' reputations have increasingly come under fire. Incidents of tainted evidence, false reports, allegations of negligence, scientifically flawed testimony, or - worse yet - perjury in in-court testimony, have all served to cast a shadow over the forensic sciences. Instances of each are just a few of the quality-related charges made in the last few years. Forensic Science Under Siege is the first book to integrate and explain these problematic trends in forensic science. The issues are timely, and are approached from an investigatory, yet scholarly and research-driven, perspective. Leading experts are consulted and interviewed, including directors of highly visible forensic laboratories, as well as medical examiners and coroners who are commandeering the discussions related to these issues. Interviewees include Henry Lee, Richard Saferstein, Cyril Wecht, and many others. The ultimate consequences of all these pressures, as well as the future of forensic science, has yet to be determined. This book examines these challenges, while also exploring possible solutions (such as the formation of a forensic science consortium to address specific legislative issues). It is a must-read for all forensic scientists. - Provides insight on the current state of forensic science, demands, and future direction as provided by leading experts in the field - Consolidates the current state of standards and best-practices of labs across disciplines - Discusses a controversial topic that must be addressed for political support and financial funding of forensic science to improve

Download or read book Materials Analysis in Forensic Science written by Max M. Houck and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2016-05-27 with total page 532 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Materials Analysis in Forensic Science will serve as a graduate level text for those studying and teaching materials analysis in forensic science. In addition, it will prove an excellent library reference for forensic practitioners to use in their casework. Coverage includes methods, textiles, explosives, glass, coatings, geo-and bio-materials, and marks and impressions, as well as information on various other materials and professional issues the reader may encounter. Edited by a world-renowned leading forensic expert, the book is a long overdue solution for the forensic science community. - Provides basic principles of forensic science and an overview of materials analysis - Contains information on a wide variety of trace evidence - Covers methods, textiles, explosives, glass, coatings, geo-and bio-materials, and marks and impressions, as well as various other materials - Includes a section on professional issues, such as discussions of the crime scene to court process, lab reports, health and safety, and field deployable devices - Incorporates effective pedagogy, key terms, review questions, discussion questions, and additional reading suggestions