Forensics
The study of a crime and how it was committed
A Crime Scene
Blood is splattered on a wall. A window is shattered. Shards of metal are stuck in the carpet. Welcome to the crime scene! Last night, at 10:00 pm, you heard an ear-piercing scream come from your neighbor's home. You do not know why he/she screamed, but you are scared of what happened. After a few minutes, you see a dark figure slip through your neighbor's window, and you decide to call the police. The police arrive along with a forensic (fo-ren-zik) scientist and they investigate and call you, a witness, over to where they are and ask you a couple of questions. You give your answers to the best of your ability and they let you go back to your house. The police stay a little while longer and prevent others from trespassing onto the crime scene while the forensic scientist investigates the premises and the body. The police chief tells you that he and his force will find the murderer and see to it that he or she is punished to the full extent of the law.
This forensic scientist is trying to lift evidence from this boot that was left behind at a crime scene. This is a very helpful tactic in solving a crime.
Evidence. What is it? How do you find it?
Evidence is any clue that can be found from observing a crime scene. There are many different types of evidence, for example: blood spots, fingerprints, stains, weapons, plants, shoe or footprints, and many others. Each of form of evidence is useful in numerous ways; however, not all evidence can lead to the perpetrator of the crime. Fingerprinting is one of the most essential ways of solving a case because it takes a fingerprint that is lifted from a crime and matches the unique minutiae (mi-noo-sha) points of the finger to someone in a certain town or many towns in which the forensic scientists believe the killer or perpetrator resides. The evidence and clues that a forensic scientist finds in a crime scene can aid significantly in solving a case and maybe even in changing one's life for the better.
Who are the people involved?
Many people believe that there is only one type of forensic scientist, but there are actually numerous groups of workers involved. Each person in the crime lab has a different job to do. For example, pathologists check a victim's body temperature to tell when or how he or she died, serologists study blood samples and DNA to identify a killer, and anthropologists identify victims who are buried or burned, using different body parts as a tool. There are many others involved in solving a case, each with their own versatility and resourcefulness.
The Flash 1X01 Barry's Job