Police Presentation

Question 1

Define “forensic” and “forensic science

Answer 1

forensic: belonging to the courts of justice

forensic science: application of scientific knowlwdge to the purpose of the law

Question 2

Expert vs opinion

Answer 2

expert includes the supreme court of canada and provides a ready-made inference which the court, due to the scientific or technical nature of the facts, are unable to formulate.
opinion means any inference from observed facts

Question 3

What are the two basic sections players are “broken down” into?

Answer 3

1) investigators at the scene (police and coroners)
2) investigators and groups who act on the evidence that was collected at the scene (forensic pathologist, court, medical experts etc.)

Question 4

What is a coroner?

Answer 4

quasi-judicial investigator, independent from the police.

Question 5

Where do coroners get their authority from?

Answer 5

the Coroners Act, a piece of provincial legislation

Question 6

What is the role of the coroner?

Answer 6

Determines the identity of the deceased and the cause of death.
In charge of classifying death (natural, accidental, homicidal etc)

Question 7

What is one of the most important purposes of a coroner?

Answer 7

identify risk factors to prevent future deaths

Question 8

What does the coroner NOT do?

Answer 8

assign guilt or blame. They conduct a fact-fidning investigation. They do not necessarily have any medical training

Question 9

How does a coroner learn of a death?

Answer 9

people who know of a death must report to a peace officer who will relay the info or to the coroner directly

Question 10

What 6 things may a coroner do to investigate?

Answer 10

1) take possession of the body
2) examine the body
3) enter and inspect, any time or place (this includes body location present, where found, and where live person was perimortem)
4) enter/inspect a cemetery or other place where body have been chillin to look at the other body parts
5) take charge of any wreckage of a structure, vehicle, device etc
6) require a person to attend before the coroner and provide info

Question 11

Three possible outcomes of a coroner’s involvement

Answer 11

1) natural death (medical death certificate remains with physician)
2) coroner’s investigation (a report is written, the facts as determined by the investigation are released in a report
3) coroner’s inquest (proceedings from formal court to review the circumstances of death)

Question 12

A inquest is held if the coroner determines what would be beneficial?

Answer 12

1) addressing community concerns about a death
2) assisting in finding information about the deceased or circumstances around a death
3) drawing attention to a cause of death if such awareness can prevent future deaths

Question 13

W/o medical training, how does a coroner investigate aspects that require such knowledge?

Answer 13

Can issue warrants

They may authorize a medical practitioner or any other qualified persons

Question 14

What would this inquired person do?

Answer 14

a) a post-mortem examination, with or without dissection of the body
b) an analysis of the blood, urine or contents of the stomach and intestines
c) any other examination or analysis the coroner deems neccesary

Question 15

What are pathologists?

Answer 15

specialists in the the medical field in areas including anatomical pathology, medical biochemistry etc

Question 16

What does the hospital pathologist do usually and for what kind of deaths usually?

Answer 16

visual or full autopsy

usually done in cases where there is a belief that the cause of death is not due to a criminal act

Question 17

If there is reasonable belief that there is foul play involved, who conducts the autopsy?

Answer 17

forensic pathologist

Question 18

If specialized toxicology is required by a hospital pathologist, who does the work?

Answer 18

Provincial Toxicology centre

Question 19

What is a forensic pathologist in Canada?

Answer 19

trained to investigate the death itself from a medical and legal perspective

Question 20

Difference between Canadian and UD training for forensic pathologists?

Answer 20

1 extra year (total of 5 yeard M.D) in Canada vs. 2 years extra (totaly of 6 M.D.) in U.S.

Question 21

What do they learn in that extra year?

Answer 21

1) perform legit medicolegal autopsies to gather facts of death
2) multidisiplinary approach and recognize proper role
3) be a proper witness in the court of law

Question 22

What happens to human remains?

Answer 22

the coroner is responisble for the removal of the body and transpot to funeral home/morgue. This is if the body is deemed no onger required for investigation

Question 23

What does the ‘busy group’ in regards to police officers do?

Answer 23

first on the scene. They estabalish a perimeter, protect the evidence, work alongside fire/ambulance, and locate suspect (arrest and caution). ALso determine other officers that are needed

Question 24

Why must they perform proper as first to the scene

Answer 24

because a mistake here can destroy the validity of the evidence in the court room

Question 25

What do detectives do?

Answer 25

conduct preliminary investigation, take charge of suspects and witnesses, and work with FIS to develop the Forensic Science questions

Question 26

What do detectives need to do along thr way to the crime scene>

Answer 26

1) obtain warrants 2) preapare report for Crown counsel setting out the case 3) disclose all evidence to defense counsel 4) ensure that their witnesses attend court

Question 27

What do crime scene investogators (IDENT or FIS) do?

Answer 27

generally takes charge of the scene itself and excludes everyone else from it. haystck metaphor

Question 28

What does the forensic assesement Centre do?

Answer 28

determines what will be accepted by the lab in what order it will be examined by different sections

Question 29

What are some Biology services and what do they do?

Answer 29

biological evidence recovery, DNA analysis and reporting | they report DNA comparisons and enter DNA into crime scene index of the National DNA bank

Question 30

What are some toxicology services and what do they do?

Answer 30

1) detection of drugs and/or poison (cause of death) 2) unterpretation of the findings in terms of physiological and behavioral effects ("I was high and dont remember anything", estabalishng intoxicated behavior) 3) provides training, technical and scientific support to impaired driving investigations (alcohol breathe test, drug recognition expert program)

Question 31

what is the imprtance of trace evidence and explosives?

Answer 31

recoveringm identifying and comparing non-biological trace evidence. they try and match seized material to the trace material

Question 32

Firearm identifications?

Answer 32

whether a bullet was loaded and fired from a certain gun, make of the friearm from the ullet/catridge, LSO DETERMINING MUZZLE DISTANCE FROM THE TARGET

Question 33

toolmark identification

Answer 33

determining whether a tool mark impression was made by a given tool, determining the type of tool which may have created a mark if no tool was recovered

Question 34

Anti-counterfeiting bureau two areas of expertise?

Answer 34

counterfeits and documents

Question 35

What do integrated forensic identification services do?

Answer 35

the one group working out of the crime lab that attends crime scene. specialized in blood batter analysis, disaster vicim identification, an CBRNE response examination. Also fingerprint identification access system

Question 36

Definition of "expert"

Answer 36

provide the judge and jury with a ready-made inference which the judge and jury, due to the scientific or technical nature of the facts, are unable to formulate

Question 37

Forensic entomology

Answer 37

study of the insects on a corpse to determine elapsed time sine death. Also if the body was disturbed or moved

Question 38

Two major ways in determining elapsed time since death using bugs

Answer 38

1) using successional waves of insects | 2) using maggot age and development

Question 39

Forensic anthropology

Answer 39

application of the science of physical or biological anthroplogy to legal process.

Question 40

what are some questions for the forensic anth?

Answer 40

human or not? antemortem damage? perimortem damage? postmortem damage?

Question 41

Forensic odontology

Answer 41

identification of human remains where no other method may be possible. bite marks too

Question 42

What will the crown require?

Answer 42

the crown must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt

Question 43

what will defense require?

Answer 43

they need full disclosure, need the info that may not be favorable to the crown case

Question 44

What is the court know as?

Answer 44

"Trier of Fact"