When Words Fail: More Cop Terminology
Ambient Light – Light that occurs naturally (sunlight, moonlight, etc.).
Angle of Impact – The angle at which a blood drop strikes a surface.
Associative evidence – Evidence that links a person or an item to the scene of a crime.
Ballistics – Study of the motion of projectiles, such as the motion/travel of bullets from the time they leave a firearm until they strike a target.
Binary Explosive – Two chemicals/material/compounds which are not explosive until they are mixed.
Bubble Ring – An outline within a bloodstain caused by air in the blood.
Cartridge – An unfired round of ammunition.
Chain of custody – ensuring evidence is safe and trackable at all times.
Double Base – Smokeless powder containing both nitroglycerine and nitrocellulose.
DOT number − Department of Transportation serial number assigned to every tire sold in the U.S. The ID also provides information regarding the manufacturer, date of manufacture, and tire size.
Furrow – A valley or depression between fingerprint friction ridges.
Homogenization – preparing tissue for analysis by grinding it in water.
Ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) – Handheld chemical detection device used to identify blast material at a bombing site.
Latent − A fingerprint that’s not visible to the naked eye.
Lift − Recovering fingerprints from a crime scene.
Locard’s Exchange Principle – the theory that every person who enters or exits an area deposits and/or removes physical material from the scene.
Loupe – magnifier used for examining fingerprint details.
Magazine – A container for cartridges. Magazines feature a spring to feed individual cartridges into the chamber of a firearm.
Medico-legal death investigation (MDLI) – A medical investigation conducted by trained forensic medical practitioners for the purpose of determining the cause and manner of death.
Plastic Bonded Explosives (PBX) – A high explosive in a pliable plastic form, such s C4.
Post-mortem redistribution – Toxicological phenomenon where drug concentration increases after death.
Report – A loud sound produced by an explosion, such as a gunshot.
Rifling – Grooves carved/imprinted in the interior of a gun barrel. Grooves/rifling cause bullets to spin, an action needed for accuracy and to aid in the flight of the round.
Toxicity – the biological effect of a substance.
Trace evidence – Small quantities of physical evidence.
- Three classifications of fibers: 1) Natural (animal or plant fibers). 2) Synthetic (manmade materials such as polyester). 3) Manufactured (made from natural materials that are reorganized to create fibers, such as rayon).
Thank you, Lee!
Bookmarking this lecture. Nice facelift to the blog, Lee. Glad you’re archiving your old posts. Nine years. What a service you’ve performed. Thank you.