U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Investigation of Serological Evidence - A Manual for Field Investigators

NCJ Number
93570
Author(s)
S M Hunt
Date Published
1984
Length
84 pages
Annotation
Intended for uniformed officers and field investigators, this text presents the latest methodology for the field investigation, analysis, and individualization of serological evidence.
Abstract
The first section focuses on field investigation, including recovery techniques, identification at the crime scene, interpretation of blood stains, and collecting and packaging serological evidence. Following a discussion of general techniques for the recovery of physical evidence, attention is given to characteristics of the three most common types of serological evidence encountered by the investigator: blood, semen, and saliva; some useful techniques for recognizing and identifying this evidence at crime scenes are described. A chapter is devoted to the interpretation of bloodstains, including a procedure for estimating the quantity of blood at the scene. A chapter on recording serological evidence gives advice on notetaking, crime scene sketching, and photography. The following chapter presents the legal and scientific requirements of evidence collection as well as general techniques that can be used to collect blood and semen. The second section presents chapters on the identification, origin determinations, and individualization of serological evidence. The appendix details roll-call training techniques for reviewing and reinforcing the material presented. A glossary, tables, figures, 170 notes, and a subject index are included.

Downloads

No download available

Availability