NCJ Number
81034
Date Published
1951
Length
235 pages
Annotation
This manual served as the textbook for a Wisconsin institute designed as a short course to demonstrate and explain some of the proper uses of laboratory aids to law enforcement in criminal matters and to show how this technical service can be used to best advantage by the courts and district attorneys in preparing cases.
Abstract
The first section of the manual describes the structure and work of the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory. This includes consideration of its purpose and services; its location, hours, and facilities; its administrative procedures and policies; and the general types of examinations the laboratory is prepared to undertake. A sample lab report jacket is included, along with a sample referral sheet for case data from a submitting enforcement agency and a description of the Crime Laboratory Field Unit. The second section of the manual focuses on the products of the lab's investigations of various types of physical evidence. Topics covered include the collection, labeling, preservation, and packing of physical evidence; the pathologist and toxicologist in criminal investigations; photography; fingerprints; interviewing witnesses; and polygraph tests and interrogations. The types of cases considered are auto hit-and-run, sex offenses, gunshots, burglary, and questioned document examination. The concluding section of the manual considers tests for alcoholic intoxication under the topics of scientific tests for alcohol intoxication, some practical aspects of chemical tests for intoxication, and how Wisconsin courts have interpreted the law. Photographic illustrations and charts are provided.