First Unit Responder: A Guide to Physical Evidence Collection for Patrol Officers

Book Description

"Physical evidence cannot be wrong; it cannot perjure itself; it cannot be wholly absent. Only its interpretation can err. Only human failure to find it, study and understand it, can diminish its value." -Presiding Judge, Harris v U.S., 331 U.S. 145 (1947) HOW TO MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY OF THE CRIME SCENE WHILE CONDUCTING AN INVESTIGATION First Unit Responder: A Guide to Physical Evidence Collection for Patrol Officers is a training guide and reference for patrol officers and criminal investigators, who conduct preliminary investigations of crime scenes, to aid in identification, collection, and booking of physical evidence. Written by a veteran of 24 years of law enforcement, the book stresses the importance of understanding the critical nature of physical evidence and preservation of the crime scene as part of the case against a criminal defendant. This book is an important tool for police academies that train recruits and veteran patrol officers, as well as for students of criminal justice who seek guidelines for proper collection and handling of physical evidence.

Customer Reviews:

First Unit Responder.......2007-01-11

Very good and detailed. A good compilation and overview if you have read or use other crime scene guidelines. It hits the highlights and provides good review tests.

"Excellent start for novice or those interested in CSI".......2002-04-08

Mark R. Hawthorne's "First Unit Responder," CRC Press 1999, ISBN 0-9493-002-1, is a 6 chapter 98-page guide book for uniformed officers working in the field who frequently are the first to arrive for a potential crime scene investigation(CSI).
Hawthorne gives us an easy-to-read introduction to basic CSI response that includes definition of various physical evidence characteristics (individual versus class), implementation of CSI response protocol (ARISN), identification & documentation of evidence, evidence collection (do's & don'ts), fingerprint/glove appreciation, case review with ADA and testimony tips for the non-specialist officer & a 12-page illustrated appendix showing evidentiary items. Each chapter didactic is followed with a (dozen or so) basic question & answer section with explanations.
The author's impressive credentials in both field and teaching experiences helped condense important basic CSI issues into a short and easily-read synopsis that includes 20 good bibliographic entries and a thorough 6-page index. A few trivial grammatical flaws are readily discharged, but difficult to justify given computers with spell-checkers, etc.

Rookies or veterans, Cops to firefighters to EMT's.......2001-04-18

As a law enforcement instructor at a police training facility, I found this book to be fantastic for the new recruits we train. As a retired police officer/Crime Scene Analyst, I also realized it would be great for some veteren officers and non-law enforcement personnel to review. Mark Hawthorne has kept the technical information on an easily understandable level. He has covered, in 90 pages, what would take hours of personal instruction. I found the test questions and answers extremely helpful in preparing reviews. This book can be picked up by the patrol officer, and if READ, could furnish much of the information to properly document most any crime scene. I would recommend this book to any basic law enforcement instructor or new police officer.

The Investigation of Organic Reactions and Their Mechanisms

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The Investigation of Organic Reactions and Their Mechanisms

Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General & Reference | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books

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Modern Physical Organic Chemistry
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ASIN: 140513142X

Book Description

A range of alternative mechanisms can usually be postulated for most organic chemical reactions, and identification of the most likely requires detailed investigation. Investigation of Organic Reactions and their Mechanisms will serve as a guide for the trained chemist who needs to characterise an organic chemical reaction and investigate its mechanism, but who is not an expert in physical organic chemistry.Such an investigation will lead to an understanding of which bonds are broken, which are made, and the order in which these processes happen. This information and knowledge of the associated kinetic and thermodynamic parameters are central to the development of safe, efficient, and profitable industrial chemical processes, and to extending the synthetic utility of new chemical reactions in chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing, and academic environments.Written as a coherent account of the principal methods currently used in mechanistic investigations, at a level accessible to academic researchers and graduate chemists in industry, the book is highly practical in approach. The contributing authors, an international group of expert practitioners of the techniques covered, illustrate their contributions by examples from their own research and from the relevant wider chemical literature. The book covers basic aspects such as product analysis, kinetics, catalysis, and investigation of reactive intermediates. It also includes material on significant recent developments, e.g. computational chemistry, calorimetry, and electrochemistry, in addition to topics of high current industrial relevance, e.g. reactions in multiphase systems, and synthetically useful reactions involving free radicals and catalysis by organometallic compounds.

Average customer rating:

Title promises too much...

Metallurgy of Failure Analysis
A. K. Das
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0070158045

Book Description

Complete Investigative Toolkit for Metal Failure-Design or Process

Whether the problem is corrosion on the working surfaces of valuable or life-essential machinery, breakdowns in linchpin equipment, or life-threatening faults in air- or spacecraft, the causes must be found so that future disasters may be prevented. Metallurgy of Failure Analysis puts the tools for finding the answers in your hands.

A complete guide to all types of metal failure, both design and process, it features: coverage of faults due to casting, forging, welding, machining, and heat treatment; analysis of the concepts and mechanisms of fatigue, stress corrosion, hydrogen embrittlement, and more; remedial measure for corrosion, overload, fatigue, and wear; investigative procedures including destructive, nondestructive, and fractographic analysis.

Customer Reviews:

Title promises too much..........2001-07-19

The author is an expert in failure analysis in the aerospace industry, and seems to have a fairly good background in that field. The great merit of the book is to discuss the fundamentals of failure and related topics form a metallurgist's point of view. However, most of the relevant part of the book is overly concentrated on discussions of case studies of failures in aerospace parts. Other case studies, such as failures in automotive parts, are lacking. Highly recommended if one works in the aerospace industry, but not as useful for professionals of other fields of activity.

Bone Voyage: A Journey in Forensic Anthropology

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Excellent forensic anthropology book!
Enjoyable, informational, morbidly funny
Moments of Goodness in Pages of Self-Absorbtion
"Bone Voyage" Definitely worth your reading time
Good book by a good teacher of forensic anthropology

Bone Voyage: A Journey in Forensic Anthropology
Stanley Rhine
Manufacturer: University of New Mexico Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Dead Men Do Tell Tales: The Strange and Fascinating Cases of a Forensic Anthropologist
Introduction to Forensic Anthropology: A Textbook (2nd Edition)
The Human Bone Manual
The Bone Lady: Life as a Forensic Anthropologist
Bones: A Forensic Detective's Casebook

ASIN: 0826319688

Book Description

A husband preserved in mothballs, a vigilante victim encased in red mud, and convicts beaten and burned in a prison riot are only a few of the cases of death examined here by forensic anthropologist Stanley Rhine. Drawing on cases he worked for the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, Rhine demonstrates how unidentified skeletal remains indicate race, sex, age, height, and ultimately identity and how the specialist decodes skeletal anomalies to establish cause of death. Blunt trauma, gunshot and knife wounds, and other injuries receive his attention.

Step by step the author explains the techniques used to solve forensic mysteries. At the end of each case, he explains what lessons the forensic anthropologist learns from the bones. Rhine also explores specific problems and tasks: working mass disasters; recovering bodies from the field; defleshing bones; examining charred and badly decomposed remains; testifying before juries; and others.

A lively account of the role of the forensic anthropologist in the Office of the Medical Investigator—recovering bodies, establishing identities, and solving the puzzles of death.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent forensic anthropology book!.......2003-01-22

This is a thoroughly interesting and entertaining book about Rhine's experiences as a forensic anthropologist in the state of New Mexico. Anyone interested in forensic anthropology forensics in general should give this book a try...I may be biased because Stan Rhine is a professor emeritus of the University of New Mexico, where I am a student, but this book is absolutely wonderful!

Enjoyable, informational, morbidly funny.......2002-05-03

For those of you interested in working in the field of forensics (a seemingly popular job choice in recent times), this book is a must read. Rhine engages the reader by telling a number of tales; for example, the puzzling discovery of a body that looked female, but wearing male clothes, and how he determined the sex of the individual. He even tells us in a quite funny essay how he made enemies of the museum staff by boiling off the soft tissue of a body and causing people to vomit on the museum floor.

All in all, a very practical view into the field. Rhine does not attempt to romanticize the profession; he merely tells his stories the way they should be told- very matter of factly. The book is funny at times, but his humor does not overshadow the information conveyed here.

Moments of Goodness in Pages of Self-Absorbtion.......2001-11-02

Well, if you are a member of the "Good-Old-Boys" club in New Mexico, this is the exact book for you!! Other than that, this book only flashes occassionally with interesting notions and bright ideas. Though I really wanted to enjoy this book [and tried to do so regardless of the Self-Absorbed blather] it was somewhat of a struggle. Perhaps if the author had left out all the back-slapping self congratulatory drivel, this would have been a top-quality presentation. SIGH, you must read between the drivel to get to the content. The content is nice but too cluttered for my taste.

"Bone Voyage" Definitely worth your reading time.......2001-07-17

"Bone Voyage" is absolutely one of the best books on Forensic Anthropology that I've ever read! I was very impressed with the detail, and every base was covered, from balistics to the examination of the criminal mind. This book had some pictures, I would have liked more, but with the descriptions given by the author, I guess more pictures would not have been necessary. The book was broken down in to a lot of short chapters dealing with one case per chapter, unlike several books I've read where it's just one long run on of several different cases. This book was very organized in its writing and its reading. I've read a lot of books on the subject of Forensic Anthropology, and this book is definitely worth another reading. DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED.

Good book by a good teacher of forensic anthropology.......1999-10-29

I am biased--Stan Rhine was a professor of mine at UNM. His book reads much like his delivery in class. Stan is an excellent storyteller and a solid forensic anthropologist. His 30+ years as a forensic investiagtor have led him into many adventures. The best of these he relates in this book. I myself have handled the skeletal evidence from some of these cases. While his investigations lack the notariety of say, Clyde Snow's or Bill Maples', the experiences are no less entertaining. I heartily recommend this book for its subtle humor and educational value.

Forensic Anthropology Training Manual, The

Average customer rating:

GREAT BOOK
THIS BOOK IS GREAT!!!!
A comprehensive text for my students. Highly recommended!

Forensic Anthropology Training Manual, The
Karen Ramey Burns
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Plastic Comb

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Similar Items:

Hard Evidence: Case Studies in Forensic Anthropology
The Human Bone Manual
Introduction to Forensic Anthropology: A Textbook (2nd Edition)
Human Osteology, Second Edition
Flesh and Bone: An Introduction to Forensic Anthropology

ASIN: 0130105767

Book Description

This new book focuses on the challenges and responsibilities of the forensic scientist, the multidisciplinary nature of the work, and the international potential for the forensic sciences. An excellent introduction to the realities of the profession of forensic scientist. Trains in the description and analysis of human skeletal and dental remains. Offers a well-illustrated approach to osteology training, including: a concentration on vocabulary-building, the use of case studies, and a structured approach to skeletal analysis and report-writing. An excellent text for those considering the field of forensic science.

Customer Reviews:

GREAT BOOK.......2007-07-18

I used this book for my Intro to Foensic Anbthropology class and continued to use it in Grad School. It is the only book I can find that has age determination from sternal rib ends.(not even "Standards" has it). HIGHLY recommend!

THIS BOOK IS GREAT!!!!.......2003-10-14

I am physician-lawyer from the Philippines. I practice in the field of Clinical Forensic Medicine with special interest in Forensic Anthropology. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in forensics-be they lawyers, physicians, judges and law enforcement officers. This book is "the" book if you want to get started in forensic anthropology and forensic osteology.It provides an introduction to osteology and how it is used to determine age, sex and race. The book outlines the basics of laboratory analysis of skeletal remains, field methods used in forensic anthropology,documentation, report writing, court testimony, and human rights application of forensic anthropology. Forensic forms used in actual cases are even included.

The book is highly recommended to students of forensic anthropology and a must read for professionals from other subspeciaties of forensics, lawyers and judges who deal with forensic cases.

A comprehensive text for my students. Highly recommended!.......1999-08-04

I am using this text in the anthropology lab with my students of Introduction to Forensic Sciences. As a former student of Dr. Ramey Burns, I am convinced she is an excellent educator who enjoys working with new generations of forensic scientists. Students from First World societies find chapter 15 extremely helpful in our seminar discussions about the importance to learn and to respect local cultures when investigating all sort of crimes. For the next edition of the manual, I would like to recommend the inclusion of scientific advancements in Latin America the author has contributed to develop. For instance, normative standards from populations with Latin American biological affiliation may be used in the identification of skeletal remains here in North America.

Silent Witness: How Forensic Anthropology Is Used to Solve the World's Toughest Crimes

Average customer rating:

"SW:..." -- is a Grave Disappointment...!!!
Poorly written, not at all informative
an excellent book
A Beautiful Book

Silent Witness: How Forensic Anthropology Is Used to Solve the World's Toughest Crimes
Roxana Ferllini
Manufacturer: Firefly Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Dead Men Do Tell Tales: The Strange and Fascinating Cases of a Forensic Anthropologist
Bones: A Forensic Detective's Casebook
The Bone Lady: Life as a Forensic Anthropologist
The Forensic Casebook: The Science of Crime Scene Investigation
The Bone Detectives: How Forensic Anthropologists Solve Crimes and Uncover Mysteries of the Dead

ASIN: 1552976254

Book Description

"Bones have an uncanny knack of holding important clues as to the fate of the individuals to whom they belonged."

As portrayed in mystery novels and more than nine television shows including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, American Justice and City Confidential, forensic anthropologists work in an environment where the stakes are high, the pressure is intense, and their findings are vital in criminal investigations. It's a fascinating and often dramatic world.

Go behind the scenes with forensic anthropologists and learn about their techniques, how they locate a body, how they carefully uncover evidence, and how the unique characteristics of each body bears silent witness to age, sex, cause of death and clues as to who or what was responsible.

With 29 real-life case studies and more than 350 color photographs and illustrations, Silent Witness is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the world of forensics.

Customer Reviews:

"SW:..." -- is a Grave Disappointment...!!! .......2005-02-24

"Silent Witness:..." by Roxanna Ferllini (Timms), NY, Firefly Books, 2002 - ISBN 1-55297-625-6 (pbk.), 7x10 in., 192 pg., has many photos; glossary, index & bibliography are short.

"SW:..." invitingly promises more than it gives: It has an bold enticing cover, c. 300 ample-sized full-color photos of crime scenes, criminals, forensic trace evidences & diverse illustrations, etc., on premium stock semi-gloss paper -- obviously a very expensive printing, especially for paperback.

Table of contents lists 8 chapters: History of Forensic Anthropology, Bone Talk, Exhumations, Surface Bodies, Altered Remains, Air Disasters, Fires/Explosives & Human Rights.

The talky text has many deficiencies: Throughout, it is overly rambling & verbose, i.e., (pg. 157) "Fingerprinting was one of the various processes utilized, and identifications were also made by molecular biologists who applied DNA analysis." Why not say "DNA & fingerprints were used for identification" and use 7 instead of 20 words? Author uses abject word choices, solecism or inaccuracies in medical/forensic phrasing as, i.e., (pg. 27) "since female humans are predisposed to pregnancy and childbirth" is non-comedic, corny. Why not say "childbearing women" and use 2 not 9 words. And, (p. 31), "cygomatics" referencing cheekbones should be "zygomatics", but problematical is wandering & wayword use of medical/forensic jargon as might a lay person.

The author's credentials (MA in Biol. Anthro.) are restricted to a 2" small space on the inside back cover & indicates she worked with UK Foreign Office as Forensic Anthropologist in Kosovo and for UN in Rwanda, and her interest in facial reproduction, political conflicts, genocide, & human rights is notable & praiseworthy. Thusly, her final Chapter 8 on Human Rights is the single textual useful strong point of "SW:..."

In summary, the book is geared to HS grade level of introductory forensics -- it has many excellent & remarkably good photographs & few hints of favorable text. What this book needs is an insightful editor who could salvage the text of "SW:..." to gain more serious readership, but Chapter 8 is okay.

Poorly written, not at all informative.......2005-02-12

This book is like reading a trashy tabloid - lots of flashy big colour photos, low on substance. Obviously trying to cash in on current interest in forensics, each chapter is poorly written and is accompanied with 3 or 4 case studies.

The material in each chapter seems to be just common sense any adult could write about after doing minimal research and the case studies are too short, repetitive and sometimes don't even make sense.

Very disappointing. I suspect this book is intended for age group around 8-15 although it never says this anywhere.

an excellent book.......2003-01-09

i picked this book up at the library because i am fascinated by forensics. this book is an excellent source for someone interested in the subject, it is divided into subject chapters with details and photos of real cases. it explains terms very well, i feel anyone interested in forensics would enjoy this book.

A Beautiful Book.......2002-09-08

Every so often you come across a book that is just beautiful. You can tell that hours and hours have been put into the design, the layout and the collection of photographs and other graphics to make this book truly stand out from the crowd. This is one of those books.

The writing is of a very high standard, with some interesting forensic information that I haven't seen before in other books of this type. In my opinion the author strikes just the right balance of detail; not too light but also not to deep and heavy (after all, this isn't a text book for forensic scientists!)

The photographs and case histories have obviously been carefully selected; it would have been all too easy to choose extremely violent and graphic artwork full of blood and gore (criminal forensics is a violent business, after all), but the author has not done this, instead picking out artwork that clearly illustrate her text.

Book Description

The first non-fictional account by a female expert in the field of forensic anthropology, this book is a collection of short stories about forensic and bioarchaeology cases in Louisiana. Raised in a family of storytellers, the author weaves the history of her family into the accounts of her cases which include those that are both solved and unsolved. This account also illustrates how determination on one woman's part made it possible for her to rise to the top in an often male dominated field.

Customer Reviews:

The Bone Lady.......2007-08-10

Everyone who opens this book will not put it down until it's finished! I have spoken with Dr. Manheim regarding her forensic work. She is,undoubtedly,one of the most entertaining, knowledgable and caring teachers I have ever encountered. I look forward to her next book.

Interesting--Needs More.......2007-01-12

After hearing Mary Manhein speak I was very interested in her book. In the book she did record many cases, and gave a pretty good overview of the field. The best part of the book was her retelling what brought her to become a forensic anthropologist. I was disappointed at the lack of real detail and depth in talking about the cases and the politics of the field.

The Bone Lady: Life as a Forensic Anthropologist.......2006-03-06

This is a wonderful book. It is fun to read about Mary Manheim's childhood and her career and the cases she has worked on. The short chapters focus on particular cases she has helped solve. It is sprinkled through out with stories of life in Louisiana.

Skip it, its just fluff.......2006-02-14

Don't waste your time or money on this one as there are far better forensic books out there. This book was just a collection of short narratives reading more like a personal diary than any kind of scientific narrative laying out the facts of cases. I guess it lives up to its subtitle of "Life as a Forensic Anthropologist" in that she usually presents only HER part in each case with little presentation of the entire case. The forensic cases are not really the star of this book, the author is. I was frustrated with the lack of depth. Instead, read "The Body Farm" by Bill Bass. Excellent storytelling there! He gives you personal stories, but also provides all the fascinating forensic info to provide a complete picture for the cases he has investigated.

No there there.......2005-08-20

I found this book quite tedious, since the author makes the fundamental mistake of thinking the subject of the book should be herself instead of her work. There is almost no information on forensic anthropology; her descriptions of cases are very short and center mainly on how she felt about them, rather than what the actual details were. From the cover and the blurbs I expected actual case histories; the book doesn't deliver. The book as written would really only be interesting to people who know the author personally.

Windover: Multidisciplinary Investigations of an Early Archaic Florida Cemetery (Florida Museum of Natural History Ripley P. Bullen Series)

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Windover: Multidisciplinary Investigations of an Early Archaic Florida Cemetery (Florida Museum of Natural History Ripley P. Bullen Series)

Manufacturer: University Press of Florida
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0813025109

Book Description

With respect to the bog burial tradition, Florida is unique, producing one of the largest inventories of North American skeletal remains older than 6,000 years. Near Titusville, Florida, in 1984, excavations began at the Windover archaeological site, the New World's largest cemetery of this antiquity. This book is the first complete summary of the multiple investigations conducted there by archaeologists and specialists from across the nation and provides the first detailed overview of the population, and in particular the mortuary customs, from this Early Archaeic era.

The human remains uncovered at Windover are more numerous than at any site of its date and their preservation is truly phenomenal, making the site an unparalleled research opportunity. In addition to brain tissue, it houses the most complete inventory of organic articfacts that these early people manufactured and used, including a complex group of objects made from bone, antler, wood, and fabric seldom preserved in sites of this age and the largest collection of hand-woven materials from this period in the New World.

With increasing controversy surrounding the disturbance of Native American human burial sites and legislation designed to restrict investigation of such places, Windover may be one of the last large, truly unique cemetery investigations and analyses that American archaeology will undertake.

Two Hundred and Two Science Investigations: Exciting Adventures in Earth, Life, and Physical Sciences (Kids' Stuff)
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Educational purposes

Two Hundred and Two Science Investigations: Exciting Adventures in Earth, Life, and Physical Sciences (Kids' Stuff)
Marjorie Frank
Manufacturer: Incentive Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Picture-Perfect Science Lessons: Using Children's Books To Guide Inquiry; Grades 3-6

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Janice VanCleave's Earth Science for Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments that Really Work (Science for Every Kid Series)

ASIN: 0865301735

Customer Reviews:

Educational purposes.......2000-11-07

This book has many great ideas for students in the elementary grades. I have already used several ideas with students and they are very interested in the hands on learning experiences that this book provides. This book is well worth the investment.

Average customer rating:

The Investigation of the Physical World
Giuliano Toraldo di Francia
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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