Identification, Collection, And Preservation Of Evidence

Evidence can be grouped into categories involving the same color, size, model, brand, caliber, patterns, and other various descriptives. These items of evidence fall into groups of evidence having class characteristics, which display similarities but do not identify them as a match conclusively.
Items that match conclusively indicate that a certain item of evidence made impressions from normal wear or defects that make it unique. Only that item of evidence could have made those impressions or markings or only that item of evidence can be compared to another piece of evidence, showing that the two pieces were one. Those items of evidence have individual characteristics and to the exclusion of all others rule out any other similar item matching them.
List 3 items of evidence and what characteristics they might have that would be considered class characteristics. Relate why they fall into the category of class characteristics.
List 3 items of evidence and what characteristics that they might have that would be considered individual characteristics and how they match to the exclusion of all other items of a similar nature.

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Sample Answer

Sure, here are 3 items of evidence and their class characteristics:

1. A shoe print

  • Class characteristics: The size, shape, and tread pattern of the shoe print.
  • Why they fall into the category of class characteristics: These characteristics are shared by many different shoes, so they cannot be used to identify a specific shoe conclusively.

2. A bullet

  • Class characteristics: The caliber, make, and model of the gun that fired the bullet.
  • Why they fall into the category of class characteristics: These characteristics are shared by many different guns, so they cannot be used to identify a specific gun conclusively.

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3. A fingerprint

  • Class characteristics: The general pattern of the fingerprint, such as the whorls, loops, and arches.
  • Why they fall into the category of class characteristics: These characteristics are shared by many different people, so they cannot be used to identify a specific person conclusively.

Here are 3 items of evidence and their individual characteristics:

1. A bite mark

  • Individual characteristics: The unique shape and depth of the bite marks.
  • How they match to the exclusion of all other items of a similar nature: The bite marks can be compared to the teeth of a suspect to see if they match. If they do, then the suspect is the only person who could have made the bite marks.

2. A DNA sample

  • Individual characteristics: The specific sequence of DNA nucleotides in the sample.
  • How they match to the exclusion of all other items of a similar nature: The DNA sample can be compared to the DNA of a suspect to see if they match. If they do, then the suspect is the only person who could have contributed the DNA sample.

3. A tool mark

  • Individual characteristics: The unique shape and size of the tool mark.
  • How they match to the exclusion of all other items of a similar nature: The tool mark can be compared to the tool that was used to create it. If they match, then the tool is the only one that could have made the tool mark.

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