Table Of Content

Processing Vehicles Used in Violent Crimes for Forensic Evidence Processing Vehicles Used in Violent Crimes for Forensic Evidence Christopher D. Duncan First edition published 2022 by CRC Press 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487–2742 and by CRC Press 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN © 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, LLC Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use. The authors and publishers have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material reproduced in this publication and apologize to copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not been obtained. If any copyright material has not been acknowledged please write and let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint. Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publishers. For permission to photocopy or use material electronically from this work, access www.copyright.com or contact the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978–750–8400. For works that are not available on CCC please contact [email protected] Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. ISBN: 978-1-032-06889-3 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-032-07933-2 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-20433-6 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9781003204336 Typeset in Minion by Apex CoVantage, LLC Contents Preface ix Acknowledgments xi Author xiii 1 Introduction to Processing Vehicles Involved in Violent Crimes 1 2 Vehicle Examination Facility and Processing Equipment 11 Vehicle Examination Facilities 12 Crime Scene Investigation Equipment and General Supplies 25 Fingerprinting Supplies 26 Photography Equipment 26 Documentation Equipment 28 Packaging Supplies 37 Conclusion 38 Additional Readings 38 Review Questions: Vehicle Examination Facility and Processing Equipment 39 3 General Guidelines and Strategies for Processing Vehicles 43 Admitting Vehicles to the Examination Facility 46 Initial Steps before a Vehicle’s Processing Begins 49 Conducting a Legal Search 50 General Progression of a Vehicle’s Processing for Evidence 55 Processing Vehicles for Unique Types of Evidence 61 Recovery and Packaging of Evidence 67 Conclusion 70 Additional Readings 71 Review Questions: General Guidelines and Strategies for Processing Vehicles 71 4 The Documentation of Motor Vehicles 75 Note-Taking 75 Scale Diagrams 91 Report Writing 95 Writing Better Offense Reports 105 Conclusion 107 v vi Contents Additional Readings 107 Review Questions: The Documentation of Motor Vehicles 108 5 The Photographic Documentation of Vehicles 111 Basic Exposure Evaluations: ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed 117 Depth of Field or Zone of Sharp Focus 122 Overall, Mid-Range, and Close-Up Photographs 130 Special Considerations When Photographing Motor Vehicles 161 Conclusion 169 Additional Readings 170 Review Questions: The Photographic Documentation of Vehicles 170 6 Advanced Photography Techniques of Challenging Subjects 173 Photographing Luminol or Bluestar and Other Chemiluminescent Reactions 173 Photographing in Ultraviolet Light 182 Photographing Laser Trajectories 189 Infrared Photography of Bloodstains 204 Gunshot Residue 209 Conclusion 209 Additional Readings 210 Review Questions: Advanced Photography Techniques of Challenging Subjects 211 7 Deoxyribonucleic Acid Evidence 215 What Is Deoxyribonucleic Acid? 215 Collection of DNA Evidence 216 Swabbing 217 Scraping 225 Tape Lifting 227 Cutting 231 Collecting (the Whole Object) 233 Collecting Known DNA Samples from Victims and Complainants 233 Finding Hidden Sources of DNA Evidence 235 Semen and Other Body Fluids 238 Conclusion 242 Additional Readings 242 Review Questions: Deoxyribonucleic Acid Evidence 243 8 Fingerprint and Impression Evidence Involving Motor Vehicles 245 Powder Processing Tools 245 Processing the Vehicle’s Exterior for Latent Fingerprints 250 Contents vii Powder Processing of Vehicles 252 Tape Lifting Fingerprints Developed with Powder 257 Footwear Impressions and Other Types of Visible Prints 272 Processing the Vehicle’s Interior for Latent Fingerprints 273 Printing a Vehicle’s Tires 279 Conclusion 282 Additional Readings 283 Review Questions: Fingerprint and Impression Evidence Involving Motor Vehicles 283 9 Processing Vehicles Involved in Shootings 287 Processing and Examination of Recovered Firearms 296 Documentation of Vehicles Struck by Fired Projectiles 311 Gunpowder Residue 323 Evaluating Bullet Strikes through Glass 326 Conclusion 331 Additional Readings 331 Review Questions: Processing Vehicles Involved in Shootings 331 10 Bloodstain Documentation and Processing 337 Basics of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis 338 Photographing Bloodstained Vehicles 364 Chemical Tests and Processes 368 Conclusion 370 Additional Readings 371 Review Questions: Bloodstain Documentation and Processing 371 Review Question Answer Keys 375 Index 377 Preface Processing Motor Vehicles Involved in Violent Crimes developed out of my personal chal- lenges and experiences as a crime scene investigator with the Houston Police Department. Afer working in general crime scene investigations for 15-plus years, I moved into a posi- tion at our department’s vehicle examination facility. Our facility processes hundreds of cars every year, and I found the new assignment rewarding, but quite intimidating at frst. Believe it or not, there is a learning curve in processing vehicles that is diferent from working crime scenes in the feld. Vehicles ofer unique settings for all kinds of criminal activ- ity, and learning how to work through a vehicle so that all potential evidence is located, documented, and recovered in as pristine a condition as possible is something that does not just develop immediately. It takes some special skills and knowledge as well as a great deal of patience to process a vehicle successfully. Tis book’s goal is to give investigators those knowledge and skill sets. Processing vehicles is unique from the typical crime scenes found in the field and it takes time to develop a kinship with vehicles and to know where exactly evidence can be found hiding. Items from hidden vehicle identification numbers (VINs) to fired bullets that have burrowed deep inside a vehicle can be a challenge to locate, even for seasoned investigators. Searching for these items and other forms of evidence on a motor vehicle involved in a violent crime requires a special sort of deliberate and meticulous approach to the vehicle’s processing. Readers will find information and tips toward finding these small and elusive pieces of evidence. Investigators who process vehicles on a regular basis will develop a system or pattern to their work and that pattern is what will make an investigator’s body of work much more proficient, as well as efficient. Processing Motor Vehicles Involved in Violent Crimes will provide investigators with the tools to develop their own effective manner in which to document and process vehicles. A solid foundation toward the efficient processing of vehicles begins with solid prepa- ration. The documentation of vehicles begins before the first photograph is ever taken. The proper documentation and tracking of a vehicle in and through a vehicle examination facility is vital to ensure that a legal examination and search for evidence are achieved. The largest and arguably the most important aspect of a crime scene investigator’s duty is the documentation of the vehicle. Documentation includes photographing, measuring, diagraming, note-taking, and completing the written report. Consequently, documentation is another theme that runs throughout this book. Readers are provided with some ideas to help with all these tasks, from the moment a vehicle enters an examination facility to when it leaves the facility. Everything from tracking vehicles through the facility to the tracking of fired bullets through a vehicle is presented here. Some ideas may be refreshing reminders to old-school investigators, while other ideas will inspire the new generation of investigators in how they approach a motor vehicle’s examination. As mentioned above, documentation of crime scenes is one of the primary tasks of criminal investigators. More specifically, photography is a major component of this documentation process. Anyone with a camera phone can take a photograph in perfect lighting, ix