LIsa Black
Cape Coral, FL
Female, 49
I spent the five happiest years of my life in a morgue. As a forensic scientist in the Cleveland coroner’s office I analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence, as well as crime scenes. Now I'm a certified latent print examiner and CSI for a police department in Florida. I also write a series of forensic suspense novels, turning the day job into fiction. My books have been translated into six languages.
Sure, I visited crime labs and the coroner’s office before I got my first forensics job—usually it was just a tour and answering questions though I got to sit in with a police class at the coroner’s and view an autopsy and hear some lectures. Then I would do the same when we had visiting students. Interns are here for a longer period. We usually have them do minor paperwork and tasks and they can observe our work with evidence, fingerprints, scenes, etc so we can explain what we’re doing and why. It’s a great experience. I think you’ll find people in forensics very friendly and helpful. Best of luck to you!
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I”m sorry but I have no idea—you’d need a pathologist for that one.
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Could you clarify that question? I'm not sure what mean.
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I would think they’d have to get rubbed off. I don’t know how one could hold a knife tightly enough to stab someone without smudging all the prints on the grip. Guns, despite what you see on television, are terrible surfaces for prints, though I guess if you were very careful and maybe propped the butt on something, I suppose you could use it without grasping and smudging some areas, like the grip (if it were smooth, otherwise it likely wouldn’t retain any prints anyway) or a shiny, chromed barrel. A knife, maybe if it was big enough that you could grip only part of the handle and leave the prints on the other part undisturbed. Or maybe part of the blade if you didn’t stick it in the body all the way. But I would think it would be tough to do.
Hope that helps!
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I have no idea--are you referring to utility companies marking gas lines, etc? My agency has some flags but we haven't used them recently. I suspect if an agency uses different colored flags it might be some internal coding that they use. Sorry I can't be more help.
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I couldn't tell you--I haven't personally done any studies of bystanders at a shooting. GSR analysis is usually testing for primer residue, which can escape from the gun when fired. So someone could have GSR on their hands if they handled a gun, if they touched a surface near to where a gun was fired, if they handled the gun after it was fired, etc. This is why, though they've stated this on television every day for fifty years, having gunshot residue on your hands doesn't prove you fired a gun. Not having gunshot residue on your hands doesn't prove you have not fired a gun. The particles are very tiny and easily dislodged. These are some of the reasons why most agencies don't do gunshot residue analysis any more. Hope that helps!
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I’m not sure what you mean. Do you mean how does a forensic scientist advance in their career, or what scientific advancements have been made by forensic scientists?
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