INTRODUCTION TO

FORENSIC SCIENCE
Dethavelrose L Antipuesto
 INTRODUCTION
✔ The term ‘forensic’ comes from the
Latin term ‘forum’ or market place.
✔ All court cases were held there, in
public.

✔ Forensic science refers to any

science that can be used in a court of
law to establish guilt (or innocence)
✔ Forensic science is the
application of scientific knowledge
to questions of civil and criminal
law.

✔ Includes lab-based, hands-on

course.
 DEFINITION OF TERMS

✔ Science - a systematized body of knowledge tested

and proven by human experience
✔ Forensic Science - “the scientific investigation into
matters pertaining to law in the course of a crime

- It is an applied science and is often called

“criminalistics”
- It applies the principles of sciences (biology,
chemistry, physics, etc.) to civil and criminal law.
 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Criminal Justice System

- a system charged with direct responsibility for the
prevention, reduction, and control of crime
- the system or process consisting of 5 pillars

LAW
CORRECTION
ENFORCEMENT COURT
COMMUNITY
PROSECUTION
 WHY INTEGRATE SCIENCE IN THE CRIMINAL
JUSTICE

Increase Crime Rates New or Changed Laws

New Crimes
New Weapons
 APPLICATION TO CJS

✔ Applying science to the Criminal

Justice System….
…. depends on a scientist’s ability
to supply accurate & objective
information that reflects the events that
have occurred at a crime.
HISTORY AND
DEVELOPMENT
OF FORENSIC
SCIENCE
 PERSONALITIES AND HISTORIES
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
✔ Mystery author in late 1800’s
✔ Popularized ‘Sherlock Holmes’
 PERSONALITIES AND HISTORIES
Mathieu Orfila
(1787-1853)
✔ “Father of Toxicology”
 PERSONALITIES AND HISTORIES
Alphonse Bertillon
(1853-1914)
✔ “Father of Anthropometry”
✔ Developed a system to
distinguish one individual person
from another based on certain
body measurements.
 PERSONALITIES AND HISTORIES
Francis Galton
(1822-1911)

✔ “Father of Fingerprinting”

✔ Developed fingerprinting as a way

to uniquely identify individuals.
 PERSONALITIES AND HISTORIES
1921 - John Larson and Leonard Keeler

✔ Pioneers of the
Polygraphy the
Polygraph machine
 PERSONALITIES AND HISTORIES
Calvin Goddard
(1891-1955)
✔ “Father of Ballistics”
✔ Developed the technique to
examine bullets, using a
comparison microscope, to
determine whether or not a
particular gun fired the bullets.
 PERSONALITIES AND HISTORIES
Albert Osborn
(1858-1946)
✔ “Father of Document Examination”

✔ His work led to the acceptance of

documents as scientific evidence
by the courts.
 PERSONALITIES AND HISTORIES
Edmond Locard
(1877-1966)
✔ “Father of the Crime Lab” (Paris,
France)
✔ His most important contribution
was the “Locard’s Exchange
Principle”

“Every Contact Leaves a Trace.”

 APPLICATIONS OF FORENSIC SCIENCE
✔ Identification of Criminals or Victims
✔ Solving Mysteries
▪ Past crimes (unsolved or wrongfully
convicted)
▪ Cause, Location, Time of Death
▪ Paternity cases
✔ Cyber crimes
✔ Voice Analysis
 APPLICATIONS OF FORENSIC SCIENCE
✔ Application of DNA as evidence
✔ Catastrophes & Wars
✔ Military & International Forensics
✔ Terrorism
✔ stockpiled or stored
weapons from past wars
 NATURE OF SCIENCE AND THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

What is Scientific Method?

It is the multistep method by which scientists approach
problems, formulate them for experimental inquiry, and
validate their conclusions.
FOUR STEPS IN SCIENTIFIC METHOD
✔ Careful observation – inquiries about a
curiosity on events or phenomena.
✔ Hypothesis - make logical suppositions
to explain the observation - Attempt to
develop an explanation or series of
related observation
✔ Hypothesis Testing – test one variable of
a hypothesis (controlled experiment)
✔ Establish a theory- refine the hypothesis;
continuous testing and experimentation
until it becomes an established theory and
generally accepted explanation (natural
law).
 REAL CASE SCENARIO
✔ O.J. Simpson was a NFL football
legend.

✔ He is now famous for having been

tried for the murder of ex-wife Nicole
Brown Simpson & her friend Ronald
Goldman in 1994.

✔ He was acquitted in criminal court

after a lengthy, highly publicized trial.
CRIME SCENE
INVESTIGATION
 THE IMPORTANCE OF HANDLING EVIDENCES

✔ PROPER COLLECTION PROCEDURES

✔ CONTAMINATION MAY LEAD TO LOWERING
THE VALUE OF EVIDENCE
 THE CRIME SCENE

✔ Known as the treasure island of crime scene

investigation
✔ Place of crime commission
 CRIME SCENE CRIME INCIDENT
It is the PLACE where OCCURRENCE of a
the crime scene took certain crime
place (PANGYAYARI)
(physical evidences
are found)
 How are Police Officers notified
about the crime incident within
the area?
✔ A the crime incident
✔ Concerned witness has
seen
✔ Accidental discovery of
the crime
✔ Police Officer on patrol
Those who are in patrol are commonly
regarded as the first responders

FIRST RESPONDERS- officers who are first

to respond at the crime scene.
 WHAT SHALL FIRST RESPONDERS DO?
1. Proceed to the CS and validate the crime
incident
2. RECORD all the relevant facts and the
time of arrival at the CS
3. CORDON THE AREA (police Line) to
ISOLATE the CS to avoid unauthorized
entry
4. IDENTIFY possible witnesses and conduct
Preliminary Interview if possible
5. ARREST if suspect is within the vicinity
DRAGNET OPERATION- operation
conducted to SEAL OFF possible exits of
the suspect/ s.
6. BE PREPARED for any dying
declaration (if the person is dying).
• DYING DECLARATION- a
statement made by the
person who is under the
IMPENDING DEATH.
• Dying declaration might be
related to the facts occurred
7. LOOK OVER TO THE PEOPLE AT THE CS
✔ EVACUATE WOUNDED PERSON/
PEOPLE
✔ ACCOUNT possible deaths
8. CONDUCT Preliminary
Investigation
✔ Brief the IOC (Investigator
on Case) upon his arrival
✔ Look ever to the Arrested
person
9. INVENTORY of the possible
evidences of the CS
 THE APPLICATION OF SCIENCE IN INVESTIGATION
In three ways:

✔ Forensic science is a science, therefore follows the

scientific method in building knowledge

✔ Scientific method forms the basis for– Crime Scene

Reconstruction and Crime Analysis

✔ Scientific method provides a logical and productive basis

of investigation (accurate answers to 5Ws+1H).
WHAT WHO WHEN
WHERE

CARDINAL
QUESTIONS OF
WHY HOW
CRIMINAL
INVESTIGATION
 THE GOLDEN RULE

DO NOT TOUCH , ALTER, MOVE, AND/

OR TAMPER ANY OBJECTS AT THE
CRIME SCENE UNLESS IT IS PROPERLY
MARKED, MEASURED, SKETCHED,
AND/ OR PHOTOGRAPH.
 THE IMPORTANCE OF CRIME SCENE

✔ It is where everything starts.

✔ Basis of Analysis
✔ Once the GOLDEN RULE is not
observed: Evidence will be useless in
court
NOTE: You only have 1 CHANCE to process
the CS
 PIECES OF EVIDENCE FOUND IN THE CRIME SCENE
(BIOLOGICAL E)

✔ BLOOD
✔ SEMEN
✔ HAIR
✔ SALIVA
✔ SKIN/ FINGERNAIL SCRAPINGS
✔ BONE FRAGMENTS
✔ TOOTH
 PHYSICAL EVIDENCE

PHYSICAL OBJECTS:
✔ Knife
✔ Wallet
✔ Wallet
✔ Cap
✔ Bullet, etc.
TRACE EVIDENCE

✔ small portions of
evidence found
✔ A subset of physical
evidence
✔ Small traces of
biological e
 CRIME SCENE RECONSTRUCTION

✔ It is the process of determining the events that could

have occurred at the crime scene by the analysis
method.
✔ Determine the appearance, the location and position
of the physical evidence
✔ and the forensic laboratory examination of the
physical evidences.
FORENSIC
PHOTOGPRAHY
 FORENSIC PHOTOGRAPHY

3 MOST COMMON METHODS IN RECORDING A

CRIME SCENE:
NOTE TAKING, SKETCHING and PHOTOGRAPHING
Photography - Greek words:
photos (light)
graphos (chart or drawing or
writing).
- Literally, photography means “to draw with
light”
 PHOTOGRAPHY

✔ An art or science, which deals with the reproduction of

images through the action of light
✔ Upon sensitized materials (film or paper)
✔ with the aid of a camera and its accessories,
✔ and the chemical processes involved therein
 ELEMENTS OF PHOTOGPRAHY

CAMERA
Sensitized material LIGHT

Chemical processing
 FORENSIC PHOTOGRAPHY

- deals with the study of notion of photography,

- its application to law enforcement work and
- the preparation of photographs for court
presentation.
 IMPORTANCE OF CRIME SCENE PHOTOGRAPHY

1. PERMANENT RECORD
2. Significance of certain aspects of the CS
3. Reconstruction of the CS
4. Identification of the subject/s
5. Preservation of Evidences
6. Description of the CS
7. Substitution to original docs/ evidence
8. Record
 REQUISITES OF A PHOTOGRAPH ADMITTED AS
EVIDENCE IN COURT

✔ Accurate representations
✔ Free of distortion
✔ Material and relevant
✔ Unbiased
 TYPES OF PHOTOGRAPHY USED IN CI

MACRO MICRO
MUG SHOT PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY
 TYPES OF PHOTOGRAPHY USED IN CI

INFRARED ULTRAVIOLET
PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY
 PROECUDERES IN THE CS

GENERAL VIEW or Long Range View - overall view

of the crime scene to include the
reference point.
 PROECUDERES IN THE CS

MEDIUM VIEW or Mid-Range View - -showing the

four angles of the crime scene
including the possible entrance and exit point of
the suspect.
 PROECUDERES IN THE CS

CLOSE-UP SHOT - to identify the subject and the

specific pieces of evidence found
within the crime scene
 PROECUDERES IN THE CS

EXTREME CLOSE-UP SHOT - to show the extent of

the injuries that the subject
sustained
RANGES IN THE CS
 SKETCHING OF THE CS

▪ Photographs alone are not sufficient for the

adequate recording a crime scene.
▪ A crime scene sketch will complement the
photographs and notes made during the
crime scene search.
GENERAL TYPES OF SKETCH
ROUGH SKETCH FINISHED SKETCH
✔ Sketch full of important ✔ A sketch with scale of
details BUT WITHOUT scale proportion and drawn by a
of proportion draftsman
✔ A DRAFT REPRESENTATION ✔ Used in court
✔ Made by the investigator presentation
AT THE CRIME SCENE ✔ INFORMATION From the
✔ Used as a basis in finished CS but with proper scale
sketch. already
 --
ROUGH SKETCH
 --
FINISHED SKETCH
✔
 --
SPECIFIC TYPES OF SKETCH
SK OF LOCALITY SK OF GROUNDS SK OF DETAILS
✔ Vicinity of the CS. ✔ Illustrates the CS ✔ Positions and
✔ includes its with the nearest EXACT locations of
surroundings: physical the physical
- neighboring surroundings: evidences at the
houses - rooms CS.
- buildings - floor ✔ Describes the
- structures - yard IMMEDIATE SCENE
✔ other means of only
access leading to
the crime scene
 --
CROSS PROJECTION

Also known as: EXPLODED VIEW or BIRD’s EYEVIEW

Describes the immediate scene (just like the SOD)

✔ SKETCH: like a collapsed cardboard box

✔ SKETCHING STYLE: following the parts of the sketch
stated in the previous slides.
 --
--

✔
 --
TRIANGULATION METHOD

✔ Using of 2 FIXED POINT

to the evidence that
must be plotted and
located.
✔ to establish the position
of the object and its
distance
DACTYLOSCOPY
/ PERSONAL
IDENTIFICATON
 DACTYLOSCOPY

DACTYLOSCOPY DACTYLOGRAPHY DACTYLOMANCY

Identification of Scientific study of Study of

person by Fingerprint as Fingerprint as
examination means of purpose of
and comparison Identification Identification
of fingerprints.
DERMATOGLYPH CHIROSCOPY POROSCOPY
ICS

Study of the prints Study of the

Study of skin of the palm sweat, and sweat
patterns such pores
as lines,
tracings, ridges
of the skin, etc.
 FINGERPRINT
What Fingerprints Are?
✔ The fingers, palms of the
hands and the soles of the
feet of humans consists
friction ridge skin
✔ Characterized by a
complicated pattern of
“hills” (the ridges) and the
“valleys” (the furrows).
 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF FINGERPRINTS

Principle of Principle of
Principle of
Permanency Infallibility
Individuality
A person’s FP Due to the
There are no
patterns remain individual
two fingerprints
unchanged characteristics of
that are exactly
throughout the FP, it is a reliable
alike.
person’s life. means of
identification.
 3 BASIC FINGERPRINT PATTERNS

1. Loops - must have one delta

and one or more ridges that
enter and leave on the same
side.
a) Ulnar Loop - opening
towards the ulna
b) Radial Loop- opening
towards the radius
 2. Whorls - have at least two
deltas and at least one ridge that
makes or tend to make a complete
circuit
✔ Plain Whorl - have at least one
ridge that makes a complete
circuit
✔ Double Loop Whorl - made up of
any two loops combined into
one print
✔ Central Pocket Loop Whorl -
mostly made up of a loop but
has a small whorl inside the loop
ridges
✔ Accidental Whorl - a
combination of two or more
different types of pattern (not
including the plain arch)
3. Arches - the simplest type of
fingerprints that are formed by
ridges that enter one side of the
pattern area and exit on the
other.
• Plain
• Tented Arch

** There are no deltas present.

 LATENT PRINTS
✔ “latent” means hidden or
concealed
✔ Markings usually rather indistinct,
left by the oily matters or
perspiration
✔ Fingerprints usually found at the
crime scene are known as
chance impressions or latent
prints.

✔ FOOT PRINT is also included

 PATENT /VISIBLE PRINTS
✔ Visible
✔ does not need
“enhancement” or
“development” to be clearly
recognized as a fingerprint
✔ often made from grease,
dark oil, dirt or even blood
 PLASTIC PRINTS / “INDENTED” PRINTS
✔ Recognizable fingerprint
indentation in a soft
receiving surface such as
bitter, putty, tar, or clay
✔ Immediately recognizable
and often require no further
processing
 Plain Impression - Rolled Impression -
impression made by impression made by
pressing the inked individually rolling the
fingers on the inked fingers on the
fingerprint card fingerprint card
✔ without rolling them
Fingerprint Examination Process: ACE-V
 IMPORTANCE OR VALUE OF FINGERPRINTS

✔ Prevent impersonation
✔ Speedy identification of offenders
✔ Evidence
✔ Helps identify victims of disasters,
calamities, floods, etc.
✔ Identifies bodies whose cadavers
are beyond recognition.
✔ Aids judiciary in penal treatment
 CAN YOU FORCE A PERSON TO BE
FINGERPRINTED?

✔ YES.
✔ As long as the person is under legal arrest he
can be forced to be fingerprinted.

** A person under arrest who refuses to be

fingerprinted may be prosecuted by
disobedience to the agent of the person in
authority (under Article 151, RPC)
 ???
Are taking of standard fingerprint, urine sample
admissible in evidence, if such is taken without the
presence of an attorney?
✔ Yes.

* The Constitution prohibits is the use of physical and

moral compulsion to extort communication from the
accused but not an inclusion of his body in evidence,
when it may be material.
FORENSIC
BALLISTICS
 INTRODUCTION

✔ Examining/ Analysis of the fired bullet

taken from the victim or at the crime
scene

NOTE: This can lead to identification only if

there the firearm is registered and
purchased legally
 TERMS TO REMEMBER

❑ Ballistics - from the Greek word Ballo or Ballein

which means to “throw”
- the Roman war machine Ballista (a
gigantic bow or catapult)
- it is the study of the motion of
projectiles
❑ Projectile - refers to the bullet / slug / ball /
pellet / flechette that passes through the barrel
of a Firearm
 TERMS TO REMEMBER
❑ Firearms - refers to all rifles,
revolvers, pistols, muskets,
shotguns, carbines and all other
deadly weapons from which a
projectile maybe discharged
(legal definition)
❑ Caliber / Bore Diameter - the
diameter of the bore of a gun;
the distance between two
opposite lands
 TERMS TO REMEMBER
❑ Lands - the elevated
portion inside the
barrel

❑ Grooves - the
depressed portion
inside the barrel
 BRANCHES OF BALLISTICS
INTERIOR BALLISTICS (Internal Ballistics)
- the study of projectile while still inside the barrel
- involves the study of the different processes that
occurs from the breech end of the barrel to its muzzle
end
EXTERIOR BALLISTICS
- also called External Ballistics
- the study of the projectile after leaving the
muzzle of the gun and before it hits the target
TERMINAL BALLISTICS
- the study of the effects / impact of
projectile to the target
a) Terminal Accuracy - refers to the
size of the bullet grouping on the target
b) Terminal Energy - impact that the
target sustained
c) Terminal Penetration - Depth of the
penetration on the target
d) Terminal Velocity - speed of bullet
inside the target
FORENSIC BALLISTICS
- the science of firearm
identification by means of the
ammunition fired through them
- involves examination of
firearms, fired bullets, and
fired cartridge cases, making
of Ballistics
- Report / Firearms Examination
Report, and presenting the
findings in court
 What to determine in Forensic Ballistic
Examination?

✔ Evidence Bullet (Fired Bullet / slug)

✔ Fired Cartridge Case (Empty Shell)
✔ Whether two or all were fired from one and
the same FA
✔ Firearm
 GENERAL TYPES OF FIREARMS
1. Handguns - these are weapons
designed to be held in and fired with
one hand
a) Revolvers - with rotating cylinder
with a number of chambers that
hold the cartridges

b) Pistol
 GENERAL TYPES OF FIREARMS

2. Rifles - these are long barreled FAs designed to

held in two hands when being fired from the shoulder
and are characterized by rifling
✔ often called “long guns”
 GENERAL TYPES OF FIREARMS

3.Shotgun - a smooth
bore FA with no rifling
in the barrel.
 GENERAL TYPES OF FIREARMS
4. Machine Gun
- a fully-automatic FA
- the weapon will continue to load and fire
ammunition until exhausted or jammed.
 GENERAL TYPES OF FIREARMS
5. Sub-machine Gun
- hand-held, lightweight machine gun consisting of
relatively low-energy
- handgun-type cartridges and fired from the hand,
hip, or shoulder
 CHARACTERISTICS OF FA
1. Class Characteristics - these were set even before
the manufacture of FAs; these are factory
specifications
2. Individual Characteristics - determined after the
manufacture of FAs
 AMMUNITION
Ammunition - a loaded shell for any
firearm such as revolver, pistol, and
rifles
Cartridge - a complete unfired ammo
consisting of bullet, shell, gunpowder
and primer

***Ammunition, cartridge, round, and

ammo can be used interchangeably
 BULLET

✔ Bullet refers to the

projectile, often a pointed
metal cylinder, that is shot
from a firearm.
 SHELL/ CARTRIDGE CASE

✔ contains the bullet,

propellant (gunpowder)
✔ The container that holds the
cartridge components
usually made of brass, nickel
or steel
 GUNPOWDER

✔ an explosive consisting
of a powdered mixture
of saltpeter, sulfur, and
charcoal that
 PRIMER

✔ The portion that is being

struck by the firing pin to
chemically produce heat
which ignites the main
propellant charge of
firearms
 SLUG

✔ Term used for bullets

found at the crime
scene
PREPARE FOR THE PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION
100 ITEMS
* MULTIPLE CHOICE
* ENUMERATION