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.
How much chemistry you need depends on what type of work you do. As long as you're not actually working in toxicology or DNA, you shouldn't need to be a great chemist as long as you can reliably work with chemicals and combine them properly (like following a recipe). And as long as you are a reliable and honest employee then the job is secure, once you get it, but I will be honest--there's a lot of competition in this field right now so getting into a position might be difficult. You should definitely have a back-up plan.
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Someone trained in accident reconstruction might be able to do so, but not having marks on the road makes it more difficult.
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I do both, but it depends entirely on your department. People at smaller departments usually have to cross train and fill several roles. At larger departments with more personnel, people may specialize. The only way to know is to call the agency you want to work at and ask.
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Being 'on call' and knowing you can be interrupted at any moment of the day and have to go to a crime scene, even if it's the middle of the night or a holiday. I've also had to change vacations because I have to testify in a trial. I hate that.
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Which terminal diseases are the most painful to watch people go through?
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How do sushi chefs tell when a fish has gone bad? Is it just the smell?
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Pick one: Nintendo Ice Hockey, NHL ‘94, or Blades of Steel?
First question: My guess is (simply based on experience) is there would still be sticky blood at the head wound enough to smear on stuff, perhaps. It wouldn't be spurting or perhaps even dripping at that point because it should have begun to coagulate. Provided it didn't dry entirely, so the body would need to be in a place that's neither too dry nor too hot and certainly not both. Cool and humid would keep it from drying. The killer might bash the head but there could be a lack of blood spatter or flowing/pooling blood from the wound, since the blood won't be flowing as it would be if the person had still been alive. Also the problem with moving the body is lividity where the blood pools at the lower spots of the body due to gravity (like on the back if the person is lying supine. After several hours it should be fairly noticeable and then if you move the body, the lividity pattern doesn't quite match the position.
Hope that helps!
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I'm not sure what you mean by 'off the job training.'
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Not often. Since a glove itself isn't secreting sweat and oils, there's really nothing for it to make a print with until it gets a little dirty or if the surface it's touching is a little dirty.They can be wiped off as easily as any other print.
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