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.
With hairs, you can’t identify one to a specific person with only microscopic examination—the main reason it is hardly used these days, and typically only as screening to decide to do DNA analysis. Then DNA analysis is actually done on the skin cells clinging around the root, because the actual hair doesn’t have any nuclear DNA. It does have mitochondrial DNA though few labs can do that.Fiber analysis is also rarely done these days because it can’t be positively identified to an article of clothing, or is it possible (usually) to find out how many of that article had been manufactured or sold and who they were sold to, etc. An analyst can say the fiber is consistent with coming from that article but that’s all. Unless there is a ‘jigsaw match’, a section of the material found that can be fit back into the article of clothing like a puzzle piece.Hope that helps!
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The people to ask would be the people hiring forensics personnel in LA county. All agencies (the police department, the sheriff's office, the medical examiner's office) should all have websites that post current job openings. If they don't have any current postings, then you can always call them and ask. That's the only way to know for sure. Best of luck!
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I’m not a pathologist but I think it’s possible even if not likely. Bodies start to stiffen in 1-2 hours but rigor reaches its peak somewhere around 12 hours. It can depend a great deal on temperature, body type and medical conditions.
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It is scientific information applied to matters pertaining to the law. And what you major in depends on what area you're going in to--pathology, toxicology, entemology, etc.
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Call Center Employee (Retail)
What's the meanest thing someone's said to you on the phone?
Basketball Referee
Do you think the nets should be lower for girls?
SWAT Team Commander (Retired)
How much protection do those bomb disposal suits really provide?
I don't see why not!
Best of luck.
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My guess would be 0.Mostly it’s just kids wanting me to answer their homework questions.
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Automatic access to a national fingerprint database. Even though you see it on TV every day, it's not really possible for police departments. At best we are tied into the state database, but not any sort of national or international one, at least not without a lot of hoops.
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