Use any of the crimes or any of the crime investigation people we discussed in class to create an entry for our Forensics Literary Magazine.  These entries may be short stories, essays, poems, cartoon strips, etc…  They should be creative but informative.

Read the following information online and create a study outline – be ready for a quiz!

The State of Surveillance

Read and outline the main article on this site plus the following

links on that page: The Slide Show, No Where To Hide, A Dog’s Nose

Still Knows Best, and In The Datasphere – No Word Goes Unheard

After reading, create 5 multiple choice test questions, with distractors and answers.

In your notebook, write down the Miranda rights and describe how these rights arose.

As a group you will…

1. Research a historical crime – no two groups in a class can choose the same crime. You will find a helpful link to true crime stories on my forensics page.

2. Type a one page paper that summarizes the crime/criminal and discusses the forensic evidence that led to their capture. If they were never captured discuss what evidence was missing or what technologies we were lacking that would have caught them today.

3. You will give a class presentation that will be 5-10 minutes (no shorter, no longer) You may use a posterboard, powerpoint presentation, skit, or whatever other method you wish to give the presentation.

You will receive a grade for both the paper and the presentation.

Due date: Tuesday 10/6/09

Your task is to use the ‘Cryptools’ program to analyze and decrypt the following substitution encryption.

Vboi ci qbo Sjtmno jr bthpi ouoiqn cq aosjhon iosonnpmy rjm jio kojkgo qj wcnnjguo qbo kjgcqcspg apiwn vbcsb bpuo sjiiosqow qboh vcqb pijqbom piw qj pnntho phjid qbo kjvomn jr qbo opmqb, qbo nokpmpqo piw oltpg nqpqcji qj vbcsb qbo Gpvn jr Ipqtmo piw jr Ipqtmo’n Djw oiqcqgo qboh, p wosoiq monkosq qj qbo jkcicjin jr hpifciw moltcmon qbpq qboy nbjtgw wosgpmo qbo sptnon vbcsb chkog qboh qj qbo nokpmpqcji.  Vo bjgw qbono qmtqbn qj ao nogr-oucwoiq, qbpq pgg hoi pmo smopqow oltpg, qbpq qboy pmo oiwjvow ay qbocm Smopqjm vcqb somqpci tipgcoipago Mcdbqn, qbpq phjid qbono pmo Gcro, Gcaomqy piw qbo ktmntcq jr Bpkkcionn.

You should show me the final result on the computer screen and be able to explain the steps you took to solve this.

As a group you should complete the “Dead Man’s Tale” lab as given in class.  You will then write-up the lab as a research experiment in APA format.  Be sure to include all appropriate sections and follow APA guidelines!  The discussion section should include discussion of the questions given on the lab sheet.

Due: Monday, 3/2/09

Firearms Identification

Go to www.firearmsid.com. On the left side under ‘classroom’ click on student login. Use the log-in key I told you in class and type in your full name. Click accept. In the classroom area you (each individual) must complete 3 tasks:

1. Work on the Bullet ID-VCM (Test 1) with a partner and try for a 75% or better
2. Answer the following questions.
3. Complete the Cartridge Case ID-VCM (Test 1) you must score a 75% or better.
4. Complete the Firearm Identification quiz (50 questions) you must score an 80% or better.

** – if you do not obtain the above scores you will receive a zero you may take the quiz/VCM more than once until you obtain the necessary score. This is an all or nothing assignment.

To answer the following questions you should read the information on the site. If you click on the Bullet ID-VCM link and the Cartridge Case ID-VCM link the resultant pages lists several links to find the necessary information.

1. What does GRC stand for?
2. Give an example of a typical GRC.
3. Do firearms change much over time? Will the 300th bullet have the same marks as the 3rd bullet?
4. What two characteristics do they obtain from a bullet fired from a firearm?
5. What marks do they obtain from a cartridge or cartridge casing?
6. What is meant by a bullets caliber?
7. What is a cartridge?
8. Do all bullets fit in all cartridges?
9. Give 2 examples of named cartridges.
10. What is the difference between your two examples? (advantage/disadvantage of one over the other)
11. What is a rifling impression? What causes it?
12. Why does a barrel have rifling?
13. What are the raised areas between grooves called?
14. If you have a rifling pattern of 6 grooves, how many lands do you have?
15. Why would a firearm examiner use a water tank and how big is a typical tank?
16. What is a comparison microscope?
17. Where on the bullet are the best marks typically seen?
18. What is typically the biggest problem with making an identification of an evidence bullet?
19. What causes Impression Action Marks?
20. Describe what causes each of the 3 impression marks. Which is the most common?
21. Checkout the bullet through gelatin picture from my forensics page. What causes the funnel shape behind the bullet?

Due: Wednesday, 1/28/09

Test Thursday, October 16 on the crime definitions, miranda rights, and the people involved in forensic investigation.