I went on a fieldtrip with my forensics class today!
We went to the crime lab! the Los Angeles Scientific Investigative Department!
It was really interesting! First they showed us a slide show of blood splatter analysis. We focused on this one murder (with graphic pictures). He explained to us that the eye-witness acount and the blood splatter (to back up her story) helped them see exactly what happened!
The step-dad was sitting on the couch and the step-son wanted a cigarette. The SD said no... so the SS came back with a MACHETE!! (damn, makes me think twice about refusing someone a cigarette). He went over and started hacking at the SD (while the sister watched). The dad tried to get up and run, but he fell over on the living room floor. The SS continued hacking at him (an estimate of over 50 times in the head!). From the far away pictures it looked like he had been decapitated, but then we saw the close up to see that the head was so sliced up, it was mush. The SS then went upstairs, cut a cockroach in half, changed clothes and shoes and laid down on the couch to take a nap (but he still had blood splatter on his face), where the cops arrested him.
Another story was of this upcoming rapper who took a bunch of pcp. He killed this one girl, ate part of her face, and ripped her lungs out. Then he walked around the neighborhood naked where he was arrested.
These were 2 very stupid murderers!
We then went on a tour of the crime lab… We saw the warehouse where they keep the evidence! They had a lot of it in boxes just piled on shelves because they have to keep it for a certain amount of time (until the detective says) , even after the crime is solved. And then the unsolved crime evidence was in a gated off area. Then there were these HUGE walk in freezers that were like bigger than my house. That’s where they keep all the body fluid evidence. We got to go inside one, where the rape kits were, and there are A LOT! They now have to keep rape kits forever, so that’s probably why there were so many. We didn’t stay in there for longer than 5 secs though, because it was -2 degrees fareignheit! Then we got to go around and see all the laboratories and hear explanations!
They have a:
Sereology/DNA unit
Trace Analysis Unit
Firearms Analysis Unit
Questioned Documents (we got to see pieced together premeditated murder letters and stuff. One listed all the reasons to kill their father/husband)
Forensic Photography
Forensic Accident Investigation Team
Narcotics Analysis Unit (he said this is the busiest department)
Toxicology Unit
Blood Alcohol Unit
Surveyor
Special testing unit
Hazardous Chemical Team
Composite Artist (damn, these guys are good!)
Polygraph Section
Latent Prints Section
Chemical Processing detail
Photography section
We got to hear about each of them! We also heard another story which was kinda interesting! They found a skeleton buried in cement foundation. They poured latex in it, and came out with a face mask of what the person looked like, and a hand, which they were able to get fingerprints off and identify the person! She was buried 13 years before by her landlord and had been missing ever since.
Anyways… yeah, it was really interesting! But not something I’d want to do! I just enjoy learning about it!
