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Forensic Science Unit 4 Flashcards

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13687572885Arsonthe crime of setting fires for an unlawful or improper purpose0
13687587420Arson can cause hundreds of millions of dollars annually inincreased insurance costs, increased taxes, loss of jobs, loss of business, and treatment of injuries1
13687597621Arson is different from other crimes becauseit is not always obvious a crime has occurred. A lot of fires look like they may be accidental, but in reality, they were planned and sometimes well thought out.2
13687622083Arson is difficult to investigate becausefire destroys the evidence3
13687627829Why do criminals turn to arson?easy to light spreads quickly4
13687642829The amount of damage an arsonist will be able to commit will depend onhow quickly firefighters arrive at the scene5
13687647872Combustiona chemical reaction in which a substance combines with oxygen and releases energy6
13687653666HydrocarbonsCompounds composed of only carbon and hydrogen7
13687657916When any hydrocarbon undergoes complete combustion, the products are alwaysC02 and H208
13687667489Energy released comes in various formsheat, light, sound9
13687671243exothermic reactiona chemical reaction that releases energy to its surroundings10
13687682813What must exist for combustion to happen?the bonds within hydrocarbon and oxygen must be broken, a fuel, and oxygen11
13687688197How can you break chemical bonds?Heat (match, lighter, flint, spark, friction, cigarette)12
13687705661Law od Conservation of Massthe mass of the reactants must equal the mass of the products (the number of atoms of a given element in the reactants must equal the number of atoms in the products)13
13687862621All hydrocarbons have similar properties. For example,they burn easily14
13687866332Fuela material that reacts with oxygen and releases energy when it burns15
13687874508Fuels only burn in which state?Vapor state16
13687879321FlashpointThe lowest temperature at which a fuel will give off enough vapor to mix with air and support combustion.17
13687888364The lower the flashpointthe greater the risk of fire18
13687894850Ignition TemperatureThe temperature that a fuel must reach before combustion can begin19
13687904125An outside source is needed to ignite the fuel to itsignition temperature20
13687910421The ignition temperature is always higher thanthe flashpoint21
13687916921Pyrolysisthe decomposition of solid matter into gaseous products by heat22
13687937330A solid fuel only burns when exposed to heat intense enough todecompose the solid into gaseous products23
13687945861Acceleranta fuel source that increases the rate of combustion. It will make a fire burn at a higher temperature with an increased rate of speed.24
13687964237Hydrocarbons are often used asaccelerants25
13687975535Arsonists often suffer injuries or even death when setting fires becauseaccelerants ignite easily and explode readily26
13688007171Investigators search arson crime scenes forirregular burn patterns in debris as a sign for the presence of an ignitable liquid27
13688018784The chain reaction for fire is:as fire burns, the temperature increases as the temperature increases, the rate of reaction increases if the rate of reaction is increasing, then there are more gaseous products forming quicker; which is more fuel for the fire this will raise the temperature of the fire and so on28
13688210411Stats info about where arson fries occurNearly half of arson fires are set outdoors 30% are in houses or other buildings 20% involve vehicles29
13688243051Poor neighbourhoods compared to high-income neighbourhoods are14 times more likely for arson incidents30
13688256927The problem with outdoor fires is theytend to get out of control, they can destroy nearby housing and agriculture, and extreme climates like heat waves, droughts, and high winds can dramatically increase the size of the area consumed by a wildfire.31
13688290207What are the motives for arson?revenge, excitement, vandalism, crime concealment, and financial profit32
13688302370Arson for RevengeThis is the leading motive for arson The events leading to this may be real or imagined and can take months or years before revenge is taken Common causes for revenge include disagreements or feelings of jealousy The goal is to cause physical or emotional harm (or commit murder) to someone by targetting the person's home, property, or place of business. Young arsonists typically set fire to school property, but since they are young and immature they are not planned well and do not conceal the crime well Most cases include disgruntled workers are angry because they have lost their job or have complaints against them33
13688396787Arson for ExcitementThis is the second leading motive for arsonists Not to be confused with a pyromaniac Arsonists set fires for a specific purpose, pyromaniac set fire for self-satisfaction34
13688403479Pyromanica person who starts fires to relieve tension and typically includes feelings of satisfaction and indulgence afterward They have trends in their fire setting power, such as the same location, the same time, the same method35
13688480071Why do arsonists set fires (for excitement)? Where do they typically set them?boredom, the need for attention, the enjoyment they get from watching firefighters fight a blaze, and the "hero" effect (they save people or put out the fire) They set the fires in large outdoor spaces or in residential areas. They do this at in the night and under the influence of alcohol36
13688588766Arson for VandalismThird leading arson motive Usually, two male youths They set fires because of family difficulties or peer pressure Usually, target abandoned buildings (they still attack schools, churches, homes, etc) Firefights still have to respond to these calls because homeless people often live in abandoned buildings.37
13688628869Arson for Crime-ConcealmentFourth leading motive Set fires to places where they have committed a crime to destroy the evidence. These crimes could be anything from burglary to murder These fires are often set at night in unoccupied homes in places of business.38
13688652906Arson for ProfitThis is the least common motive for arson The target is usually the home or property of the arsonist themselves After the fire, they intend to file a fraudulent insurance claim to gain some profit This is commonly committed by adults, not youths since very few youth own property. Youth normally do not have financial pressure. The fires are usually set during the day in unoccupied homes or other buildings.39
13688895106The typical arsonist:Males under 18 Prior property offences Do it for revenge or profit Females do it for revenge Male arsonists tend to have problems with females Lack of remorse especially when setting fires in a trance-like state Lower to working class Absent or abusive fathers 90% have high school or less 22% are developmentally delayed40
13688936419Typical Young Arsonist:Exhibit interest between 3 and 10 years old motives are: boredom, curiosity, accidents, peer pressure, expressions of anger/stress A fire set by a young child is usually considered an accident or misbehaviour instead of arson the motives, the discipline, and counselling will determine if the child continues to set fires as they get older Fires are normally set in or near the family home If the fire is put out by the young arsonist, this means the child likely felt remorse and will try to conceal their actions. These children often respond to councilling Teenage arsonists often have an average intelligence, but do not progress in school due to learning difficulties or behavioural or psychological problems Teens often turn to arson to seek revenge or response to traumatic events like death or divorce. It becomes an outlet for their troubled emotions It is important to catch an arsonist while they are young to prevent future fires41
13689123762Why is arson difficult to investigate?arsonists are careful to avoid eyewitnesses fire destroys evidence42
13689131334Circumstantial evidencefacts supporting evidence but no conclusive proof is available43
13689149695Most of the evidence in arson cases iscircumstantial evidence44
13689157729What is the leading cause of accidental fires?careless smoking45
13689161831Tell-tail signs arson has occurredmultiple points of origin point of origin near good supply of oxygen evidence burned quickly and for a long time empty fuel cans or other evidence of accelerants Unusual odours caused by the use of accelerants46
13703228567what are the four classifications for the causes of fire?natural, accidental, unknown, incendiary47
13703232424incendiarydeliberately setting or causing fires48
13703242240To classify a fire, investigators must first...? How do they do this?try to locate the origin of the fire. To do this, photographs and diagrams of burn patterns are made and any physical evidence is collected and analyzed at the fire scene49
13703267121The origin of the fire, along with other evidence, can determinethe cause and the time the fire was ignited50
13703280564To prove that arson was the cause of the fire, investigators look for evidence in these four areasProof of incendiarism, proof of opportunity, proof of motive, circumstantial evidence51
13703296251How to investigators look for "proof of opportunity"?they look for anyone who had an opportunity to set the fire they will examine security and question anyone with access to the site before the fire. they will also ask for an alibi for the period of the fire if the alibis are confirmed, investigators will look for people who could have gained access illegally (they will now look for other evidence to help i.d suspects)52
13703346958How do investigators determine "proof of motive"?arsonists set fires for several reasons like revenge, vandalism, crime concealment, or financial gain if an owner gains from the fire, they will become a suspect. it is routine to look at the owner's insurance policies, history (ex. previous fires), and financial situation if a body is found the debris, the body may be a victim of the fire or a victim of another crime. the remains and scene are investigated to i.d the victim and the cause of death53
13703406204circumstantial evidence in an arson related casethis type of evidence may help build a case but often falls short on conviction. Other types of evidence are often needed to convict someone, like witnesses.54
13703426479Examples of evidence investigators may use to support their caseon-site fire or burglar detection systems are inspected for tampering background check on the caller licence plates in areas are checked previous police activity in the area hospitals in the area with burn victims accelerants being purchased locally55
13703695936After a fire has been extinguished and arson investigators leave the site safety, police and fire department personnel control .... ? Why do they do this?who enters and leaves the scene. they do this to prevent contamination56
13703711405they store any physical evidence in aevidence collection bin57
13703721818all furniture and appliances are _______ they do this because _____?placed back to their original position (based on a map drawn by the owners). they do this to examine and document every potential accidental ignition source or origin of arson in the rooms58
13703752811fire will burn longer and therefore will have the most damage at what area?the point of origin59
13703756465the point of originThe location where the fire started60
13703763749physical evidence of the cause of the fire is found at or nearthe point of origin61
13703768323Why is it important to locate the point of origin quickly?residues of accelerants that may have been used evaporate fast62
13703780874When the origin of the fire has been determineda detailed diagram of the site is drawn. it includes windows, wall, floors, ceiling composition, exits, types of locks, etc63
13703807143why do investigators call in experts to examine and inspect items?determine if they could have accidentally started the fire.64
13703822342if an arsonist starts a fire in a multi-storey building, where do they normally start it? why? what does this mean to investigators?first floor to escape quickly. investigators will have to move much debris to find evidence65
13703844674What will an arsonist do to ensure the whole building burns?multiple points of origin66
13703849867What are the three important burn patterns?classic V, doughnut pattern, ignitable liquid pour67
13703857917classic V patternfires tend to move upwards. when it moves upwards on a verticle surface, a v pattern is created. the point of origin is at the bottom of the v, therefore, investigators will look for accelerants at the bottom68
13703877314the doughnut patternwhen a liquid accelerant is poured on carpet and lit, it typically makes a circular doughnut pattern evidence of the accelerant is found inside the doughnut because the melted carpet material in the doughnut interior protects the carpet padding, which is saturated with fuel, from the effects of the fire69
13703932895the ignitable liquid pourintense burn patterns caused by accelerants directly where they were poured low points in nonporous surfaces will burn longer causing darker burn patterns when it is poured onto porous surfaces like wood, it can seep through the material under the floor and create a pattern of burn and unburned places where the fuel drips (rundown burn pattern) hydrocarbons tend to do physical damage whereas other accelerants like alcohol cause less physical damage and more superficial scorching70
13703984046Nonporous surfacessurfaces that do not allow absorption71
13703990186porous surfacesSurfaces that have tiny openings which allow liquid to be absorbed or to pass through.72
13703996945rundown burn patterncaused by a porous surface patterns of unburned and burned places where fuel drips73
13704414312Once investigators take the evidence from the crime scene,it is analyzed and interpreted by forensic lab specialists. these people determine the cause of the fire. the most common service these experts can provide is to analyze fire debris for suspected accelerants74
13704443857if arsonists use an excess of accelerant to start a fire,accelerant reside will remain and may be detected once the fire is out75
13704449478if a small amount of accelerant is usedthere may not be any residue left in the debris76
13704458641to ensure evidence is not contaminatedproper collection and storage of fire evidence is crucial77
13704475218evidence that is suspected to suggest that an accelerant was used can be stored infor tight containers to prevent the accelerant from evaporating78
13704480317control evidencetaking the same piece of material from another place at the scene to verify the properties of the material. it determines if an accelerate was or was not placed there. this is important if they find a flammable cleaning material from general maintenance of the carpet the analysis of a piece of control evidence show that when burned, it produced hydrocarbons as it breaks downs, which can be mistaken for accelerants79
13704522544if a piece of evidence from the suspect point of origin is taken,the same type of material from a different area of the scene must be taken so they can be compared80
13704551965two methods for finding and collecting physical evidence:1. accelerant detection dogs 2. photo ionization detectors (PID)81
13704565590Accelerant detection dogssome dogs are able to sniff and detect any type of accelerant that may have been used to start a fire when they find an accelerant, they will sit and/or bark to get their handlers attention often where the dog finds the accelerant is also the point of origin82
13704588301Photo Ionization Detectorhydrocarbons can be detected using a PID. it is a sensitive portable device that detects hydrogen vapours. it narrows the search for hydrocarbon residue so that evidence around these areas can be collected and analyzed further. the PID contains an ultraviolet lamp that emits energy packets that makeup light called photons. when the photons hit hydrocarbon molecules, they get absorbed. in the process the molecules will break apart and emit an electron due to the increase in energy, creating ions. these ions flow into the PID and interact with it by covering their energy into a digital reading. This happens very quickly.83
13704646057drawbacks of PID'scannot detect the type of hydrocarbons may give false readings due to humid conditions84
13704744927Two ways to indicate in a lab that an accelerant was used?Headspace technique vapour concentration85
13704758513Headspace TechniqueMaterial with accelerant placed in air tight container Heat container to allow accelerants to evaporate more easily Vapors pulled out of the top of container using a syringe the size of the syringe will limit the volume of vapour removed86
13704786294Vapour concentrationmaterial with accelerant placed in air tight container with an absorbent substance heat container to 60 degrees for one hour. this will ensure sufficient amount of vapour is expelled from the debris the absorbent substance absorbs any accelerant vapour in the container the charcoal strip is washed with a carbon disulphide solution this method is preferred because a greater concentration of accelerant is recovered, making the sample ore sensitive to tests87
13704853327Metal Oxide Sensoronce vapour concentration is done, you can use this process. it is inexpensive and has been around for a long time the fumes from the samples are exposed to metal oxide sensors, which will change how the metals in the detectors react to electricity the downside is that they can react to moisture or carbon dioxide, which results in false measurements88
13705678973explosives containone or more chemical compound that, when detonated, decomposes or react very rapidly. in this process, energy in the form of heat, light, sound, and destructive shock waves are produced89
13705712464why are explosives often placed inside of a container? what type of container is it made out of?build pressure inside to increase once the chemical reactions being a metal casing90
13705721531Shrapnelfragments of an exploding shell or bomb. they can cause extended damage to people, buildings, vehicles, or anything near the explosive blast91
13705749434How are explosives used by criminals different from the ones used by the military?military: mass produced, standard designs and components, deployed in standard ways Criminals: custom made using a variety of explosives which have varying levels of power and chemical stability uses vary and are often used in criminal activity92
13705770342improvised explosive devicesIED - a civilian bomb (homemade)93
13713016692an explosive device has an ______ ______ or a _____ that when ignited causes a chemical reaction between the compounds in the metal casingignition source , fuse94
13713024563a fuse iscord made of combustible material. its length will determine the burn time before the explosive is set off95
13713084460What are ways a bomb can be detonated?fuse mechanical timer electronic timer chemical timer impact (throwing, dropping) remote (wire or radio waves) time delay switch ignition switch starting vehicle (car bomb)96
13713134381what is the most planned detail in a bomb? why?ignition source. it makes or breaks a bomb97
13713160635within the casing of an explosives is either apure compound or an oxidizer and a fuel98
13713187912what type of compound is nitroglycerin? what happens when it is mixed with sawdust? what is this used for?it is a pure compound. it is highly unstable, heavy, and colourless liquid. you get dynamite (this is used for professionally controlled blasting sites)99
13713233155oxidizera molecule that releases some atoms as of oxygen100
13713251318what does an oxidizer provide in a combustion reaction?provides one of the requirements for combustion. if combustion is already happening, the fuel source can continue burning101
13713282690the fuel source of an explosive isan unstable chemical compound that will produce an explosion when ignited102
13713311868what happens when a fuel source is mixed with an oxidizer?an explosion is created103
13713328412what are two examples of fuel sources? what are the elements and compounds that they are made of?black powder - charcoal, sulfur, potassium nitrate flash powder - aluminum or magnesium plus potassium nitrate104
13713366841similarities between fire and explosions?must be ignited need a fuel need oxygen physical damage could be used to destroy evidence105
13713378707differences between fire and explosions?a fire must be started with heat. explosions can be started with electricity, radio waves, friction, etc. fires do not explode explosions happen relatively quickly, fires are slow explosions have shrapnel, fires have falling debris, etc. explosions have shockwaves106
13713932446to be considered an explosive a substancemust react rapidly when exposed to heat or shock and must produce gas and energy rapidly107
13713950646an explosionthe oxidation and combustion of at least two unstable substances that produce a violent reaction108
13713966460what are the two general types of explosives? how are they categorized?low explosives and high explosives. how quickly the explosive compound ignites and how fast the chemical reaction occurs109
13714047344low explosivessensitive to heat, friction, and temperature. around 2300m/s (7x faster than the speed of sound) only lethal when confined to a sealed container in which huge pressure occurs often created with easy-to-find materials like fertilizer, gunpowder, or gasoline often used by criminals ex. car bomb, pipe bomb110
13714087313high explosiveslarger, more complex, more powerful than look explosives around 6900m/s (21x faster than the speed of sound) the buildup of pressure and gas within the explosive is almost instantaneous. less sensitive to heat, friction, and temperature ex. nitroglycerin, TNT, military warheads111
13714121785what are the most commonly used methods to locate explosive devices?bomb detection dogs, bomb detection robots, x-ray machines, and metal detectors112
13714160401after a bomb has been located, whether it is detonated or not, investigators must identify the type of ... why?chemical compounds that could have caused the explosion. this can help identify the suspects and/or help to prove which suspect committed the crime113
13714212177the two most common methods used to identify explosive compounds involve complex processes calledgas chromatography and mass spectrometry. this process involves looking at light patterns produced by excited particles within the explosive114
13714234906bomb detection dogsrarely malfunction cannot identify the type of explosive can detect hundreds of different explosives after it locates an explosive, it is safely and carefully removed115
13714261525bomb detection robotsvery safe very expensive a robotic device used to locate and safely remove explosive devices. it is used when a bomb threat has been issued or a suspicious package has been detected. the area the bomb is near is cleared to prevent any harm to humans. the robot is linked to several cameras. they also operate an extendable arm to disarm, remove, and/or detonate a comb safely116
13714354536X-ray machinesdetermines the densities of the substances within an explosive. investigators know the densities of the possible substances that could be in an explosive, they can compare them to what the x-ray machine finds. it is up to the operator of the machine to determine if the material is explosive or not used in police departments, airports, highly secure government facilities117
13714413706metal detectorssince most explosives are contained in a metal casing a metal detector could be used to find suspicious objects that could be an explosive this only detects metal, the nature of the explosive can only be found by other means inexpensive but often detects more distractions than explosives used in police departments, airports, highly secure government facilities118
13714483196EGIS - Erieye Ground Interface Segmenta military software package that uses gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to detect the presence of plastic, commercial, or military explosives a sample residue is collected by rubbing a special wipe on an object or person. the sample is heated until it becomes gaseous. the gas is analyzed to see if it contains any nitro-groups (many high explosives contain nitrogen) this process takes a very long time119

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