The director of the Forensic Science Program at Pennsylvania State University, Professor Robert C. Shaler leads a comprehensive study of the intricacies of an intriguing, and always topical, science. In these lectures, Shaler imparts a clear understanding of crime-scene investigation, from archiving the scene to the presentation of evidence in court proceedings. Covering everything from fingermarks and bloodstains to 3-D imaging and microbial forensics, the course is an essential guide for anyone intrigued by this riveting subject.

Lecture 1 Introduction to Crime Scene Investigation

Lecture 2 The Crime Scene Investigative Paradigm and Evidence at the Scene

Lecture 3 Bias, the Culture of Science, and the Scene Investigation

Lecture 4 Scene Management: The Investigative Glue

Lecture 5 The Crime Scene Investigative Cascade, the Scientific Method, and Logic

Lecture 6 Origin of Evidence: Fundamental Principles of Evidence

Lecture 7 Macroscenes and Microscenes and Finding Associated Evidence

Lecture 8 Searching: The Meat and Potatoes of the Investigation

Lecture 9 Scene Search Methods

Lecture 10 Introduction to Forensic Archiving: Forensic Photography

Lecture 11 Forensic Photographic Technique: Archiving Crime Types

Lecture 12 The Written Record: Case Files, Scene Sketches, and Worksheets

Lecture 13 Sketch Types and Pinpointing Evidence at the Scene

Lecture 14 Fingerprinting: The Intellectual Ingredients