Forensic mind-set

There is a core set of skills that any forensic scientist should cultivate as part of a forensic mind-set. The importance of comparison in forensic analyses imposes conditions on methods selected, how they are applied, and how the results ate interpreted. Consider a case in which the forensic chemist is provided a tiny fragment of a thick, fibrous, silvery material with one adhesive surface. The evidence is the only remaining trace of the material that was used to bind a homicide victim. A suspect has been identified and a search of his house reveals three different rolls of duct tape. The forensic question is which roll, if any, could the fragment of tape have come from The identification part of analysis is simple A quick look through a stereomicroscope shows the material to be duct tape. The challenge is how to proceed, given that the evidence cannot be destroyed. 

Although this kind of case is not routine, it highlights the skills that constitute the forensic mind-set. Forensic scientists and forensic chemists should... 

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