LIsa Black
Cape Coral, FL
Female, 49
I spent the five happiest years of my life in a morgue. As a forensic scientist in the Cleveland coroner’s office I analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence, as well as crime scenes. Now I'm a certified latent print examiner and CSI for a police department in Florida. I also write a series of forensic suspense novels, turning the day job into fiction. My books have been translated into six languages.
Sure, I'll email you. You might also want to look over earlier questions on this site.
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No. You might be able to estimate muzzle to target distance from a spray pattern, but not firearm type or brand.
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I'm sure document examiners could do this fairly easily but I don't know exactly how. I would guess that alternative light source (like infrared or ultraviolet spectrums) could show that there is no difference between the signature and the rest of the document. Or I believe thin-layer chromatography could show that the chemical makeup is the same. A Questioned Document Examiner could tell you much more.
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I checked city and county websites for job postings.
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Bodybuilder
How prevalent is steroid use in pro bodybuilding?
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Have you ever suspected that the judging in a pageant was rigged?
I'm not a doctor but I don't see why not. If the flesh and muscle is being crushed between the ribs and the person's hands, that would have to cause damage. Sometimes CPR can cause cracked ribs.
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You can't go wrong with as many science classes as you can get, and especially anything that's specifically forensics. Programs that have hands-on labs for processing evidence and crime scenes would be great. Titles and job requirements aren't uniform, so the only way to know is to call the crime labs in your area or whereever you might be interested in working and ask them. At the coroner's office we had to have at least a bachelor's in a natural science (this was before they had forensic science majors). At the police department where I am now, they only require a high school diploma but you get more points in the interviewing process for having a four year degree, so we all have one. You can also go on the websites for professional organizations such as the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and check out their job vacancy postings and see what the various positions require. Good luck.
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You can't go wrong with a lot of science classes. When I was in college they didn't have courses specifically in forensic science, so that wasn't an option. And different agencies will have different requirements, so you might want to go online and check out the different vacancies to get some idea of what requirements are out there. You can also call labs you're interested in and ask, that way you get to 'meet' some people too.
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