Forensic Engineering
- 1st Edition - April 28, 2017
- Latest edition
- Editor: Max M. Houck
- Language: English
Forensic Engineering, the latest edition in the Advanced Forensic Science series that grew out of recommendations from the 2009 NAS Report: Strengthening Forensic Science: A Path F… Read more
Forensic Engineering, the latest edition in the Advanced Forensic Science series that grew out of recommendations from the 2009 NAS Report: Strengthening Forensic Science: A Path Forward, serves as a graduate level text for those studying and teaching digital forensic engineering, as well as an excellent reference for a forensic scientist’s library or for their use in casework.
Coverage includes investigations, transportation investigations, fire investigations, other methods and professional issues. Edited by a world-renowned leading forensic expert, this series is a long overdue solution for the forensic science community.
- Provides basic principles of forensic science and an overview of forensic engineering
- Contains sections on investigations, transportation investigations, fire investigations and other methods
- Includes a section on professional issues, such as: from crime scene to court, forensic laboratory reports and health and safety
- Incorporates effective pedagogy, key terms, review questions, discussion questions and additional reading suggestions
Graduate students and educators, as well as entry level professionals
Section 1. Introduction
Introduction
Principles of Forensic Science
- What Is Forensic Science?
- The Trace as the Basic Unit of Forensic Science
- Two Native Principles
- Nonnative Principles
- See also
Forensic Classification of Evidence
- Introduction
- Methods of Classification
- Class-Level Information
- Uniqueness and Individualization
- Relationships and Context
- See also
Interpretation/The Comparative Method
- Introduction
- Analogy and Comparison within a Forensic Process
- The Comparative Method within Forensic Science
- See also
Forensic Engineering/Accident Reconstruction/Biomechanics of Injury/Philosophy, Basic Theory, and Fundamentals
- Introduction
- Basic Principles
- Methodology
- Accident Reconstruction
- See also
Key Terms
Review Questions
Discussion Questions
Section 2. Investigations
Introduction
Collection and Chain of Evidence
- Introduction
- Scene Examination
- Evidence Collection
- Control Samples
- Chain of Custody
- See also
Accident Investigation—Determination of Cause
- Introduction
- Targets
- Accident Analysis
- Material Properties in the Contact Area
- Eccentric Impacts
- The Full Impact
- The Sliding Impact
- Energy Equivalent Speed
- The Driver's Reaction
- Sample Case
- Results
- Summary
- See also
Human Factors Investigation and Analysis of Accidents and Incidents
- HFACS—A Human Factors Investigative Tool
- Using HFACS to Identify and Address Threats to Quality and Safety
- Closing Thoughts
- See also
Major Incident Scene Management
- Background
- Scene Control and Coordination
- Approach to Crime Scene Investigation
- Initial Assessment
- Scene Security
- Occupational Health and Safety
- Systematic Collection of Potential Evidence
- Systematic and Sequential Approach to the Search and Recovery of Potential Evidence
- Examination Records
- Ongoing Case Management
- Summary
- See also
Crime Scene Analysis and Reconstruction
- Crime Analysis and Reconstruction
- Phases of a Crime
- Evidence Dynamics
- Role of Physical Evidence
- Reconstruction—Historical Perspective
- Who Does Reconstruction
- Methods of Reconstruction
- See also
Key Terms
Review Questions
Discussion Questions
Section 3. Transportation Investigations
Introduction
Railroad Accident Investigation and Reconstruction
- Introduction
- Types of Railroad Accidents
- Event Recorders
- Procedural Steps to Follow in Railroad Accident Investigation and Reconstruction
- Human Factors Considerations—Level Crossing Accidents
- See also
Aircraft Flight Data Recorders
- Introduction
- Pursuit of Truth
- Desired Knowledge
- Role of Evidence in Establishing Truth
- Aircraft Flight Data Recorder History
- Current Recorder State-of-the-Art
- Cultural Repercussion of Recorders
- Expanded Employment of Recorders
- See also
Air-Bag-Related Injuries and Deaths
- Introduction
- Historical Context
- Automotive Industry
- Human Injuries
- Specific Injury Patterns
- Sample Cases
- Forensics of Air Bag Injuries
- Summary
- See also
Electronic Data Recorders (EDRs, Black Boxes)
- Glossary
- Background of Electronic Data in Ground Vehicles
- Retrieving ECU NVRAM Data for Use in Crash Investigations
- The Use of ECU NVRAM Data in Crash Investigations
- See also
Analog Tachograph Chart Analysis
- Introduction
- The Forensic Use of Tachograph Data
- The Tachograph Chart
- The Tachograph Instrument
- The Principles of Chart Analysis
- The Accuracy of the Speed Record
- Falsifications and Diagnostic Signals
- Case Example
- Digital Tachographs
- See also
Traffic Injuries and Deaths
- Road Traffic
- Railway
- Air Traffic
- See also
Airplane Crashes and Other Mass Disasters
- Definition
- Tasks
- See also
Key Terms
Review Questions
Discussion Questions
Section 4. Fire Investigations
Introduction
Chemistry of Fire
- Introduction
- Conditions for a Fire
- Fire as a Chemical Reaction
- Phase Change and Pyrolysis
- Heat Source and Transfer
- Flammability Limits, Flash Point, and Fire Point
- Ignition
- Conclusion
- See also
Physics/Thermodynamics
- Introduction and Overview
- Physical Thermodynamics: The Relevant Background
- The Role of Thermodynamics in Fire Investigation
- Fire: Ignition and Propagation
- Thermodynamic Classification of Ignition Sources
- Smoldering
- Flames
- Conclusion
- See also
Thermal Degradation
- Introduction
- Thermal Degradation Effects
- Summary
- See also
Types of Fires
- Theory of Fire
- Physical States of Fuel
- The Fire Triangle
- See also
Evidence Collection at Fire Scenes
- Introduction and Overview
- Sample Selection and Documentation
- Comparison Samples
- Packaging Options
- Clothing and Shoes
- Liquids for Comparison
- Evidence Collection for Other Types of Testing
- See also
Fire Scene Inspection Methodology
- Introduction and Overview
- First Assumptions
- Planning the Investigation
- Initial Evaluation: Can This Inspection Be Conducted Safely?
- Documentation
- Reconstruction
- Inventory
- Avoiding Spoliation
- Origin Determination
- Cause Determination
- See also
Fire Patterns and Their Interpretation
- Introduction and Overview
- Plume-Generated Patterns
- Confinement Patterns
- Movement Patterns
- Irregular Patterns
- Spalling
- Electrical Damage
- Clean Burn
- Intensity Patterns
- Ventilation-Generated Fire Patterns
- See also
Analysis of Fire Debris
- Introduction
- Evidence Collection—Sampling Containers
- Preliminary Examination of Fire Debris Samples
- Extraction and Sampling Techniques
- Analysis
- See also
Interpretation of Fire Debris Analysis
- Glossary
- Introduction
- Classification
- Interpretation of Neat Liquids
- Interpretation of ILRs
- Systematic Approach
- Significance of Findings
- See also
Suspicious Deaths
- Cause of Death
- Manner of Death
- Death Scene
- Postmortem Examination
- Summary
- See also
Key Terms
Review Questions
Discussion Questions
Section 5. Other Methods
Introduction
Audio Enhancement and Authentication
- Introduction
- Forensic Audio Enhancement
- Forensic Audio Authentication
- See also
Investigation and Analysis of Electrical Accidents
- Investigation
- Analysis
- Casework/Examples
- See also
Investigation and Analysis of Structural Collapses
- Overview
- First Steps
- The Investigation
- The Investigator/Expert
- Postinvestigation
- See also
Biomechanics of Human Gait—Slip and Fall Analysis
- Biomechanics of Human Gait
- Gait Characteristics Influencing Slip Initiation, Detection, and Recovery
- See also
Forensic Chemical Engineering Investigation and Analysis
- Introduction
- Fires and Explosions
- Pollution and Toxic Substances
- Unrecognized Hazards and Unexpected Consequences
- Epilog
- See also
Materials Analysis and Failure Analysis
- The Role of Materials Analysis in Determining Causation of Failure
- Techniques for Determining Morphology
- Techniques for Determining Composition
- Selecting the Appropriate Technique
- See also
Key Terms
Review Questions
Discussion Questions
Section 6. Professional Issues
Introduction
Crime Scene to Court
- Introduction
- Task
- Models
- Forensic Strategies
- Integrated Case Management
- Summary
- See also
Forensic Laboratory Reports
- Contents of a Report—A “Science” Standard
- Contents of Report: Legal Standards
- Reports: Stand-Alone Evidence or Support for a Testifying Expert
- Ethical Considerations and Forensic Reports
- Conclusion
- See also
Health and Safety
- Occupational Health and Safety Policy
- Specific Laboratory Hazards
- Hazards in the Field
- See Also
Key Terms
Review Questions
Discussion Questions
- Edition: 1
- Latest edition
- Published: April 28, 2017
- Language: English
MH
Max M. Houck
Dr. Max M. Houck is an internationally-recognized forensic expert with research interests in forensic science, education, and the forensic enterprise and its industries. He has worked in all aspects of forensic science, including at the FBI Laboratory. Dr. Houck has published widely in books and peer-reviewed journals. His anthropology and trace evidence casework includes the Branch Davidian Investigation, the September 11 attacks on the Pentagon, the D.B. Cooper case, the US Embassy bombings in Africa, and the West Memphis Three case, among hundreds of others. He served for six years as the Chair of the Forensic Science Educational Program Accreditation Commission (FEPAC). Dr. Houck is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a founding Co-Editor of the journal Forensic Science Policy and Management.
Affiliations and expertise
Vice President, Forensic and Intelligence Services, LLC