Unit
- Forensic investigation: the application of scientific methods and principles to legal problems, involving the systematic collection, analysis, and presentation of evidence. It spans criminal, civil, corporate, and regulatory domains.
- Core objectives: establish facts, reconstruct events, identify perpetrators or responsible parties, and support legal decision-making. Every investigation must be impartial and evidence-driven.
- Types of forensic investigations: criminal forensics (homicide, theft, assault), civil forensics (product liability, insurance fraud), corporate forensics (internal fraud, intellectual property theft), and regulatory forensics (compliance breaches, environmental violations).
- Key stakeholders: investigators, forensic scientists, legal counsel, law enforcement, regulatory bodies, and sometimes the public. Understanding their expectations drives investigative design.
- Historical context: from early fingerprinting to modern DNA profiling and digital analysis, the field has evolved from anecdotal observations to rigorous scientific discipline governed by standards such as ISO 17020 (inspection bodies) and ASTM E1732 (forensic terminology).
Strategic Framework
Framework: Locard's Exchange Principle
Purpose: explains the fundamental premise that every contact leaves a trace, guiding evidence search strategies
- Component 1 - Physical transfer: whenever two objects come into contact, material is exchanged between them (e.g., fibers, hair, soil). Investigators use this to link suspects to scenes.
- Component 2 - Digital transfer: in cyber environments, device interactions leave digital artifacts such as log entries, metadata, and network traces.
- Component 3 - Temporal decay: traces degrade over time; early scene preservation maximizes recovery. This principle drives the urgency of crime scene response.
- Application: during scene examination, investigators systematically collect from all contact surfaces, document chain of custody, and use controls to avoid contamination.
Governance Requirement
Requirement: ISO 17020; Conformity assessment for inspection bodies
Forensic investigation units seeking accreditation must demonstrate impartiality, competence, and consistent procedures. This standard requires documented policies for evidence handling, personnel training, and quality control. Compliance ensures that investigation outputs are accepted by courts and regulators.
Quick Revision
- Forensic investigation uses scientific methods to address legal questions across multiple domains.
- Locard's Exchange Principle states every contact leaves a trace, guiding evidence collection.
- Stakeholders include law enforcement, legal counsel, and regulatory bodies with differing needs.
- ISO 17020 accreditation requires documented impartiality and quality procedures for forensic units.