One of the most intriguing fields of criminal investigation is forensics. It seems amazing to discover how materials found at the crime scene can help identify the suspect and even reconstruct the events that transpired.
How do you conduct a crime scene forensic examination? Here are some of the ways:

Examining the Hair

It’s very normal for people to shed some of their hair. It is thus possible for them to be transferred from different objects and human beings. They are most likely to be found in crime scenes too. That is why they are very much helpful when it comes to criminal investigation.

Hairs do vary, depending on where they grow. For example, the characteristics of the bearded hair are different from the hair found in your head. It is also possible that their morphologic properties may differ so that you can identify the owner of the hair.

How Hair Is Examined

When you are conducting a hair analysis with the help of comparison microscope, there are 4 phases that you have to follow.
The first one is referred to as preliminary examination. This means looking for hairs found in the crime scene. If there are, they will undergo initial analysis to determine if they come from an animal or a human being. If they come from the latter, the source shall then be identified. The second stage aims to determine the hair properties. These may include their general properties, like their thickness, pigmentation, or even their length, as well as special characteristics, whether they are bleached or dyed. The result of the hair properties shall then be compared to reference samples or traces of hair of victims and the suspects. You need a low magnification comparison microscope for this.

The differences or their similarities shall be weighed so the forensic expert can come up with a conclusion, most importantly if both come from a single person. Animal hairs can also be examined but they may not hold the same weight as human hair.

Examining Fingerprints and Footprints

Besides hair, it’s also possible that criminals will leave traces of their fingerprints or footprints. These may be visible by the naked eye, though you may need the help of a forensic comparison microscope to identify properly their origin.

Examining Materials Coming from Plants and Animals

It’s not uncommon for suspects who are truly involved in the crime scene to acquire plant and animal materials. They can be very useful in crime scene forensic examination. If you study these evidences under a microscope, you will be able to identify the type of the plant and the animal material as well as where they come.

The Use of a Comparison Microscope

It is very essential that if you are conducting crime scene forensic examination, you have all the right tools with you. One of these is the forensic comparison microscope. There are many kinds that you can choose from. There are specialized microscopes that are perfect for comparing bullets or fibers. Others are referred to as digital comparison microscope because you can attach a digital camera into it. It permits observers to have a definite record of the essential elements of a particular specimen which can create breakthroughs in the criminal investigation. For more functions of the comparison microscope, check out http://www.comparison-microscope.com.

A criminal laboratory may have two kinds of microscopes, namely, compound and stereoscopic comparison microscopes. For comparing ammunition, you can make use of the stereoscopic comparison microscope, which has low power. You can also analyze fingerprints and riflings.

The greatest benefit you can obtain from the comparison microscope is that you can compare two different samples simultaneously with the use of one ocular which can magnify an image 10 times their original size. It may also give you a 3D image of the specimen, revealing any patching, folding, or superimpositions and erasures in a particular document.

The comparison microscope is very much useful in the sense that you can compare a similar make of the evidence and the proof itself so you may be able to determine any inconsistency. You can even trace the manufacturers or makers of such objects where you can obtain further information about the properties and characteristics of the evidence.

Comparison microscopes may appear expensive, but then again, they are truly handy tools in crime scene forensic examination. There are already countless crimes before that were solved with the help of these equipment. The emergence of the digital comparison microscope will further take crime scene forensic examination to another level as all properties of the evidence will be looked at.