Archival Notice
This is an archive page that is no longer being updated. It may contain outdated information and links may no longer function as originally intended.
Home | Glossary | Resources | Help | Course Map
To increase the probability that the expert's tests, experiments, demonstrations and models will be admissible for the courtroom, the expert should follow these steps:
- Be thoroughly familiar with the facts of the case.
- Have accurate measurements available.
- Be familiar with the progression of events that occurred.
- Use the same materials that were involved in the events.
- Meticulously track tests or experimental steps.
- Record the tests or experimental events carefully.
- Make demonstrations similar to the actual events that occurred.
- Make models to precise scale.
- Detail all findings, both positive and negative.
- Do sufficient research to establish that the test or experimental procedure is scientifically and technically recognized as authoritative.
- Consult with counsel to ensure the best presentation for admissibility.
Additional Online Courses
- What Every First Responding Officer Should Know About DNA Evidence
- Collecting DNA Evidence at Property Crime Scenes
- DNA – A Prosecutor’s Practice Notebook
- Crime Scene and DNA Basics
- Laboratory Safety Programs
- DNA Amplification
- Population Genetics and Statistics
- Non-STR DNA Markers: SNPs, Y-STRs, LCN and mtDNA
- Firearms Examiner Training
- Forensic DNA Education for Law Enforcement Decisionmakers
- What Every Investigator and Evidence Technician Should Know About DNA Evidence
- Principles of Forensic DNA for Officers of the Court
- Law 101: Legal Guide for the Forensic Expert
- Laboratory Orientation and Testing of Body Fluids and Tissues
- DNA Extraction and Quantitation
- STR Data Analysis and Interpretation
- Communication Skills, Report Writing, and Courtroom Testimony
- Español for Law Enforcement
- Amplified DNA Product Separation for Forensic Analysts