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What Every Law Enforcement Officer Should Know About DNA Evidence

First Responding Officers

Physical vs Biological Evidence

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Image depicting handheld magnifying glass for Physical evidence and microscope for Biological evidence
National Institute of Justice (NIJ) (see reuse policy).

Physical evidence is any tangible object that can connect a suspect to a crime scene. Biological evidence, which contains DNA, is a type of physical evidence. However, biological evidence is not always visible to the naked eye.

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