Forensic Scientist

Forensic Scientist

LIsa Black

Cape Coral, FL

Female, 49

I spent the five happiest years of my life in a morgue. As a forensic scientist in the Cleveland coroner’s office I analyzed gunshot residue on hands and clothing, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, DNA, blood and many other forms of trace evidence, as well as crime scenes. Now I'm a certified latent print examiner and CSI for a police department in Florida. I also write a series of forensic suspense novels, turning the day job into fiction. My books have been translated into six languages.

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Last Answer on July 21, 2022

Best Rated

how do finger[rints get on things, does our fingers leave fluids when we touch things, or we just leave a print on existing dust?

Asked by rekhab almost 4 years ago

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you!

Yes, fingerprints are impressions made by the oil and sweat on our fingers. If a surface is very dusty, we take away dust on our fingers instead of leaving prints on the object. It will look like fingerprints should be there because there will be finger marks in the dust, but actually we just removed dust.

Hope that helps!

My question to you is how are the audits done like in the state where they are auditing votes? What do you think the results will be?

Asked by Forrest almost 4 years ago

I’m sorry but my job has absolutely nothing to do with auditing voting machines. I have zero expertise in that area.

What is the cost to a criminal defendant to have a print run through the FBI's AFIS system? Has that cost remained the same from 1999 through the present?

Asked by MsM over 3 years ago

I'm sorry but I have absolutely no idea. I didn't know there was a cost. I would have guessed that their attorney could request a court order to do so from the judge and the police agency that has the print would take care of it, but I really don't know. Sorry I can't be more help.

Hi, Lisa Black I am Bobbie-Sue besides fingerprints or DNA what are other things that are looked at? Toe prints? There I am sure many other things besides those two things... right?

Asked by Bobbie-Sue over 3 years ago

We can compare footprints just as finger or palm prints, but there isn’t a database of footprints so you would have to have standards of the suspect’s feet. Otherwise I don’t know what you mean by ‘looked at.’ Everything is looked at, in a sense—there’s ballistics, fibers, bloodstain patterns, arson evidence, toolmarks, video and photo analysis, paint, glass, etc. and etc.

Would be able to give me a few tips on a resume since I'm going into the same field as you?

Asked by Steve about 4 years ago

Sure, you can send it to: Lisa-black@live.com

Face reading and NLP. It’s a YouTube video

Asked by Brett about 4 years ago

I can’t speak to this guy’s course specifically, but deception detection training is often offered to detectives and law enforcement personnel. I sat in on a two day course through my department once, just to use in my writing.

Saying that they DID do what ever it is they are being accused of?

Asked by Mike over 3 years ago

There have been a few cases in which I testified where the defendants were found not guilty, and I was fine with that. In some there simply wasn't sufficient evidence, in one it was clearly self-defense, in two the defendants were charged with murder and I figured it should have been manslaughter. But that's why we have a jury system, and they did a good job.