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.
I'm not sure what you mean by post certified?
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That’s an excellent question, that unfortunately I can’t answer. We have the OBTI test that can confirm blood is human, but beyond that…I don’t know if there are alleles that both animals and humans share that might show up in the average DNA analysis. Even if animals have some alleles that are the same as humans, if those aren’t the alleles looked for in a DNA test, then it wouldn’t affect things. But if they are, then I don’t know if scientists have a way to distinguish them. Sorry I can’t be more help!
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Nothing's really 'dumb' since every case involves, a minimum, property loss or inconvenience. Criminals can be dumb...the best example I can think of was when a bunch of boys broke the glass in a door to get into a jewelry store, couldn't find much to take, then were hightailing it out of there as the alarm rang and one was trying to climb back out the broken window and not having much luck when his buddy barreled through the other door simply by pushing the push bar on it. The video was hilarious.
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I”m sorry but I have no idea—you’d need a pathologist for that one.
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Flight Attendant
What kinds of passengers annoy you the most?
Fashion Model
How much do promo girls at convention booths get paid?
Police Officer
Have you ever been shot or seriously injured on the job?
Job requirements depend on the job. Requirements might range from a HS diploma to a PhD. Check the websites of forensic professional organizations (IAI, AAFS, pathology or other disciplines) for job vacancies. I like the variability of the days.I dislike the hours, which can be unpredictable, and require being ‘on call.’
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Could you clarify that question? I'm not sure what mean.
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Yes, unlike what you see on television, evidence doesn’t necessarily ‘prove’ anything. It all depends on circumstances. If the victim’s blood is on the suspect’s shirt and he says he never met her, that’s vital evidence. If he found the body and tried to revive her, then it likely means nothing. Or bloodstains might tell me the victim was stabbed six inches away from the wall, but that doesn’t tell me who stabbed him. But if the perpetrator is caught and describes what happened, the bloodstains might corroborate or disprove his story. I hope that helps.
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