Forensic Science Basics

When you work crime scene investigation you’ll need many different products. Crime scene products have come a long way in the past several years, allowing for people who work in the field to always be on the cutting edge. Below are the most common crime scene products, but this is in no way an all inclusive list.

Basic Fingerprint Kits
This is probably the most common and most basic of all of the crime scene products that you can buy. When you buy basic fingerprint kits you will get many of the things that you need to do your job in one purchase. Many of these kits include all of the essentials such as a carrying case, a cardholder, a steel inking slab, an ink roller, slab and roller cleaner, ink remover towelettes, and fingerprint record cards.

Fingerprint Record Cards
Fingerprint record cards are going to be needed any time you take an individuals finger prints. These are the cards on which you will record pertinent information such as name, address, and of course where you will put the prints. You can buy these in many different styles such as cards for children, criminal record cards, diagonal cards, applicant cards, and even palm print cards.

Evidence Collection Kits
These kits will allow you to have everything on hand that you need when you are collecting evidence. You will easily be able to “bag it and tag it” when you buy a kit, and everything has its own place. You’ll need to restock, but the kits will help you get started.

Fingerprint Ink
Fingerprint ink is a must when you are on a crime scene. There are many different types of ink to purchase such as slab inks, UV inks, and indelible inks.

Fingerprint Rollers
If you’ll be taking fingerprints you will want to buy fingerprint rollers. These rollers help you to apply the ink to the skin surface quickly and easily, as well as evenly for the best prints.

Fingerprint Cleaners
If you’ll be fingerprinting you’ll need to supply something to clean the surface of the skin after you are done taking the prints. There are a variety of different products available such as towelettes, sprays, and waterless cleaners for you to choose from.

Fingerprint Dust
If you are going to try to find fingerprints on a scene you will need fingerprint dust to get the job done. There are many different types of powders, some that are dual use, magnetic, and latent print powder. Choose the one that is best for your needs.

Feather Dusters
Dust won’t do you much good if you don’t have feather dusters to help spread the powder over the areas where there may be prints. If feather dusters don’t appeal to you, you may find the fiber dusters more suitable.

Lifting Tape
When you find a print you will need to “lift it” so that it can be analyzed. You’ll need lifting take to get this done, as this is a part of any crime scene investigators tools.

Gloves
When you process a crime scene you need to have gloves. This will prevent you from contaminating the crime scene and will also keep you from coming in direct contact with any dangerous substances.