The growth in forensic science technology allows many contacts to now be detected, thereby increasing the potential in the number of solved criminal cases. A criminalist knows that every contact leaves a trace. It is up to the criminalist to detect it. This lab manual consists of 45 experiments showing how the contacts are detected. The experiments are intended to introduce students to the analyses performed in a forensic laboratory. Students become familiar with the investigation of physical evidence through the use of scientific procedures. This edition of the manual was updated to include information on bloody shoe print detection, reproducing bitemarks, DNA fingerprinting, paternity testing, restriction fragment sizing, and the use of ethidium bromide for visualization. This manual allows students to understand the significance of physical evidence at the scene of a crime, demonstrates what happens to physical evidence when it is sent to the laboratory, and educates students in basic laboratory practices.