THIS BOOK IS DIRECTED TO THE BEGINNING STUDENT OR INVESTIGATOR AND IS DESIGNED TO GIVE A GENERAL PICTURE OF THE PROCESS OF MODERN CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION, FROM THE FUNDAMENTAL ASPECTS THROUGH LABORATORY TECHNIQUES TO THE PRESENTATION OF EVIDENCE IN COURT. MANY OF THE NORMALLY COMPLICATED TECHNIQUES HAVE BEEN DELIBERATELY SIMPLIFIED FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS INTRODUCTORY REVIEW. CHAPTERS ARE INCLUDED ON THE ESTABLISHED FUNDAMENTAL METHODS IN CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION -- THE USE OF FINGERPRINTS, CRIME SCENE SEARCHES, INTERVIEWS AND INTERROGATION, AND THE COLLECTION AND HANDLING OF PHYSICAL EVIDENCE -- ALONG WITH SECTIONS ON VARIOUS LABORATORY EXAMINATIONS (I.E., THE EXAMINATION OF DOCUMENTS, BIOLOGICAL AND RELATED MATERIALS, CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES, AND FIREARMS) AND THE APPLICATIONS OF SUCH SPECIALIZED TECHNIQUES AS TRACE ELEMENT ANALYSIS, CHROMATOGRAPHY, ABSORPTION SPECTOPHOTOMETRY, MASS SPECTOMETERY, X-RAY METHODS, AND ELECTRON MICROSCOPY. FOLLOWING AN EXAMINATION OF TECHNIQUES FOR PRESENTING EVIDENCE IN COURT, DEVELOPMENTS AND FUTURE TRENDS IN THE FIELD ARE DISCUSSED WITH RESPECT TO INFORMATION SYSTEMS, POLICE COMMUNICATION METHODS, AND POLICE OPERATIONS. APPENDED MATERIALS ILLUSTRATE THE PROPER PACKAGING AND CODING PROCEDURES TO FOLLOW WHEN SUBMITTING EVIDENCE TO THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION FOR ANALYSIS AND LISTS OF THE TYPES OF EVIDENCE COMMONLY AVAILABLE IN THE FOLLOWING OFFENSES: CRIMINAL ABORTION, BREAKING AND ENTERING, FATAL MOTOR VEHICLE CRASHES, FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS, FIRE DEATHS, HIT AND RUN, HOMICIDE AND OBSCURE DEATH, IMPAIRED DRIVING, AND SEXUAL ASSAULTS. PHOTOS ILLUSTRATE THE TEXT. AN INDEX IS PROVIDED. SEE ALSO NCJ 51013, 51014, 51015.