Forensic Investigation of Stolen-Recovered and Other Crime-Related Vehicles

Eric Stauffer, Monica Bonfanti

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Year: 2006
• Print ISBN:
  9780120884865
• eBook ISBN:
  9780080477886
• Topic: Law
• Subtopic: Forensic Science
• Index: Law

Forensic Investigation of Stolen-Recovered and Other Crime-Related Vehicles provides unique and detailed insights into the investigations of one of the most common crime scenes in the world. In addition to a thorough treatment of auto theft, the book covers vehicles involved in other forms of crime—dealing extensively with the various procedures and dynamics of evidence as it might be left in any crime scene. An impressive collection of expert contributors covers a wide variety of subjects, including chapters on vehicle identification, examination of burned vehicles, vehicles recovered from under water, vehicles involved in terrorism, vehicle tracking, alarms, anti-theft systems, steering columns, and ignition locks. The book also covers such topics as victim and witness interviews, public and private auto theft investigations, detection of trace evidence and chemical traces, vehicle search techniques, analysis of automotive fluids, vehicle registration, document examination, and vehicle crime mapping. It is the ultimate reference guide for any auto theft investigator, crime scene technician, criminalist, police investigator, criminologist, or insurance adjuster. - Extensively researched and exceptionally well-written by internationally-recognized experts in auto theft investigation and forensic science - All the principles explained in the text are well-illustrated and demonstrated with more than 450 black and white and about 100 full-color illustrations, many directly from real cases - Serves as both a valuable reference guide to the professional and an effective teaching tool for the forensic science student

Table of contents

• Front cover
• Title page
• Copyright
• Table of contents
• Contributors
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• 1 THE PROBLEM OF AUTO THEFT
• 2 VICTIM AND WITNESS INTERVIEWS AND COLLECTION OF CIRCUMSTANTIAL INFORMATION
• 3 GENERAL CRIME SCENE CONSIDERATIONS AND DOCUMENTATION
• 4 FORENSIC EXAMINATION OF STOLEN-RECOVERED VEHICLES
• 5 TRACES AND THEIR EVIDENTIARY VALUE
• 6 VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION
• 7 RESTORATION OF SERIAL NUMBERS
• 8 ANTI-THEFT SYSTEMS
• 9 EXAMINATION OF STEERING COLUMNS AND IGNITION LOCKS
• 10 EXAMINATION OF VEHICLE KEYS
• 11 ANALYSIS OF VEHICLE FLUIDS
• 12 EXAMINATION OF BURNED VEHICLES
• 13 EXAMINATION OF VEHICLES RECOVERED UNDERWATER
• 14 EXAMINATION OF VEHICLE LICENSE PLATES
• 15 EXAMINATION OF VEHICLE REGISTRATION DOCUMENTS
• 16 VEHICLE SEARCHING PROCEDURES
• 17 EXAMINATION OF VEHICLES INVOLVED IN TERRORISM
• 18 INVESTIGATION FROM THE PUBLIC SIDE
• 19 INVESTIGATION FROM THE PRIVATE SIDE
• 20 VEHICLE TRACKING
• 21 VEHICLE CRIME MAPPING
• 22 INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION THROUGH INTERPOL
• ABBREVIATIONS
• INDEX
• Color Plates