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Home / Law / Biology & Biotechnology / The Science Behind Forensic Science / Forensic lighting techniques
Understand the importance of lighting techniques in forensic science The Science Behind Forensic
Science
© USAF
There are many different lighting options available for use at crime scenes, from
simple handheld torches to high intensity LED lamps designed to light entire rooms.
The prices of these lights can range anywhere from £10 to many thousands of pounds.
A crime scene manager should give considerable thought to what kind of lighting will
be needed at a scene before their team is dispatched.
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The Science Behind Forensic
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While the light sources used to illuminate a scene usually consist of white light,
SOCOs may also use special devices known as alternate light sources (ALS) to locate
evidence that would usually be invisible to the naked eye.
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A good example of this is when forensic investigators use lights that emit in the ‘blue’
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region of the electromagnetic spectrum (around 450 nm) to detect traces of semen.
After absorbing this light, molecules within the semen will emit green-coloured light
(at approximately 520 nm) back.
A number of physical evidence types are known to fluoresce when exposed to ALS.
These include:
Discussion Prompt
What type of lighting would you consider bringing if you were called to a crime scene
in a local park at 1am? Bear in mind that there may not be any power sources to plug
your lights into!
© USAF
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