Witness Experiment

In this lab we took a magazine, looked for a person's head and cut it up. The point of this lab was to help get what it would be like to be a witness to a crime and identifying a suspect. Each person in our group got the different pictures of about the same size. Then they cut out the picture and cut it into smaller pieces. After we tried to put our own faces together we passed it to the left/right and had that person try and put the pieces together.


Our group was successful in putting together the pieces of the faces with little trouble. The only problem was making sure none of the pieces fell on the floor.

Drug Test Lab

In this lab we used certain reagents that can prove if a drug is LSD, Cocaine or Meth. When we started the lab the meth reagent was not yet produced do we could only test LSD or Cocaine. We put the crushed substance into water and mixing until it is completely dissolveddropping a little on a peachtree dish and adding a few drops of the reagent. If the reagent turns blue the drug is cocaine and if it turns yellow it is LSD while also testing the Ph of the drug. This is what our data was:

Drug	LSD	Cocaine	Meth	Ph
1	Negative	Positive	Not Tested	6
2	Negative	Positive	Not Tested	9
3	Positive	Negative	Not Tested	3
4	Negative	Positive	Not Tested	8
5	Negative	Positive	Not Tested	6
6	Positive	Negative	Not Tested	3 ½

Drug Analysis: Methamphetamine

History of Meth
Methamphetamine is a central nervous system stimulant drug that is similar to the structure of amphetamine. Because or it’s very high potential for addiction and abuse meth is classified as a Schedule II drug. It’s also only available through prescription and cannot be refilled. Though it is doctor prescribed it has a limited medical use, and doses are smaller than the ones of addicts. Most of the meth abused in the US comes from foreign or domestic super labs, though it can also be made in small, illegal drug labs. These labs are dangerous to people in the labs, their neighbors, or the environment.
http://www.drugabuse.gov/Infofacts/methamphetamine.html

Effects of Meth
Meth can increase the release and blocks the reuptake of the brain chemical dopamine, leading to high levels of the chemical in the brain. It can completely change the how the brain functions. Meth can have many symptoms including: paranoia, moodiness, depression, convulsions, hallucinations, violent behavior, excessive talking, sleep deprivation, extreme weight loss, sense of well being, shortness of breath, increased alertness, increased heart rate, and delusions of grandeur. It can also cause heightened sexual activity, grinding of the teeth and jaw clenching, sores from constant scratching, and uncontrollable movements like twitching and jerking. Just like cocaine meth can cause rushes and crashes causing you to want more.
http://www.methspace.com/Meth%20Impact.htm

Drug Analysis: LSD

History of LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide. LSD, is a chemical that alters a user’s mood, perceptions, and thoughts. Because of this it is grouped onto the class of drugs known as psychedelics or hallucinogens. These types of drugs cause auditory, visual or somatosensory hallucinations, paranoia or dream-like states. Certain fungus that grows on rye and other grains is what forms LSD. Albert Hofmann in 1938 was working in a Swiss pharmaceutical called Sandoz when he produced LSD for the first time. He hoped that the drug could be used to stimulate circulation and respiration, but all his tests failed and he forgot about it for 5 years. In 1943 Albert ingested LSD by accident and experienced the psychedelic effects of the chemical such as: dizziness, visual distortions, and restlessness. This is what helped identify the actual effects LSD can have on a person.

The effects of LSD
Even though LSD is odorless, colorless, tasteless, and water soluble do not let it fool you it is still VERY dangerous. Even the smallest dose, about .010 mg, can give you all the side effects of the drug. Behavioral effects of LSD include: Feelings of “strangeness”, vivid colors, hallucinations, confusion, panic, psychosis, anxiety, different emotional reactions, distortion of the senses and time and space, multiple flashback reactions, increases in heart rate and blood pressure, chills, and finally muscle weakness. Soon after LSD users become addicted they begin to have a tolerance for it and need to double doses to get the same effects. It is thought that the effects of LSD are caused by stimulation of serotonin receptors on neurons, this happens in an area of the brain called the raphe nuclei. Even with this information no one knows what really produces the effects of the LSD
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/lsd.html

Drug Analysis: Cocaine

History of Cocaine:
Spanish explorers first found cocaine when they noticed that the natives of South America were able to fight off their fatigue by chewing on coca leaves this was used to make the medical account of the coca plant published in 1569. Around 1860, scientist Albert Neiman isolated the cocaine from the coca leaves and described that if the cocaine was put on the tongue it had the same feeling as an anesthetic. In the early 1880’s Angelo Mariani produced a “medicinal” wine called Vin Mariani, it contained about 11% of alcohol and 6.5 mg of the cocaine in every once of it. Famous psychotherapist, Sigmond Freud, recommended cocaine for a variety of illnesses and for other addictions such as: alcohol and morphine, in the end his patients began to become addicted to the cocaine. Then in 1886, John Pemberton developed Coca Cola, a drink that contained cocaine and some caffeine, don’t worry the cocaine has been removed from the recipe in 1906. In 1914 the Harrison Narcotic Act was passed to make cocaine illegal this led to the production of crack cocaine and is now a major drug problem.

The effects of Cocaine
Dose’s of 25-150 mg of cocaine is taken just by being inhaled. Within a seconds to a few minutes cocaine can cause: a feeling of euphoria, excitement, reduced hunger, and a feeling of strength. After these symptons or “high”, last about an hour, the user of the cocaine then “crashes”, or period of depression. This crash is what causes the user of the cocaine to want more cocaine and usually become addicted. This can cause the addict to become depressed, paranoid, and anxious this can lead to them to go into long periods of sleep. Various doses of cocaine also produces neurological and behavioral problems such as: dizziness, headache, movement problems, anxiety, insomnia,depression, and hallucinations.An overdose of cocaine can also cause death. This is because cocaine causes a large increase in blood pressure that may result in bleeding in the brain. This construction of blood form the brain can also cause a stroke.
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/coca.html

Foot Printing

Foot printing is helpful in identifying a suspects shoe print and shoe size. In this lab we were put into groups of 4 and took a pile of dirt and pressed our foot in it and recorded how wide and long the foot was. After each person a new pile was made and data was recorded. This is my footprint it is 10 Inches long and 4 Inches wide:

Every person in my group had at least 10 inches in length and exactly 4 inches in width.

Create a Profile

In this lab we were given 5 clues:

1. Fingerprints
2. Large Hair/Fiber
3. Ripped up Note
4. Small Hair/Fiber
5. Light red/pinkish Spot

With these clues we have to identify the specifics of each of these clues and create a profile for a suspect of what we know, what we don’t know, and what we need to find out.

I grouped up with April and our profile was:

1. Fingerprints
1. Right hand Print
2. Small fingers possible female
3. Thumb has a plain whorl
4. Index has a radial loop
5. Middle has a plain arch
6. Ring has a radial loop
7. No pinkie print present
2. Handwriting
1. “You will never find her!” is written in cursive by the kidnapper
2. When he/she writes they don’t pick up their pen
3. Both Hair/Fibers
1. Large
1. Two different colors Brown/Black
2. Thought to be cat hair based on similar looks from known cat hair
2. Small
1. Red/Color treated red
2. Looks like a white girl hair that she had dyed for more color
4. Red Spot
1. Could be lipstick but does not look like it contains any form a petroleum jelly in it
2. Not dark enough of red to be blood but not ruling anything out for all we know it could be juice

In the end we concluded that the suspect was a female with color treated red hair and a pet cat with possibly a light red lipstick, or bleed a little. Bring in females close to suspect with red hair and a cat test them for color treated and see if the pet hair matches. Check for any new cuts or scratches or light red lipstick or gloss. Then test the handwriting for any similarities.