Shooting Incident Reconstruction - Hardcover

Haag, Michael G.; Haag, Lucien C.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0123822416 ISBN 13: 9780123822413

Publisher: Academic Press, 2011

Synopsis

Shooting Incident Reconstruction, Second Edition, offers a thorough explanation of matters from simple to complex to help the reader understand the factors surrounding ballistics, trajectory, and shooting scenes.

Forensic scientists, law enforcement, and crime scene investigators are often tasked with reconstruction of events based on crime scene evidence, along with the subsequent analysis of that evidence. The use and misuse of firearms to perpetrate crimes from theft to murder necessitates numerous invitations to reconstruct shooting incidents. The discharge of firearms and the behavior of projectiles create many forms of physical evidence that, through proper testing and interpretation by a skilled forensic scientist, can establish what did and what did not occur.

Written by the world's most well-respected shooting scene and ballistics experts, the book addresses the terminology, science, and factors involved in reconstructing shooting incident events to solve forensic cases. It covers the full range of related topics including: the range from which a firearm was discharged; the sequence of shots in a multiple discharge shooting incident; the position of a firearm at the moment of discharge; and the position of a victim at the moment of impact. The probable flight path of a projectile and the manner in which a firearm was discharged are also discussed. Case studies illustrate real-world application of technical concepts, supported by over 200 full-color diagrams and photographs.

This book will be of value to practicing forensic scientists (firearm and toolmark examiners), ballistics experts, crime scene personnel, police departments, forensic consultants (generalists), attorneys and judges, medical examiners (coroners), and forensic pathologists.

• Written by the most well-respected shooting scene and ballistics experts in the world
• Contains over 200 full-color diagrams and photographs that support and illustrate key concepts
• Case studies illustrate real-world application of technical concepts

About this title

About the Authors

Michael Haag is the Technical Leader in the Firearm & Tool Mark Unit, in the Scientific Evidence Division for the Albuquerque, New Mexico Police Department. Mr. Haag has held this position for over 20 years. In addition, he is also a member of the Albuquerque Police Department Major Crime Scene Team and a Blood Alcohol Analyst.

Mr. Haag is a Distinguished Member of the Association of Firearm and Toolmark Examiners (AFTE), is the Editor of AFTE News, Assistant Editor of the AFTE; and a member of the American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS), the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENSFI), the Southwest Association of Forensic Scientists (SWAFS) and the Association for Crime Scene Reconstruction (ACSR).

Mr. Haag also conducts regular training, seminars and workshops around the world for the AFTE, FBI, IAI, AAFS and ASCLAD, to name a few. Mr. Haag was co-author with his father on the highly successful second edition of Shooting Incident Reconstruction, which published in 2011.

Lucien C. “Luke” Haag is a former Criminalist and Technical Director of the Phoenix Crime Laboratory, with over 53 years of experience in the field of criminalistics and forensic firearms examination. He is the author of the 1st edition of the book, Shooting Incident Reconstruction, 2005 and co-author of the 2nd edition 2011.

Presently he is an independent forensic consultant with his own company, Forensic Science Services, Inc., that provides criminalistics services to prosecutors, public defenders, private attorneys, law enforcement agencies, insurance companies, educational institutions and private individuals.

Luke Haag has a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley with subsequent forensic training at California State University at Long Beach, Indiana University, Arizona State University, the FBI Laboratory, the FBI Forensic Training Facility, and course work in Forensic Microscopy from the McCrone Institute.

In addition to Distinguished Membership status in the AFTE and the California Association of Criminalists, he is a member of the SWAFS, the AAFS, an Associate Member of ENFSI and past board member of the International Wound Ballistics Association.

He has authored and presented over 200 scientific papers, most of which have dealt with various exterior and terminal ballistic properties, effects and behavior of projectiles. His primary area of special interest is the reconstruction of shooting scenes and incidents.

From the Back Cover

SHOOTING INCIDENT RECONSTRUCTION, Second EditionMichael G. Haag and Lucien C. HaagThe second edition of Shooting Incident Reconstruction is fully updated and revised to include the latest information and advancements in the field of firearms evidence analysis. This edition includes three new chapters covering gun sound levels, projectiles and glass, and working the shooting scene. The comprehensive analysis provided by Michael and Lucien Haag covers crimes ranging from accidental injuries to carefully planned murders. A team approach to investigating shooting crimes is discussed, along with improved photos of trace evidence found at a shooting scene and the activity of gunshot wounds in the human body.

The ubiquity of gun crimes is undeniable, and without the ability to accurately interpret firearms evidence, no criminal investigator or litigant can fully understand the facts of a case. As such, Shooting Incident Reconstruction is an excellent reference tool for forensic professionals, expert witnesses and students alike.

Key Features• Case studies illustrate real-world application of technical concepts• Over 300 photos, many in full-color, support and demonstrate key points• Appendix contains practical tips and valuable information for the practitioner

Michael G. Haag is a private consultant owning his own company, Forensic Science Consultants, and Senior Forensic Scientist with the Albuquerque Police Department supervising APD's Firearm and Tool Mark Section, Chemistry Section, and Blood/Breath Alcohol Section. He is also a member of APD's Major Crime Scene Team. He has been active in the field of forensics for about 20 years, and earned a bachelor's of science degree in chemistry with a math / physics minor. While his primary area of expertise is shooting incident reconstruction, he is also a firearm and tool mark examiner.

Lucien C. Haag is a leading authority on shooting incident reconstruction with over 40 years of experience in the field. The first 17 years of his career were spent working for the Phoenix, Arizona Police Department, where he first served as a Criminalist, and later as Technical Director of the laboratory. Since then, he has worked as a private consultant for prosecutors, public defenders, private attorneys, educational institutions, insurance companies, law firms, firearms manufacturers, and private individuals.

Edition details

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0123822416
• ISBN 13: 9780123822413
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 440