Hair and Fiber
Home > 3. Evidence Collection > Hair and Fiber
The most common methods used to collect hair and fiber evidence include the
following:
- Visual collection. On some surfaces, hairs and fibers
can be seen with the naked eye. Through use of clean forceps and paper (i.e.,
trace paper), the sample can be removed from the surface and placed into
a clean piece of paper that can be folded and packaged in a paper envelope.
- Tape lifting. Trace tapes are available for the
collection of trace hair and fiber evidence. The tape is applied
to the location of the suspected sample, removed and packaged.
- Vacuuming. The area where the suspected samples
are located is vacuumed and evidence is caught in a filtered trap attached
to the vacuum. These samples are packaged in clean trace paper
for submission to the laboratory. Vacuuming is the least desirable collection
method because there is a risk of cross-contamination if the equipment
is not properly cleaned between each use.
Click here for a video demonstration of hair collection with forceps and trace paper.
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