Report Nr. 2889 Forensic Science for Better Fish and Wildlife Law Enforcement

Legal or forensic science can be defined as any area of scientific study that deals with legal questions and produces data suitable for use in courts of law. Cause of death determination and the identification of deer meat, deer blood. and deer hair are the only forensic tests being done routinely by the Department of Natural Resources. The purpose of this poll was to determine which new ones might be of use in the future. All conservation officers and law supervisors were asked which one specific type of scientific test would help them most enforce natural resources laws more efficiently and effectively. Responses were mostly ranked lists. This made it impossible to tell which one test might be the most useful, but judging from the number of different suggestions, there is a desire for a variety of them, particularly for ones directed at things involving deer.