IAI CBPA case studies
IAI CBPA · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Certified Bloodstain Pattern Analyst (CBPA) is a certification offered within the International Association for Identification (IAI), the forensic association that describes itself as the oldest and largest in the world. The IAI organizes its certification program into boards, and Bloodstain Pattern is listed among them alongside Crime Scene, Footwear, Forensic Art, Forensic Photography & Imaging, Forensic Video, Latent Print, and Tenprint Fingerprint. The credential is aimed at forensic practitioners who examine bloodstain evidence and want independent board-level recognition of their competence in that discipline. The IAI's stated purpose as an association is to educate, share, critique and publish methods, techniques and research in the physical forensic science disciplines, so candidates should expect an assessment grounded in established pattern-analysis method rather than trivia. The IAI CBPA case studies are 5 cases and about 2,635 words.
1The Open Door and the Area of Origin
A woman is found assaulted in a living room. On the north wall, 11 elliptical bloodstains are documented, each with a major axis of about 16 mm and a minor axis of about 8 mm; several have tails pointing downward and to the left.
591 words, about 3 min2Cast-Off on the Ceiling
A man is found dead with six blunt-force lacerations to the head. He lies on the floor beside the bed.
519 words, about 3 min3Fine Mist in the Bathroom
A woman is found in a small bathroom, 2 m by 2.5 m, with a fractured nose and a bloody nose; she is alive and coughing. On the mirror and adjacent wall, there are numerous fine droplets 0.3-1.5 mm, some with bubbles, mixed with a clear fluid.
502 words, about 3 min4The Refrigerator Handle
A man is found in a kitchen with a stab wound. The kitchen is a small galley with one entrance.
544 words, about 3 min5The Twelve-Year-Old Photographs
A cold case from 12 years ago. The original analyst described a wall pattern as 'high-velocity impact spatter' and concluded a gunshot.
479 words, about 2 min