DIY Life

I like to think I'd make a pretty good Crime Scene investigator, but with most of my knowledge coming from crime dramas, I suspect that I'm not actually equipped for the job. If you want to try out some of these investigative skills without actually gaining access to a crime lab or one of their fancy and fully loaded tool kits, then check out this fingerprint lifting tutorial.

The video shows us how to professionally lift fingerprints. Here's what you'll need for the experiment:

1. Superglue
2. Light bulb
3. Aluminum foil
4. Cardboard box
5. Sticky tape

Executing this experiment isn't simple, but it yields professional quality results. If you've got a suspect item with fingerprints on it, gather the rest of your materials, follow the details in this video tutorial and get started on your investigation.

I schooled and trained to be a cop. As a matter of fact I spent a couple years certified as a humane officer, although I never took the job. Suffice it to say that I've talked with more cops than the average person has and I've probably known more cops than I really needed to. One of the things that I learned was that, given the right circumstances, almost every cop lets a speeding motorist "skate the rap" now and then.

There is a somewhat prescribed course of action which will help "put you in the drivers seat" when it comes to escaping the wrath of the ticket writing cop and the traffic court judge. The very first thing you must do is immediately accept that you have done wrong.

If a cop flags your plates and turns on those lovely colored strobes on top of his car, speeding or not, you're caught. They are right and you are wrong. Yeah it sucks, but that's life. Signal your departure from the traffic lane, ease to the shoulder nice and smooth, stop your car like a good citizen and shut off your engine.