Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Academy (NVCJA) Exam 1 Practice

Probable cause can be supported by tangible, observable items recovered from the crime scene that can be tested and linked to the event. A shell casing fits this well because it is a physical object left behind when a firearm is discharged. Ballistics analysis can compare casings to weapons, determine the type of firearm used, and sometimes connect the casing to a specific gun. This kind of concrete, objective evidence provides a solid, demonstrable basis for believing a crime occurred and that a particular weapon or person was involved, which helps establish probable cause.

Tips from a neighbor and eyewitness testimony are not physical evidence; they are information or statements. DNA is physical evidence, but in many scenarios it takes lab analysis and time to connect to a suspect, whereas a shell casing offers a more immediate, directly linkable form of physical evidence linking the event to a firearm and potentially to the suspect.