CRIME SCENE

INVESTIGATION

Goal of Crime Investigation

Find the guilty party.
Exonerate the innocent.
If the investigator doesnt preserve the
evidence or document that preservation
correctly, the evidence isnt useful in court.
Crime Laboratory cant make the evidence
make sense if it isnt collected correctly

Two Evidence Types

Testimonial evidence is given in the form
of a statement under oath in response to
questioning.
Physical evidence is anything used, left,
removed, altered or contaminated during
the commission of the crime, by either the
victim(s) or suspect(s).

Physical Evidence
Cannot lie, forget, be mistaken when
properly identified, collected and
preserved.
Is demonstrable.
Is not dependent on the presence of
witnesses.
Is, in some instances, the only way to
establish the elements of the crime.

Two Types of Physical Evidence

Individual Characteristics.
A piece of evidence that is unique and can be
identified to the exclusion of all others.
Fingerprints
DNA
Class Characteristics
Features shared by all members of a group or
class
Footprints

Approach.
Render medical aid.
Identify additional victims or witnesses.
Secure the scene and physical evidence.
Notifications made appropriately.

Approach
Drive carefully Sirens and high speed can
be risky.
Scan for suspicious things or persons.
Be alert to evidence, witnesses and
victims.
Call for more help and dont dismiss the
help
until the situation is clear.

Rendering Medical Aid

The most important issue is to save a
human life or prevent additional injury.
If the crime scene becomes contaminated
while rendering aid, that is a price that
must be paid.
There arent hard and fast rules that can
be applied discretion must be used.

Identifying Witnesses/Victims
May need medical attention.
Witnesses identify suspects and locations
of additional evidence.
Separate the witnesses so they dont
cross contaminate stories.
Be observant if witnesses give identical
stories they may have collaborated
before police arrived.

Secure the Scene

Establish a perimeter.
Yellow tape.
Barriers.
Close the door for indoor crimes.
Police officers.
Secure scene and evidence.
Check for exit strategy of the criminal and
follow to check for additional evidence.

Secure the Scene

Crime Scene Log is used to document the
investigation:
Who entered the scene
Who left the scene
Time In and Out
Reason for entry to the scene
Keep out unauthorized police or fire personnel.

Make Notifications
First Responders notify superiors.
Call in Crime Scene Specialists:
Photo Specialists
Medical Examiners
Crime Scene Units

Types of Scenes
Major Scenes
Homicides
Officer involved shootings
Felonious assaults in which death could occur.
Cases with potential for a major investigation
Nonmajor or discretionary

Major Indoor Scenes:

Observations and Notes
Time
Entrances and Exits
Doors
Open
Closed
Locked
Type of lock (e.g. deadbolt)
Forced

 Windows

Open
Closed
Locked
Unlocked

Lights (on/off)
Odors
Cigarettes, cigars, perfume, alcohol, gas, gun
powder, unusual odors.

 Names of Persons at the scene, including

emergency personnel.
Condition of the scene:
In disarray/good order
Furniture tossed about
Stains
Position of weapons

Avoid the following:

Do not touch inside doors, doors and door
frames.
Do not move anything.
Do not smoke, or use , the telephone, toilet, sink
or ashtrays.
Beware where you stand and what you touch.
Hold your hand behind your back while
surveying the crime scene.

Outdoor Crime Scenes

Establish and protect a large perimeter,
especially at parks, beaches or open areas.
If tire/footprint or other impression evidence is
found, warn others to stay away.
Try to determine the suspects route of approach
and escape.
Identify and protect evidence, then collect it.
Some evidence is difficult to collect.

Secondary Crime Scenes

Evidence may be located some distance
from the original crime scene:
Discarded clothing
Discarded weapons
Blood trails
Protect secondary crime scene evidence
as well as primary crime scenes.

Death Cases
Four methods by which death can occur:
Natural Causes
Accidental Death
Suicide
Homicide
Medical Examiner makes this decision.

Death Cases
All death scenes should be treated like a
homicide until the medical examiner
declares otherwise.
First responders should not hesitate to ask
for assistance if needed. Better to err on
the side of caution.
Key to a successful investigation is
documentation.

Death Cases
Make note of some of the following:
Believability of the witnesses.
Jittery, nervous, anxious to leave the scene?
Does their version of the incident seem
questionable?
Condition of the scene.
History of the victim and/or suspect if known.
Preservation of notes or writing for later
analysis.
Preserve medications and containers.

Documenting the Crime Scene

Investigators have only a limited amount of time
to work a crime site in its untouched state.
Photographs, notes and diagrams document the
condition of the crime site and to delineate the
location of physical evidence.
Photographs, notes and diagrams prove useful
during the subsequent investigation AND are
also required for presentation at a trial often
months or years later.

Documenting the Crime Scene

A lead investigator will start the process of
evaluating the area before collecting evidence.
First, the boundaries of the scene must be
determined.
This is followed by the establishment of the
perpetratorspath of entry and exit.
The investigator then proceeds with an initial
walkthrough of the scene to gain an overview of
the situation and develop a strategy for the
systematic examination and documentation of
the entire crime scene.

Crime Scene Search

The crime scene
coordinator may choose
from a variety of crime
scene search patterns
based upon the type and
size of the crime scene.
Key is to be orderly and
thorough- dont walk
over too much but dont
miss anything.

The Search
The search for physical evidence at a crime
scene must be thorough and systematic.
The search pattern selected will normally
depend on the size and locale of the scene
and the number of evidence collectors.
Physical evidence can be anything from
massive objects to microscopic traces.

Collecting Physical Evidence

Although much physical evidence is clearly visible,
some may only be detected at the crime laboratory.
E.g. Semen on sheets after a sexual assault.
It is important to notice and collect possible carriers
of trace evidence, such as clothing, vacuum
sweepings, and fingernail scrapings, in addition to
more obvious physical evidence.
Investigators need to keep from contaminating the
evidence e.g. their DNA or fibers.

The Victim Can Provide Evidence

The search for physical evidence must continue to
the autopsy room of a deceased victim.
The medical examiner or coroner will carefully
examine the victim to establish a cause and manner
of death.
Tissues and organs will be retained for pathological
and toxicological examination.
Also they will provide any physical evidence from the
body of the victim.

Beyond The Crime Scene

The following are often collected and sent to the
forensic laboratory:
1. Victims clothing
2. Fingernail scrapings
3. Head and pubic hairs
4. Blood (for DNA typing purposes)
5. Vaginal, anal, and oral swabs (in sex related crimes)
6. Recovered bullets from the body
7. Hand swabs from shooting victims (for gunshot
residue
analysis)

Collecting and Packaging Evidence

Forceps and similar tools may have to be used to pick
up small items.
Unbreakable plastic pill bottles with pressure lids are
excellent containers for hairs, glass, fibers, and other
kinds of trace evidence.
Manila envelopes, screwcap glass vials, or cardboard
pillboxes are also good containers
Ordinary mailing envelopes should not be used
because powders will leak out of their corners.

Packaging to Preserve Evidence

Each item or similar items collected at different
locations must be placed in separate containers.
Packaging evidence separately prevents damage
through contact and prevents crosscontamination.
The wellprepared evidence collector will have a
large assortment of packaging materials and tools
ready to encounter any type of situation.

Packaging
Trace evidence can also be packaged in a carefully
folded paper, using a druggist fold.
Two frequent finds at crime scenes warrant special
attention.
If bloodstained materials are stored in airtight
containers,
the accumulation of moisture may encourage the growth
of mold, which can destroy the evidential value of blood.
In these instances, wrapping paper, manila envelopes,
or
paper bags are recommended.

Obtaining Reference Samples

Standard/Reference SamplePhysical evidence whose origin
is known, such as blood or hair from a suspect, that can be
compared to crimescene evidence.
The examination of evidence, whether it is soil, blood, glass,
hair, fibers, and so on, often requires comparison with a
known standard/reference sample.
Although most investigators have little difficulty recognizing
and collecting relevant crimescene evidence, few seem
aware of the necessity and importance of providing the crime
lab with a thorough sampling of standard/reference materials.

Evidence Recovery Log

A chronological record of who found what
evidence, where, witnessed by whom, and
notations about other ways the evidence
may
have been documented, e.g., photography