Crime Scene Investigation

Flashcards about crime scene investigation, covering key principles, procedures, and roles.

Locard’s exchange principle

Every contact leaves a trace, meaning the perpetrator will take traces of the crime scene and leave behind traces of their presence.

Crime Scene Processing

Managing, recording, collecting, packaging, labeling, and securely storing physical evidence found at the crime scene.

Essential steps to ensure physical evidence is admissible

Restricting access, recording the scene, thorough search, secure storage.

Trained authorized personnel who can access a crime scene

Police photographers, detectives, forensic scientists, medical personnel, fire investigators, forensic entomologists, anthropologists, pathologists, bomb disposal experts, engineers.

Serious Crime

Homicide or rape.

Volume Crime

Non-violent burglary or car theft.

One of the most important issues in forensic science

Preventing the contamination of evidence.

Cross-Contamination

Accidental transfer of evidence between the crime scene/victim and the suspect, potentially falsely implicating a suspect.

DPP v Craig White [2011] IECCA 78

Charged with murdering Noel Roche; forensic evidence linked him to the blue Peugeot car used in the shooting.

First police officer (FOA)

Bears initial responsibility for the preservation of evidence.

Priorities of the first police officer at a crime scene

Protection of physical evidence, initial assessment of the scene, and dealing with emergencies.

Duties of the first police officer (FOA)

Call for assistance, preserve the scene, record details, communicate with officers and persons at the scene.

Preservation of physical evidence at the Crime Scene

To isolate the physical evidence to prevent it being destroyed by people’s inappropriate action and the weather.

Common approach path (CAP)

Minimises the impact of movements of paramedics and forensic examiners.

Dying declaration

Can be admissible as evidence at a subsequent court trial so that the attacker can be identified.