Crime Scene Investigation.

A crime scene can be/ is anywhere a crime is committed, it could be a car, a house a bank and so on.

One of the biggest challenges in crime scene is processing is to ensure that evidence collected reflects what happened at the time of interest (the criminal act) and is not an artifact of something that happened before the crime or afterwards. the more the detailed and comprehensive your documentations and notes are, the better it is, cases could go on for years, so documentation is important.

The most important thing that you can do is documentation of the crime scene, like a sketch, a photograph, notes, voice recordings,

Defining the crime scene.

The crime scene locations are wither primary(eg the house) or secondary(burial site).

It could be macro() or micro(a needle on the floor)

the type: homicide, robbery, etc.

the condition, is it organized or disorganized.

Physical locations: indoors or outdoors, vehicles, on land, in the air, or underwater so on. It is possible that the crime scene was cleaned up or the location was wrong, when investigating.

Associated Criminal Behaviour- passive or active.

Usage and Information from Physical Evidence

When looking at physical evidence, how do identify what is relevant and what isn’t in a crime scene? Chemicals, if you don’t know, you’ll have to go in and seek a general warrant to get the chemicals. theres times where you don’t know and there are times when you have a pretty good idea do to the nature of the case.

And if you don’t know, gather evidence to narrow down the individual, evidences like fingerprints, DNA, footwear impressions and so on are what you should keep an eye out for.

  • Linkage of persons, scenes, or objects. Locard’s Exchange Principle
    -     Provide investigative leads. Direct and indirect leads.

Information on the corpus delicti or modus operandi
- Proving or disproving witness statements. Crime scene patterns or patterned physical evidence

  • suspect identification

  • Identification of unknown substances, white powder unknowns

  • Reconstruction of a crime, How vs Who

Objects of a Crime Scene Investigation

  • recognize, Preserve, Collect.

  • Goal of reconstructing likely chain of events that generated this evidence.

If you don’t preserve your evidence it could get mouldy, they should be percerved in the freezer or some type of preservative.

First responders, elimination samples.

Debrief with the first responders(fire fighter or paramedic) to know who was in there, what they were wearing and other things, just in case there are similarities that can’t be explained, or other things found on site related to them about the crime scene.

First responding officers duties may include:
Safety for themselves and the victim.
Render aid and assistance.
Assist the victim and prevent any changes to the victim.
Search for and arrest the suspect if that person is still on scene.
Detain any witnesses; do not take them back to the scene if at all
possible.
Protect and secure the crime scene.
Document all movements, alterations, or changes made to the crime
scene and pass this information to crime scene investigators.

There’s no right way to document.

The Initial Crime Scene Investigation

  • The Walk Through

  • The first videos and images taken

  • Note any Transient (temporary) or conditional (the result of an action) evidence present and requires immediate protection and processing

  • Be aware of weather conditions.

  • Note any points of entry and exist and paths of travels within the crime scene

  • Record briefly initial observations of the answers to who, what,
    where, when, and how questions

  • Access the scene for personnel, precautions, or equipment that
    will be needed.

  • Notify superior officers or other agencies as required

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