Test Outline:

The Crime

Errors at the crime scene in protecting, gathering, and processing evidence can NEVER be corrected.

Even physical evidence can be wrong

-extreme care must be taken when collecting and handling evidence, evaluating evidence, and presenting evidence.

-science isn’t 100%

subjectivity
- could be multiple right answers/unclear information

Video Notes

videotape and give narrative of whole scene

one person photographs

one person tags and bags

draws diagram of scene

sketch artist needs to sketch and measure everything, then be photographed from multiple angles and distances, then evidence may be removed from scene

photograph outside of house w house #, then move in to front door, then move in; continuously narrow it down

collecting evidence for lab, investigators, and jury.

you never know what will/won’t be important so collect everything (hair, beer cans, weapons, blanket)

based on evidence, pick direction to go with file then pick evidence to be analyzed in lab

crime scene cleanup

A. Preserving and isolating the crime scene

first priority is closest uniform officer

medical assistance is first priority… protecting evidence is secondary
protect scene… nothing new added or altered, nothing removed
detain suspects/witnesses

check badges and make sure only allowed people entering/exiting from one spot

medical examiner

note condition of body (if any), estimate time of death (longer it’s been, larger the window)

crime scene investigator (often lead detective)

interviews first responder, victims, witnesses
record details (weather, odors, light, visibility, etc.)

B. Observing and documenting the scene

ADAPT

Assess crime scene
Detain witnesses
Arrest perpetrator
Protect the scene
Take good, detailed, thorough notes
- trial could be months, years later, could be other crimes and trials in between so holes in notes could ruin case

Notes?

thorough, complete, clear, legible
- (We started at the door, moved towards the table. found this under the table, etc.)
measure distances, date/time and description of everything
include full names and addresses of all people (request phone number/email, ID/license to confirm identity)
may tape-record descriptions

Photographs and videotapes?

Unaltered crime scene (don’t touch/move things until everything has been documented)
overviews and close-ups, use rulers to show scale
video can be narrated. never edited or erased
- editing can create doubt/cause holes

Sketches?

give measurements, scale, relative placement of details
date and time, reference points, all relevant names (suzy was found over here, johnny was found over there)

never add/subtract details from an original sketch

C. Searching the scene for evidence

anything that could carry trace evidence or anything that should not be there
- crime scene to victim, perpetrator to victim, victim to crime scene, etc.
- pick absolutely everything
use extreme care in identifying, packaging, and labeling each piece of evidence
special lighting (black light, luminol) may help show display body fluids

Four standards for admissible evidence:

Legally obtained (warrant, permission, etc.)
Relevant
Identify the item (what is the white powder, brown stain, etc.)
Maintain the chain of custody
- make sure you know where a piece of evidence was at all times
  - who collected it and when, when was it put on a truck, when did it arrive, when was it signed into storage, etc.

Search methods:

A. Spiral

Best in small areas where no walls or barriers

B. Grid

Double line search
best for finding small or scattered evidence

C. Line or Strip

best in large outdoor spaces

D. Quadrant or Zone

Works well in:
- buildings with many rooms
- large areas (national parks, forests, etc.)
uses official personnel and/or volunteers

E. Wheel or Ray

start in middle and go out in each direction (like spokes on a wheel)

D. Collecting and Packaging Physical evidence

INTEGRITY - sample is preserved and uncontaminated
- always wear gloves
GENERAL RULES
- use separate containers
- label each item/container
- begin with the most fragile (could disappear/degrade over time)
  - fingerprints, bloodstains, aerosols, accelerants in arson cases, etc.

Also consider…

Wear sterile vinyl or latex gloves
Wet items must be dried first
Containers sealed tightly
biological items dried and frozen
clothing with trace evidence, entire garment bagged
Firearms inside a wooden box and fixed in place to prevent movement
Arson evidence in airtight containers to prevent evaporation or dispersal of fumes
Adhesive tape and small vacuums pick up EVERYTHING (not just the evidence)
Tweezers, pens, uncontaminated objects to pick up evidence

Oblique Lighting

shine light from the side to illuminate things differently and display shadows, etc.
displays hairs, fibers, footprints, etc.

Obtain Controls

ex. carpet samples from an area that was affected by fire and the same carpet from an area that was unaffected by fire

E. Maintaining the chain of custody

written record of everyone who has had contact with the evidence from the time of collection to the time it may appear in court
- received by [name], [date], [time]

F. Submit evidence to the labratory

is it going to state police, local ballistics lab, FBI, etc?

Safety

assume everything is dangerous
assume needle has poison in it, assume gun is loaded
Double glove, eye protection, masks, more than gloves, body suit?
No smoking, eating, drinking, sitting, etc.
- leave crime scene to take a break

Reconstruction of the crime scene

a likely sequence of events based on physical evidence and statements made by any witnesses
- crime scene processing, recognition, documentation, and collection
- identification and classification of evidence … goal is individualization of as much of the evidence as possible using comparison testing, evaluation, and interpretation
- attempt to reconstruct crime
- report and present all findings in a logical and convincing manner
  - no statute of limitations when investigaitng murder

Mortis (Finding the Time of Death)

Rigor Mortis
- period of time through which the body moves through a state of rigidity

Lividity (Livor Mortis)
- the settling of blood, causing the skin to change colors
Algor Mortis
- changing of body temperature after death

Types of Death

Homicide
Suicide
Accidental
Natural Causes
- cancer, disease, liver shuts down because of age
Unknown