1. The Crime Scene “Oh, how simple it would all have been had I been there before they came like a herd of buffalo and wallowed all in it.” -A. Conan Doyle, in The Boscombe Valley Mystery, 1892 CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS – CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS – CRIME SC Pg s 169 – 177, 179-180

3. Terminology CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS – CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS – CRIME SC Primary Crime Scene – the location of the original criminal activity, the original scene of the crime Secondary Crime Scene – location after the original or primary crime scene Walk-through – Preliminary crime scene survey performed to orient investigators Transient Evidence – temporary or easily lost evidence at a crime scene Conditional Evidence – evidence created by an action or event at the crime scene

4. Crime Scene Documentation – permanent recording of the crime scene conditions and evidence that is present Modus operandi – (the MO) Latin for the method of operation Accelerant – flammable substance used to start a fire Chain of custody – written record of all people who have had possession of an item of evidence CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS – CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS – CRIME SC

5. At The Crime Scene (Where Forensic Science Begins) 1.Evidence collected at the crime scene must be carefully, systematically, scientifically, and legally collected. 2.Information at a crime scene is later used in reconstruction of events, the modus operandi, and the motive. CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS – CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS – CRIME SC

6. 3. Crime scenes must be carefully analyzed in order to learn what happened, to gather evidence, and ultimately convict the guilty. Errors made at a crime scene can never be righted! Sometimes there can be more than one crime scene CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS – CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS – CRIME SC

7. Crime Scene Team 4. A group of Professional investigators, each trained in a variety of special disciplines Team Members: –First Police officer on the scene –Medics (if necessary) –Investigator's) –Medical Examiner (if needed) –Photographer and/or Field Technician –Lab Experts CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS – CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS – CRIME SC

8. Processing the Crime Scene 5. Special steps that the investigator must take in handling the crime scene include: –Preserving and Isolating the Crime Scene –Surveying and Documenting the Crime Scene Notes Photographing and Videotaping Sketching the Scene –Search the Scene for Evidence –Collect and Package Evidence –Maintain the Chain of Custody CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS – CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS – CRIME SC

9. I. Preserving and Isolating the Crime Scene 1. The first officer on the scene: –Determines the nature of the crime –Get medical assistance (saving lives is a priority) –Protect the scene –Detain witnesses and/or suspects CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS – CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS – CRIME SC

10. I. Preserving and Isolating the Crime Scene 2. If there has been a death, the medical examiner; –Notes the body’s condition –Estimates time of death 3. Physical Evidence must be protected against destruction or alteration - tape, rope, guards, barricades CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS – CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS – CRIME SC

11. I. Preserving and Isolating the Crime Scene 4. The Investigator: –Interviews the first responder –Notes and records details Weather Light Visibility Prior activity at the scene CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS – CRIME SCENE – DO NOT CROSS – CRIME SC

12. II. Surveying and Documenting the Scene 1. The investigator examines the crime scene to : –Find possible evidence –Identify points of entry or exit –Consider what happened –Mentally outline how the scene should be handled

13. II. Surveying and Documenting the Scene 2. When observing the scene indoors, use oblique lighting. - A beam of a flashlight swept back and forth on an angle 3. Several methods of documentation: Notes, Photography, video, sketches

14. II. a. Notes Notes need to : –Be complete and thorough –Be neat and legible –Detail step by step every action taken and in the order taken –Include measurements and exact locations of evidence –Include date, time, description of location, weather, names of people involved

15. II. b Photographs Photographs can capture details that may be overlooked Scene is photographed before any evidence is touched, moved, or collected The Investigator should include: –Photos that clarify the scene –Close-ups of evidence –Photos surrounding the scene –Photos from different angles –A scale for each and be numbered

16. II. c Videograph The investigator should: – Narrate while giving relative information –Begin outdoors and move into the indoor scene –Treat videos as evidence and not be edited or erased

17. II d. Sketches Can give a better layout than photos Include measurements, scales, and relative placement of important details Also should have: –Dates, time, scale, reference points, names and a legend.

20. III. Searching the Scene for Evidence 1.Investigators are looking for anything that shouldn’t be there. 2. Anything that may carry trace is collected –Clothes, documents, rugs, toiletries 3. UV lighting is used to detect body fluids. 4. There are several different search patterns: –Grid, spiral, zone, line, point-to-point

21. IV. Collecting and Packaging Evidence 1.Each piece of evidence is placed in a separate package or container and labeled. 2.The most fragile evidence is collected first -bloodstains, fingerprints, trace 3.Larger items with trace are sent to the lab as a whole

22. Special Considerations Wet items need to be thoroughly dried Fluids are placed in tightly sealed, leak-proof containers Biological items should be dried and kept in a freezer Tape lifts and vacuum cleaners (with special collection bags) can be used, but they collect everything.

23. V. Maintaining Chain of Custody 1.There must be a written record of who has had possession of evidence at all times. 2.Shows: -Who was responsible for the evidence -Time it was collected -Who, what, when, how and why