Respond to the scene and make it safe
Plan a safe response
Take the most direct route and safets route
In progress crimes= look for matching
... [Show More] descriptions of people/ vehichles involved
Emergency care for injured/ wounded
Request EMS when needed
Establish a pathway for first responders to avoid evidence destruction
Do not clean up or move any treatment supplies used by EMS
Do not attempt to reposition/ return physical evidence to its original spot
ID Persons treated on scene
Bodily injury
Substantial impairment of the physical condition
Burn, fracture
Serious bodily injury
Creates permanent disfigurement prolonged/permanent loss of bodily function
Overall (injury photo taking)
Take at least one overall photo of the person to include the face, injury and other unique features such as jewelry, tattoos clothing.
Mid-range (injury photo taking)
Take photos of each injury from 2-4ft away
Close up (injury photo taking)
Take photos of each injury less than 2ft away. Place ruler or other objects to compare size
Follow up (injury photo taking)
Injuries may intensify over days. Take photos 2-3 days after
Separate and remove people
Prevent influence from other people
Separate victims and witnesses
ID and separate witnesses for interviewing
Remove uninvolved bystanders
Protecting the crime scene
The crime scene is a specific place where a crime has been committed and physical evidence is located
Establish temporary crime scene perimeters
Do not touch, move or alter any item within the crime scene until it has been evaluated
Establish pathways to enter and exit
Modus Operandi (MO)
Think motive
"Uniqueness of technique a distinctiveness or a particularly distinguishing pattern of conduct common to the current and former incidents that link one crime to another"
Initial walk through
Use pathways to minimize evidence contact or contamination prevention
Identify special clothing or equipment needs for safety or contamination prevention
ID points of contact
Request expert investigators and forensic specialists
Points of contact
Entry and exit
Between suspect and victim
Between suspect and evidence
Between victim and evidence
Inner perimeter
Where the actual crime took place and contains physical evidence
Make this perimeter at least twice the size of the actual crime scene
Use red tape for inner and yellow for outer perimeter
Only allow authorized personnel in
Establish a single entry and exit
At least 2 officers should guard the entry and exit
Establish a crime scene log
Outer perimeter
The staging area for support personnel and equipment
Identify perimeter with a combination of emergency vehicles, police officers, barriers and line tape
Photograph crime scene
Provides a visual record of the scene and helps identify relevant evidence
Use agency owned camera. Do Not use personal phone/ camera
Photograph crime scene/ evidence as found
Overall (photographing the crime scene)
Photograph crime scene from outer perimeter first. Multiple angles/ perspectives
Take these photos before placing markers
For outdoor crime scenes include land markers, street signs, house numbers
Midrange (photographing the crime scene)
Inside the inner perimeter
Multiple angles/ perspectives
Includes property damage and specific items, exits and entry points
5-10ft away
Close range (photographing the crime scene)
Specific evidence from a perspective of less than 4ft away
Positively identify objects (license plates, serial numbers, impression evidence)
Evidence collection
Evidence is something that establishes fact or truth
CSI effect
Juries are more likely to convict a suspect in an evidence based prosecution
Chain of custody
The meticulous and chronological documentation of evidence from the moment seized to presentation in court
Prevents loss, destruction, tampering, and contamination
Shows every person who came in contact with evidence
Evidence packaging and storage
Containers are made of paper, cardboard, plastic, and glass
Seal containers to prevent tampering
Evidence tags are used to identify evidence
Store evidence in a restricted location
Physical evidence
Is tangible (things we can touch) "can be perceived by sense of touch"
Can be direct or circumstantial evidence
Used to reconstruct crime scenes and link people to specific places and or other people
Items can be: drugs, money, clothing, weapons, documents, digital files, fingerprints, DNA etc. [Show Less]