CHAPTER VII

GUIDE TO THE CRIME SCENE

INVESTIGATION
 INTRODUCTION

• A fire in a methamphetamine lab devastates an apartment building. A car

accident claim the life of a driver during her trip home. These are all potential
crime scenes.
• By conducting a systematic examination of these areas, crime scenes
investigator uncover the physical evidence to help identify what happen and
who was involved.
• This process must be conducted carefully and thoroughly to ensure that
crucial evidence is collected and fragile evidence is not destroy in the
process.
• At a scene, the case investigator and crime scene personnel work together
to:
1. Define and secure areas that maybe contain evidence
2. Collect physical evidence
3. Preserve, package and submit the evidence to the laboratory for analysis
• These key piece of evidence, the investigator can be attempt to reconstruct
the elements of the crime.
• The quality of the evidence and the manner which it is handled will also
impact the ability of the attorneys to argue the facts of the case and ultimately
the jurors ability to come to conclusions regarding guilty or innocence.
 PRINCIPLES OF CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION

The key principle underlying crime scene investigation is a concept that has
become know as Locard’s Exchange Principle.
• It stated that whenever someone enters or exit an environment, something
physical is added to and removed from the scene.
• This principle is generally summed up by stating every contact leave a
trace.
• The logic behind this principle allow investigators to link suspect and victim to
physical objects, and to scenes. Any evidence that can link a person to the scene
is referred to as associative evidence. This may be include item such as
fingerprints, blood and bodily fluids, weapon, hair, fibers. This type of evidence
answer the question who did this?
• Associative evidence links people to the place of the crime, reconstructive
evidence allows that took place at the scene.
• To help establish the linkage of people and things to a scene, the investigator
may also collect known substance, called control samples these can be items
such as fiber from carpeting at the scene, glass, fragments, soil, vegetation and
other trace evidence.
• If these are found on the suspect’s clothing, in their vehicle or at their
resident, it could provide Circumstantial evidence linking the person to the
scene.
• The police are called to a residential neighbors where a home invasion and
burglary has just occurred. Investigator collect glass fragments from a
shattered cabinet doors with a distinct pattern etched into the glass. A tip
leads investigator to a local man with a known history of burglary.
Examination of the suspect’s clothing yields glass fragments with the same
distinct pattern as the smash cabinet doors.
• Eliminating people who could not be the perpetrator is also important.
Control samples of fingerprint and DNA are often collected from any
person who have access to the scene who are not considered suspect.
 GAUGING THE VALUE OF EVIDENCE

• It is unique – if an item is found that help narrow the possibilities of who

might be considered a suspect, or the manner in which a crime was committed,
this evidence would be useful.
• It has a low probability of occurring by chance – considering the
mathematical probabilities will help to determine the odds that a piece of
physical evidence found at the scene could appear merely by coincidence. If
DNA evidence found at the scene matches a suspect the chances are exceeding
low that another person could have left this sample.
• When combined with the other high probability evidence, these can help
narrow the list of possible parties and build a compelling case.

• It is inconsistent – if an item is found that is out of the place or inconsistent

with the setting, or is out of character for the victim for instance if the victim
was a non-smoker but a cigarette butt is found at the scene this could be an
important bit of evidence.
• It is a physical match – if trace evidence is found on the suspect or in his
possession that matches something at the scene, this makes this item valuable
as evidence.
Why and when is a crime scene investigation conducted?
• Collecting physical evidence from the scene can help an investigator
recreate the crime scene and establish the sequence of evidence. Physical
evidence can also corroborate statements made by the victim, suspects and
witnesses.
• In practice, a wide range of scenes are secured, documented and investigated
including the scene of:
1. Violence crime
2. Suicide
3. Fires
4. Auto thefts
5. Auto accidents
• The type of case being investigated dictates the type of evidence that an
investigator will attempt to locate and collect. However, as the fact of the case
slowly get piece together, this may change the theory of what occurred..
Investigator may discover that several crimes have been committed instead of
one, or they may discover multiple scene require investigation.
• In some cases, an investigator may not be able to examine the primary crime
scene because it is unknown; for instance if a body is found buried it is field
far away where the body is discovered is referred to as a secondary crime
scene.
Sample that may be collected at a crime scene
A wide variety of physical evidence can be collected at a scene that is deemed
valuable for collection and investigation;
1. Biological Evidence
2. Latent print evidence
3. Footwear and tire track Evidence
4. Trace evidence

5. Digital evidence
6. Tool and tool mark evidence
7. Drug evidence
8. Firearm evidence
The type of evidence collected will vary with the type of crime. In the case of a
burglary, for example, it would be common to perform task in the order listed
below. This will help ensure that evidence isn’t inadvertently damaged or
destroy.
1. Photograph and document the scene
2. Collect trace material
3. Collect low-level DNA evidence by swabbing areas of likely contact
4. Collect other items that may contain biological evidence
5. Locate and collect the latent fingerprint.
• Who Examines Crime Scene

The number and type of professional(s) responsible for investigating a scene and collecting
evidence largely depends on the type of crime and the resources of the Jaw enforcement agency.
Larger agencies often have dedicated, highly trained crime scene specialists, while smaller agencies
may require that first responders or detectives process the scene in addition to their other duties.

In many instances, a case will be investigated by a detective who is responsible for interviewing
persons of interest and victims, pursuing leads and piecing together the information that is developed
from the materials collected at the scene. The detective works in tandem with a team of crime scene
personnel who search the scene and collect the evidence.
The crime scene investigation team may consist of crime scene photographers and evidence
collection personnel specializing in gathering specific evidence such as latent prints, DNA, trace
evidence and the like.
THE CONCEPTUAL APPROACH IN CRIME SCENE
INVESTIGATION
• 1. Establish the Scene Dimensions and Identify Potential Safety and Health Hazards
–Investigators initially locate the "focal point" of the scene, the main area of disturbance. This
could be a ransacked bedroom, the area where an attack occurred, or the room in which a victim was
found. Radiating out from that point, investigators establish an area that is sizeable enough to likely
contain all relevant physical evidence that may be present.
• 2. Establish Security
–According to Locard’s Exchange Principle, every person who enters or exits the scene will add or
subtract material from the crime scene, so it’s crucial to quickly secure the area. To control access, the
scene may be cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape, cones or by other means. In addition, a
common entryway is often established that all crime scene personnel will use to enter and exit the scene
and all people entering or leaving the scene are documented once the boundaries have been established.
Additional areas for consultation and evidence storage may also be established if necessary.
• 3. Plan, Communicate and Coordinate
–Before collecting evidence, investigators must first develop a theory regarding the
type of offense that occurred. Knowing the type of crime will help investigators
anticipate the evidence that could be present.

• 4. Conduct a Primary Survey/Walkthrough

An initial survey of the scene is then conducted to prioritize evidence collection. During
this walkthrough, the lead investigator will identify potentially valuable evidence, take
notes and capture initial photographs of the scene and the evidence. The crime scene is
documented to record conditions such as whether lights were on or off, the position of
shades and doors, position of movable furniture, any smells present, the temperature of the
scene, etc.
• 5. Document and Process the Scene
With a plan in place, the crime scene team conducts a thorough, coordinated
investigation of the scene, collecting all probative evidence. This entails detailed
documentation with digital and video cameras or, if available, a 3-D scanner. For some
situations, sketches and diagrams are also created. During the evidence-collection
process, it is crucial that the crime scene investigator follow proper procedures for
collecting, packaging and preserving the evidence, especially if it is of a biological
nature.

• 6. Conduct a Secondary Survey/Review

to ensure that the scene has been thoroughly searched, a second survey of the area is
conducted as a quality control step.
• 7. Record and Preserve Evidence
- To make certain that all evidence is accounted for, an inventory log is created. The
descriptions recorded into the log must match the photo of the evidence taken at the
scene and the description included in the crime scene report. For instance, if a gun is
collected, the serial number of the firearm in the evidence log must match the serial
number shown in the photo that was taken at the scene. This paper trail establishes
the chain of custody that will follow the evidence throughout the lifecycle of the
case.
 HOW AND WHERE TESTS ON THE EVIDENCE ARE CONDUCTED

The most probative evidence will be sent to either a forensic laboratory or, if the laboratory does not have
an expert in that forensic discipline, to an outside analyst for examination. To help identify the evidence that is
most valuable, the crime scene personnel may conduct initial screening tests, called presumptive tests, at the
scene. These tests can be useful in determining the type of substance present whether it’s a toxin or a drug, a
stain that contains body fluids, or even whether a dried red substance found in the kitchen is blood or ketchup.

Presumptive tests allow investigators to narrow the field of possibilities to a certain class of substance,
but they are not specific enough to confirm the presence of specific compounds. In addition to helping
provide clues to indicate how the crime occurred and who may have been involved, presumptive tests can also
help reduce the quantity of evidence that is submitted to the lab to include only the most important items. This
helps to expedite processing at the laboratory.
As technology advances and devices become more portable and affordable, additional testing of
evidence will likely be conducted at the scene.
THEACRIME
crime scene
SCENEinvestigation should provide AS
INVESTIGATION detailed
A documentation of
PROCESS
the condition of the scene and a collection of evidentiary items that can be
analyzed to assist the investigation. As forensic technologies and laboratory
techniques continue to improve and become more sophisticated, the value of
the trace and biological evidence that is collected at a scene has increased
enormously. This is especially true in the case of DNA evidence. With DNA
profiling, even the smallest amounts of biological evidence can be used to link
an individual to a crime scene.
However, unlike popular TV shows where the evidence is processed and
the perpetrator is quickly brought to justice, the criminal investigation
process takes time. The initial crime scene investigation is just the beginning
of what could be a lengthy process.
It is important to remember that while the physical evidence collected at
Limitations of the Crime Scene Investigation Process
The portrayal of crime scenes in the popular media may provide the impression that
every scene is an orderly, perfectly secured area that can be thoroughly scoured for every
piece of crucial evidence. In reality, crime scenes can be emotionally charged or even
chaotic. In the case of outdoor scenes, inclement weather conditions can quickly damage
evidence and create additional challenges for the investigator.
While a thorough examination of the scene can reveal much about what transpired, the
evidence must first be analyzed by a forensic scientist in a laboratory setting before conclusive
facts can be determined. In addition, just because DNA or fingerprints are collected at the
scene, an investigation may not be able to identify the perpetrator if there are no suspects or
this information doesn’t match any existing profiles available in law enforcement databases.
The ability of investigators to collect certain evidence may also be limited if, by
collecting one type of evidence, they must compromise another. For example, swabbing a
knife found near the victim at a murder scene for blood or DNA could potentially destroy
latent fingerprints present on the knife.
QUALITY CONTROL AND QUALITY
ASSURANCE PERFORMED
• The procedure of a crime scene investigation, from the initial scene survey to the submission of evidence
to the forensic laboratory, is designed to ensure a thorough, high-quality investigation.
• As a final quality assurance step before taking down the crime tape and releasing the scene, a
debriefing is conducted to ensure the investigation of the area is complete. During this review, the team
discusses the evidence that was collected, any notable findings, the laboratory tests that may be required,
the order in which evidence should be tested and any post-scene responsibilities.
• The lead investigator then directs a walk-through to visually inspect each area, ensuring that all collected
evidence is accounted for and any materials or conditions that may pose hazards are addressed.
• One crucial aspect of quality assurance for physical evidence is chain of custody. Ensuring a seamless
chain of custody helps make certain that all evidence was handled properly and there was no opportunity
for tampering to occur. It is imperative that a seamless chronological record be created indicating each
person who takes possession of a piece of evidence, the duration of custody and the security of the storage
conditions. If this chain is broken at any time or can be shown to have gaps, the value of the evidence could
be diminished at trial.

• Once evidence is submitted to the forensic laboratory, there are policies and procedures in place governing
the facilities and equipment, methods and procedures, and analyst qualifications and training.

• Depending on the state in which it operates, a crime laboratory may be required to achieve accreditation to
verify that it meets quality standards. There are two internationally recognized accrediting programs
focused on forensic laboratories:
INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THE REPORT
A crime scene report is often referred to as a crime scene supplement because it supplements the initial report
completed by the investigating officer. The crime scene supplement report contains information such as

1. Date/time when technicians arrive

2. Weather conditions at the scene

3. Perpetrator’s point of entry and exit (if this can be determined)
4. Theory about perpetrator’s movements/actions
5. List of evidence collected
6. List of photos/videos taken
7. Vehicle descriptions
8. Emergency medical personnel documents
9. Sketches/diagrams of the scene
10.List of related subjects (suspects, victim, others involved)
 MISCONCEPTIONS IN CRIME SCENE
INVESTIGATION
Due to the popularity of crime scene television dramas, misconceptions abound regarding this area of forensic investigation.
For example, crime scene personnel usually don’t also work in the forensic laboratory as well. The depiction of a crime
scene investigator retrieving the evidence, whisking it back to the lab for analysis and solving the crime is far from reality.
In addition, analysts routinely specialize in one particular area of examination. A DNA analyst won’t likely be called to
examine fingerprints, for example. In addition, the majority of crime scenes investigated are not of a high-profile nature,
like a homicide case. Investigators spend the majority of their time collecting evidence from scenes of burglaries, robberies
or lesser crimes. Crime scene investigation is definitely not a glamorous activity, unlike how it is often portrayed in popular
culture.
• While some of the crime scene techniques seen on television are inaccurate or overdramatized, new tools continually
being introduced to allow crime scene personnel to more thoroughly examine, discover and are recover evidence from a
scene. The advent of alternate light sources has helped technicians find biological evidence much more easily, and the
introduction of 3D-laser scanning technology has made it much easier to thoroughly and accurately document crime
scenes. But even with these advanced tools and technology, crime scene investigation relies primarily on the skills and
knowledge of the investigators and forensic scientists involved.”
END OF THIS CHAPTER