Crime Scene Investigation
Forensic Analysis Course
Important Elements
•
•
•
•
•
Preserving the crime scene
Recording the crime scene
Searching the scene
Collection and packaging of evidence
Crime scene safety
Crime Scene Environment
• Other police officers (including general duties,
investigative, specialist and administrative areas)
• The judicial system including; legal practitioner,
(prosecution and defense lawyers) judges and courts
(including civil, coronial, criminal and appeal Courts)
• Forensic scientists (including specialist laboratories
and experts)
• Forensic medical practicioners (including
pathologists, psychologists and psychiatrists)
• General community often represented through juries,
including those involved in specific incidents (victims,
suspects, witnesses) and expectations shaped by
media reporting of actual cases, fictional material,
(books, magazines, television and movies).
Role of CSI
Crime scene investigators should be
effective managers:
– At the scene of the crime or incident
– Of the processing of physical evidence
collected from the scene
– Of the investigative process as it relates to
physical evidence
– Of the final presentation of physical
evidence at court
Securing the Scene
• Use an entry other than that taken by the suspect
• Establish the path taken by other persons first on the
scene
• Consider the loss of trace evidence on entry
throughout your examination, (e.g.. shoe/foot
impressions on the floor)
• Reassess Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA)
issues
• Establish the extent of the scene and additional
assistance that may be required
• Establish an entry and exit path for the Senior
Investigating Officer and specialists to access the
scene, if necessary
Processing the Scene
• Surveying the crime scene
• Photographing and searching the crime
scene
• Mapping and measuring the crime scene
• Recording and documenting the location
of physical evidence at the crime scene
• Searching for fingerprints and other
physical evidence
Recording the Scene
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Administrative Worksheet
Narrative Description
Photographic Log
Diagram/Sketch
Evidence Recovery Log
Latent Print Lift Log
Identification, Collection and Preservation
of Evidence
Searching
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Bloodstains
Seminal stains
Hair
Fibers
Glass
Paint
Flammable liquids
Firearms evidence
• Tool marks
• Controlled
substances and
medicinal
preparations
• Questioned
documents
• Latent fingerprints
Crime Scene Photography
• The overview, a general shot with
features to identify the location
• The location of any significant evidence,
usually a mid-range shot
• The evidence detail, perhaps with closeup procedures
Continuity and Records
Accurate records (of the scene and item)
Detailed labeling, appropriate and sealed
packaging
Accurate official records and logs･Secure storage
of the item(s)
Restricted movement of the item(s)
Full documentation of any subsequent movement
It is preferable that the crime scene investigator is
the only link in the chain of custody of an item.
Where this is not possible, movement and
handling of the item should be fully documented
and kept to a minimum.
Collection of Evidence
Ensure fragile evidence is collected first e.g.
latent fingerprints
Then collect trace evidence e.g. blood and
fiber
Finally, collect larger items
Cross contamination
Biodegradation
Packaging
Labeling
Approach to Searching
Vehicles
• 1.Initial examination
• 2.Written documentation of vehicle in original state
• 3.Systematic photographic and documentation, starting
with the exterior, taken from each side, corners, front,
rear, tag, including any decals, damage or custom
accessories. The interior of the vehicle should be
photographed from the front drivers area; from each side
with the doors open, the ignition area, the dash, the
glove box, the instrument panel, the rear seat area, and
the trunk area
• 4.An organized section-by-section search should be
conducted to find items of evidence not immediately
obvious during the initial examination
Vehicles
• 5.Other items of evidence located during the search should be
annotated with evidence markers and photographed to record location
and relationship of any evidence found
• 6.Collection of evidence, beginning with the most fragile evidence
(trace evidence), evidence easily lost, or susceptible to damage or
loss through handling or weather conditions
• 7.Mechanical processing for any latent fingerprints. Common sense
areas should be searched around the sides, hood, trunk, roof support
post, and windows of the exterior of the vehicle. Inside, the door
handles, rear view mirror, seat belt buckles, windows, should also be
searched
• 8.Relevant control samples should be acquired, including glass
samples, fiber samples for upholstery and carpet, chipped paint, and
wiring for comparison with electronic components, like CD players and
telephones that may have been stolen from the vehicle.
Vehicle Marks
• Tire impressions
• Wheel marks (used to determine the
direction of vehicle movement)
• Soil disturbances
• Skid marks (provide information on
vehicle speed)
Human Remains
• Position of the body
• Description and state of clothing (is it partially removed,
stained, tangled or twisted?)
• Describe the location, intensity, size, and direction of flow
of any staining if possible.
• Type of stain (blood-like, semen, dirt, vomit, feces, urine
or some other fluid)
• Any visible damage to the clothing and body･Description
of bloodstains (spots, spatter or smearing and
directionality)
• Appearance of evidence removal (has the body been
washed or blood cleaned from the body?)
• Estimated amounts of blood (has staining penetrated
layers, carpeting or other surfaces, is it superficial?)