Chapter 3: THE CRIME SCENE
“Oh, how simple it
would all have been
had I been here before
they came like a herd of
buffalo and wallowed all
over it.”
—A. Conan Doyle, in The Boscombe
Valley Mystery, 1892
1. Secure and isolate the crime
scene
FIRST OFFICER
ON THE SCENE
• A
Assess the crime scene
and assist those hurt
• D
Detain the witness
• A
Arrest the perpetrator
• P
Protect the crime scene
• T
Take notes
2. Record the scene
• Photography
 Digital camera should have 4 or more
megapixels, close-up capabilities, and flash
attachment (The more pixels, the more
detail captured)
 Differences in pixels are important in court
because the greater the pixel the larger the
print can be.
Photography
• Two photos should be taken of each shot in case
one is blurred.
• There are three 3 general categories of
photographs:
• 1. Overview (gives general locale and approach
route)
• 2. Mid-range (mid-range (10-20 feet) tell a story
that helps establish the modus operandi of the
offender.)
• 3. Close-up (essential for establishing the corpus
delicti of a criminal act.)
• *corpus delicti – the body of facts that show a
crime was committed, includes the physical
evidence and/or the body
• There are two 2 general methods of
photography:
• (1) overlapping, which is a series of
photos taken in a circular or clockwise
direction, overlapping each slightly to
show the overall scene
• (2) progressive, which starts from a fixed
point, photographs each piece of evidence
as the photographer moves toward it, and
progressively gets closer in the pictures.
Photography
• Bodies are photographed from five
angles:
• (1) head to feet
• (2) right side
• (3) feet to head
• (4) left side
• (5) straight down from above
Notes (written observations)
• Constant
• Detailed
•
•
•
•
Location
Time
How and by whom item was packaged
Disposition of the item
• Tape-recorded
• Videotape
Sketches (drawn observations)
• Begin with rough sketch
•
•
•
•
Accurate dimensions
Location of all objects having a bearing on the case
Letters/numbers assigned to items and include legend
Compass heading north
• Finished sketch
• Drawn carefully
• Drawn to scale
• Computer aided drafting
•
Practical measuring techniques
1. Rectangular coordinates: This is the
easiest and most used method for most
crime scene specialist. Measurements
are taken from 2 fixed areas at right
angles of each other.
2. Triangulation coordinates: This method is
designed to measure to an item from 2
fixed points by forming a triangle.
http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/faculty/nute/C
Smeasurement.html
http://www.feinc.net/sketch.htm
3. Conduct a systematic search for
evidence
• Line method – used for outdoor scenes
and involves lanes or strips to be
searched by one searcher
• Grid method – used for outdoor scenes
and combines a strip search w/an
additional strip search conducted at
right angles to the 1st
• Zone method – used for outdoor or
indoor and involves dividing scene into
sectors which can be searched by a
variety of investigators
• Spiral method –
used for large
outdoor scenes and
consists of starting
at the center and
following a spiral
path out to the
perimeter of scene
• To be collected
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Victim’s clothing
Fingernail scrapings
Head and pubic hairs
Blood
Vaginal, anal, and oral swabs
Recovered bullets from the body
Hand swabs from shooting victims
4. Obtain Standard/Reference
Samples
• Physical evidence whose origin is
known, such as blood or hair from a
suspect, that can be compared to crimescene evidence
• Substrate controls – uncontaminated
surface material close to an area where
physical evidence has been deposited
5. Collect and Package Physical
Evidence
• Must prevent contamination, breakage,
evaporation, accidental scratching or
bending, or loss through improper or
careless packaging
• Entire object should be sent
• Package evidence separately
• Secure container
Special Considerations for
Packaging
• Wet items must be dried before
packaging to prevent mold and mildew
• Containers should be tightly sealed to
prevent leaks
• Clothing with trace evidence should be
packaged carefully
• Arson evidence should be kept in an
airtight glass container to prevent fumes
from evaporating
6. Maintain Chain of Custody
There must be a written record of all people
who have had possession of an item of
evidence.
 The evidence container must be marked for
identification
 The collector’s initials should be placed on the
seal
 If evidence is turned over to another person, the
transfer must be recorded.
7. Submit Evidence to the
Laboratory
• Personal delivery or
by mail
• Must adhere to
postal regulations
• Care taken in
packaging
8. Crime Scene Safety
• Senses will be shocked
• Exposure to blood and other biological
materials
•
•
•
•
Inoculations against Hepatitis B
Wear latex gloves
Protective shoe covers
Liquid repellent coveralls
• Particle mask/respirator, goggles, or face
shield
• Be alert to sharp objects, knives,
hypodermic syringes, razor blades, etc
• Red biohazard bag
• Disinfect/decontaminate
• Eating, drinking, smoking, and the
application of makeup are prohibited
• “Infectious Linen” laundered at the
expense of the employer
CRIME SCENE
RECONSTRUCTION
Stages
 Data collection
 Hypothesis formation
 Examination, testing and analysis
 Determination of the significance of
the evidence
 Theory formulation
Legal Considerations at the Crime
Scene
• Evidence may become excluded b/c of
an “unreasonable” search and seizure
of evidence
• Must abide by the Fourth Amendment
• “…must have probable cause, supported
by oath or affirmation, and particularly
describing the place to be searched, and
the persons or things to be seized.”
•
Justifications for a warrantless search:
1. The existence of emergency
circumstances
2. The need to prevent the immediate loss
or destruction of evidence
3. A search of a person and property within
the immediate control of the person
provided it is made incident to a lawful
arrest
4. A search made by consent of the parties
involved
Mincey v. Arizona
• Court dealt with the legality of a fourday search at a homicide scene
• Involved a police raid on the home of
Rufus Mincey, who had been suspected
of dealing drugs
• Undercover police office forced entry
into Mincey’s apartment and was killed
in a scuffle that ensued
• Without a search warrant, police spent four
days searching the apartment
• They recovered bullets, drugs, and drug
paraphernalia
• Items were introduced as evidence during
trial
• Mincey was convicted and on appeal
contended that the evidence gathered from
his apartment was illegally seized
• The court upheld Mincey’s position
Michigan v. Tyler
• A business leased by Tyler and a
business partner was destroyed by fire
• Fire was extinguished in the early hours
of the morning
• Fire officials and police were prevented
from thoroughly examining the scene for
evidence of arson
• The building was left unattended until
8:00 am
• Officials returned and began an
inspection of the burned premises
• Assorted items of evidence were
recovered and removed from the
building
• On 3 other occasions---4 days, 7 days, and
25 days after the fire---investigators reentered
the premises and removed additional items
• Each of these searches were made without
warrant or without consent
• The evidence seized was used to convict
Tyler and his partner of conspiracy to burn
property and related offenses
• The Supreme Court upheld the reversal
of the conviction, holding the initial
morning search to be proper but
contending that evidence obtained from
subsequent reentries to the scene was
inadmissable.
Case Study: Captain Jeffrey
MacDonald p. 44
• Called military police in the middle of the night on
Feb. 17, 1970
• Said he had just regained consciousness and found
his wife and two young daughters massacred in their
home
• As the MPs arrived, they all entered the house,
walking around and touching what may have proven
to be evidence
• Many types of evidence collected, but carelessly
• COC poorly maintained
• 10 years later, Cpt. MacDonald was convicted of the
murders
• Remains in federal prison
Case Study: Mark Winger
• An intruder named Roger Harrington bludgeoned his
wife, Donnah, to death on August 23, 1995
• Mark had interrupted the attack and killed Harrington
• The case was finally reopened and detectives, going
through the files, found yet another surprise - three
Polaroids taken by Officer Barringer on the night of
the murders, before Donnah Winger and Roger
Harrington were moved to the hospital. The photos
showed the placement of the bodies, something that
police say blew Winger’s version of events out of the
water.
• In 2001, Winger was arrested. On Aug. 1, 2002 he
was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in
prison without the possibility of parole