Test #2 Flashcards
What happens at a crime scene? PT 1
- The First Responding Officer arrives at the scene and…
- Check the victim and call the ambulance if needed
- Secure the scene (most important)
- Catch any suspects
- Interview witnesses
- Report to higher ups about the incident
What happens at a crime scene? PT 2
- Next the criminal investigators and police officers come to the scene. Criminal investigators…
- Gather information
- Search, document, collect, and preserve any evidence where the chain of custody needs to be maintained (documenting is most important!!)
- Conduct field test and reconstruct the sequence of events
Primary Crime Scene
Where the criminal act occurred (can be indoor or outdoor)
Secondary Crime Scene
Where the body was dumped and anywhere evidence was found (there can be several secondary scenes) + (can be indoor or outdoor)
Types of Crimes
Murder & Robbery
Condition of Crime Scenes
Organized or disorganized & active or passive
What do CSI teams do?
- Discover the nature and patterns of the crime & the different types of physical evidence left behind
Questions to Think About at a Crime Scene
- Who did it?
- How did they do it?
- Why did they do it?
- When and where was the crime committed?
Steps in Surveying a Crime Scene
- Lead investigators and case officers conduct a “walk through” of the crime scene trying to answer: Who? What? Where? When? How? Why?
Documenting the Crime Scene: Notetakings
- Time and date of the investigations
- When investigators arrive and who was already there
- Description of the weather, smells, location, and other detailed of the crime scene
- Description of victim (clothes, position, and wounds)
- Other observations like broken windows, stains on a carpet etc.
Documenting the Crime Scene: Videotaping
- Allows investigators to review the video evidence with advanced tech
- No vocal commentary
- The video should include a view of the crime from the POV of the victim
Documenting the Crime Scene: Photography
- Must be done after videotaping
- Provides a visual record of the crime and evidence
- Take a lot of pictures of everything!!!!
- Something might become important later
- Nothing should be touched or altered or the evidence will be inadmissible in court
Documenting the Crime Scene: Drawing diagrams
- Show spatial relationship of objects
- Hard to get scale in photography
- Relates rooms together
What does physical evidence say about a crime?
- How a crime was committed
- MO (Mode of Operation) of a particular crime
- Tells how people, objects, and places are linked together
- Identifies unknown substances at the scene
- Provides leads and help reconstruct what happened during a crime
Patterns of Looking for Physical Evidence: Grid
- Multiple people are involved
- Each person walks in a straight line so that every part of the room is covered and searched
Patterns of Looking for Physical Evidence: Inward Spiral
- A single investigator is going towards the center then walks around in a spiral pattern so every section is touched moving inward
Patterns of Looking for Physical Evidence: Outward Spiral
- Used at a larger scene where a single investigator will go towards the center then walks around in a spiral pattern so every section is touched moving outward
Patterns of Looking for Physical Evidence: Parallel
- A group of investigators move in a straight line together
Patterns of Looking for Physical Evidence: Zone
- A group of investigators will search at different viewpoints in order to get a general idea scene
Seven S Method: Secure the Scene
First Responding Officers:
A: Approach the scene ensuring that there aren’t any hazards and identify the different individuals to survey what’s going on the scene
R: Render First Aid (Safety is everything!!)
I: Identify other victims, witnesses, and possible suspects
S: Secure the crime scene setting boundaries so nothing and no ones leaves or enters that’s unauthorized
N: Notify appropriate authorities
Seven S Method: Separate the Witnesses
- Witnesses should not be speaking to one another
- This prevents them from working together to create a story aka a collusion
Seven S Method: Scan the Scene
- Scan the scene to see where photos should be taken
- Identify Primary and Secondary Scenes
Seven S Method: See the Scene
The Photography Unit takes photos of the:
- overall area to see relationships between evidence to the crime
- close-up photos with and without a ruler to show the scale of the evidence
(see previous notes on photography)
Seven S Method: Sketching the Scene
- North is labeled and scale of distance is included
- All object are measured from 2 immovable landmarks; measurements must be exact
- Any other objects nearby should be included in the sketch
- Key aka legend of characters must be included
- Date, time, location, type of crime, case #, and names of sketcher and verifier must also be included
- Final sketch is made later
Seven S Method: Searching for Evidence
- Systematic patterns ensure no area is left unsearched: light is used to find hairs/fibers, vacuum cleaners suck all evidence/traces, and flashlights & forceps reduce picking up unnecessary material
(Refer to Patterns of Looking for Physical Evidence)
Seven S Method: Securing and Collecting the Evidence
- All evidence must be properly packaged, sealed, and labeled using specific techniques and procedures.
- Packaging evidence avoids contamination, breakage, evaporation, scratching, and bending keeping the evidence in its original condition. All items should be in separate containers to prevent damage and cross-contamination.
- Metal or plastic forceps are used to pick up small items
- Plastic pill bottles are used for hairs, glass, fibers, and trace evidence
- Airtight and unbreakable containers are used for liquids and arson remains to avoid evaporation
- Biologicals are breathable containers are dry and avoid mold contamination
- Air-dried evidence is packages into a paper bindle (druggist’s fold) then placed in a paper or plastic container then taped and signed by collector
Chain of Custody
Document that contains:
- Case #
- Item inventory #
- Description of the evidence
- Name of suspect
- Names of victim
- Date and time of recovery
- Signature of person recovering evidence
- Signature of any witnesses present during collection
All people who come in contact with a piece of evidence must document it!!
Prosecutor
Prosecutors are government representatives who work in criminal cases that investigate and prosecute criminals in order to ensure that justice is being served. They work in law enforcement agencies.
Forensic Toxicologist
Forensic Toxicologists are people who study toxins and poisons that enter the body and how they affect the human body. They work in labs.
Forensic Nurse
Forensic Nurses are people who care for victims and help provide evidence, assess patients, and provide emotional and psychological support. They work in hospitals and medical examiners offices.
Forensic Psychologist
Forensic Psychologists are people who study criminal behavior and connect psychology to law. They work in rehabs, prisons, and law enforcement agencies.
Coroner
Coroners are people who determine the cause of death of sudden deaths that have happened. They work in medical examiner’s offices and coroners offices.
