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Crime Scene Integrity and Evidence CollectionMidterm Essay TwoApril WesleyCriminal Investigation, CJ210August 16, 2006Crime Scene Integrity and Evidence Collection, Page 1The integrity of a crime scene is extremely important to every aspect ofinvestigation and prosecution. The first officer on scene begins with establishingthe crime scene and securing it. This officer or investigator needs to keep peopleout of the area where the crime occurred, and also where the perpetrator may havebeen before or after the crime occurred. Any area where the victim or suspect waspresent needs to be sealed off. If there are any witnesses present, the officerneeds to detain and separate them so that they cannot taint each other’s memorieswith discussion of their observations. Also, the officer must obtain consent tosearch the crime scene from whomever controls it. However, in the case that thevictim needs medical assistance, the victim becomes the priority, but the officermust ask the paramedics not to touch anything that is not absolutely necessary togaining access to the victim. Also, he will tell the paramedics to carry thevictim out on a stretcher instead of rolling the victim out. The efforts of theparamedics can often compromise important evidence like blood spatter, foot orshoe impressions, or other evidence. The victim himself may have evidence on hisperson, as in the clothing he is wearing or skin under his nails. His wounds mayalso indicate the type of weapon used, and can give a clue to the emotions of theperpetrator. This may help to establish a suspect and a motive. Even as theofficer is getting help for the victim, he must make sure that he does not allowanyone into the crime scene area other than the medics. This would includereporters, government officials, local residents, curious onlookers, or even otherofficers who have no involvement. The officer must do everything in his power toensure the integrity of the crime scene. He must also record the time that everyaction was taken. With those records, it would be difficult for the defense toportray the officer as lazy, not thorough, or incompetent if the case goes to
 
court. Simply, he must secure the area, assist the victim, if applicable, and makesure that nothing is touched,Crime Scene Integrity and Evidence Collection, Page 2moved, or taken. This will be simple as long as he keeps everyone away from thearea. If the officer can accomplish all this, he will maintain the integrity ofthe crime scene and help secure the capture and conviction of the perpetrator.Once the team arrives, the crime scene investigation and evidence collectionwill really begin. The team may be a group of two or more investigators and/or theevidence collection technicians. They will start by takingpictures, making sketches, and taking notes before they actually touch anything.Something as insignificant as the placement of a certain object can turn out to beimportant to the investigation, so these pictures, sketches, and notes areimperative to the integrity of the investigation. The crime scene is the onlychance to recognize, collect, and record physical evidence.The investigators and technicians will all start by putting gloves on. Thisensures that the investigator’s or tech’s touch will not contaminate any evidence.Next, they will do a walk-through and take photographs of the entire crime sceneto establish the perpetrator’s point of entry, path through the premises, thevarious rooms he entered, and the location of physical evidence. The investigatorwill make sketches of the crime scene containing all relevant information such asdistances between objects or spatial relationships between items of evidence,indoors or out. After pictures are taken, sketches are drawn, and areas ofphysical evidence are established, the evidence collection begins.There are three rules of evidence collection. First, the investigator orevidence technician must control all variables. Second, background material mustbe collected. Third, a sufficient quantity of the sample must be obtained. Theserules can be imperative to the prosecution. For example, a woman was poisoningbottles of Excedrin and giving the pills to her husband. He did die, but his deathdetermined to be of natural causes. TheCrime Scene Integrity and Evidence Collection, Page 3woman protested this finding, because his insurance would pay an extra $100,000 ifhis death was an accident, or murder. To ensure that she could make people believeit was a case of product tampering, she poisoned otherbottles and put them on store shelves. Another woman whom she did not even knowalso died from the poison. This woman may have never been convicted had it notbeen for the perfect procedure in the evidence collection.The investigators found the cup where she had been crushing the poison. The womanhad also been crushing her algae pills for her aquarium in that same cup. Becauseof the diligence of the evidence team, this woman was arrested and convicted oftwo murders and product tampering. This is a true life example of how correctprocedure in evidence collection can aid the prosecution of a criminal.As for the collection and preservation of the evidence, there are manyguidelines. First, there must be no alteration of its inherent quality orcomposition. All evidence needs to be tagged. This tag needs to include date,time, case number, name of investigator, name of victim or suspect when possible,and description of evidence. Evidence can be tainted in many ways, butthere are many ways to make sure that this does not happen. Evidence must be putinto fresh, clean, sealable, leak-proof containers. Plastic is preferred when itcan be used. You would not want powder evidence to leak from a seam or opening inan envelope, or liquid evidence to leak or evaporate from an improperly stopperedcontainer. You would also not want any bacterial or chemical contamination fromunclean containers. You also need to make sure that each piece of evidence goesinto a separate container. You can never mix evidence in the same container. Youmust keep evidence out of sunlight or other elements, and refrigerate evidence ifneeded. Important evidence can decompose or be altered from exposure to light,
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