THE CRIME SCENE

When a crime occurs, there are three primary sources of physical evidence available
to the crime scene investigation officer.

The crime scene is dynamic, rapidly changing situation. The first officer to arrive at
the scene of a crime must be concerned with the myriad of details.

A crime scene is a physical location where a suspect either commits an illegal act or
leaves physical evidence of such an act. The crime scene is the place which much physical
evidence is obtained.

The entire purpose of crime scene investigation is to tile the suspect to either the
victim or the crime scene, and to reconstruct the events of the crime.

1. Basic Components of Crime Scene

a. Suspect arrival at the scene
b. Place of entry
c. Movement of suspect from point of entry
d. Suspect contact with the victim
e. Place of exit

2. Physical Evidence

Kinds of Physical Evidence

a. Corpus Delicti evidence
b. Associative evidence
c. Trace evidence

Characteristics of Physical Evidence

a. Physical evidence are factual.

b. Physical evidence does not forget.
c. Physical evidence are not confused by the excitement of the moment.
d. Physical evidence cannot perjure – only its interpretation can go wrong

When will evidence value diminish?

a. When human fails to find it.

b. When human fails to study it.
c. When human fails to understand it.

Crime Requiring Crime Scene Search

Not all criminal acts produces usable physical evidence, or justify the time and
expense of a full search because of its lack of vigorous or exceptional physical activity in
their commission. There is no contact of the criminal with his surroundings.
 However, serious crimes which leaves a high probability of generating retrievable
physical evidence should be processed, such as:

a. Homicide
b. Assault
c. Sexual Assault
d. Robbery
e. Carnapping
f. Arson

Steps to be followed upon Arrival at any Crime Scene:

1. Record the date, time of arrival, and whether conditions.

2. If an injured person is on the scene, arrange for medical attention, identification and
removal. The scene should be disturbed only to the extent necessary to have medical
aid rendered to the injured or to have a doctor examine a deceased victim. Each
alteration should be accurately recorded.
3. If the offender is at the scene, apprehend him.
4. If the scene is not fully protected, ensure its protection by using other policemen or
other responsible persons to keep witnesses, suspects and victim/s who are present
from disturbing the scene.
5. Determine and record the names of those persons at the scene who may be witness,
and separate them. These persons should be removed from the immediate areas of the
scene as soon as practicable.
6. Conduct preliminary questioning of witnesses, suspects and victim/s to determine in
general the extent of the incident or crime.
7. Note the names of all persons officially present. Those present within the immediate
area of the scene should be only the minimum number needed to assist the
investigator.

The Initial Responding Officers should:

a. Establish boundaries of the scene, starting at the focal point and extending outward to
include:
 Where the crime occurred
 Potential points and paths of exits and entry of suspects and witnesses
 Places where the victim/evidence may have been moved

b. Set up physical barriers or use existing boundaries.

c. Document the entry/exit of all people entering and leaving the scene, once boundaries
have been established.
d. Control the flow of personnel and animals entering and leaving the scene to maintain
integrity of the scene.
e. Effect measure to preserve/protect evidence that may be lost or compromised.
f. Document the original location of the victim or objects that you observed being
moved.
g. Consider search seizure issues to determine necessity of obtaining consent to search
and or obtaining search warrant.

INVESTIGATION ACTIVITIES

1. Supervision
All searches at the crime scene require a supervisor in-charge of processing he
scene:
a. Senior Officer
In some smaller agencies, the highest – ranking officer at the scene is
generally in-charge.

b. Case Officer
Most agencies permit the officer who will be heading the investigation
to take charge of the crime scene.

c. Technician
Where the agency utilizes a full team of evidence technicians, the
officer in-charge of the team normally supervises the crime scene
search.

2. Photography
Photographs are typically made of the general crime scene and of each item of
evidence as it is found. Normally, the officer performing these tasks will be
the first to enter the scene, so that he can accurately record the site as it was
found. The search process should never begin until these initial photographs
have been taken.

3. Sketching
Sketches are not a substitute for notes or photos, they are but supplement to
them. Usually a rough sketch of the crime scene and the position of various
items of evidence also made. Even when photos were taken, a sketch is
frequently necessary to overcome the two dimensional nature of photographs.
Besides, in sketching the exact measurements are indicated.

4. Protection of Evidence
Certain specified investigators should be in charge of insuring that all
evidence at the scene is properly tagged, preserved and transported to the
crime laboratory. Assigning these tasks to a specific person prevents gaps in
 the legal chain of custody as well asassuring that all evidence reaches the
laboratory in usable conditions.

5. Application of Technical Skills

A need may also exist for persons who have specialized skills in the collection
of evidence. Those most likely to be needed are persons skilled in:
 Fingerprint
 Serology
 Casting and molding of impressions
 ballistics

6. Searching
The crime scene must be properly searched. The number of persons needed to
search a particular site depends upon the size and degree of thoroughness
required.

CRIME SCENE SEARCH

Generally, the sooner the crime scene is thoroughly searched for physical evidence,
the better the chance of finding it intact and in its most useful state. The value of physical
evidence is measured by its usefulness in proving that a crime was committed to demonstrate
the suspect’s mode of operation and to identify and convict the criminal.

In all cases of apparent homicide or suicide, neither the body nor its surroundings are
to be touched by anyone until the medical examiner and crime scene specialists have done
their work. After that, the investigating officer will sketch the scene, take photographs, and
take notes on what is done and observed. Only when these tasks are completed will a search
for evidence begin.

The investigating officer should look the scene over for several angles, to grasp the
whole scene, and then formulate a plan for searching the scene. A proper approach prevents
fouling any evidence and trooping through the area haphazardly may trample.

The number of searchers and the characteristics of the crime scene must determine the
choice of specific patterns by which the scene is to be thoroughly searched.

a. Strip Method – start along one side of the crime scene and walk in straight
line across the area to be searched, then return to the original side you started
from and again walk across the search area but slightly above the previous line
of search.
b. Double Strip Search Method – the double strip search is a modification of
the strip search method. Here the rectangle is traversed first parallel to the base
then parallel to the side.

c. Zone or Sector Method – this method divides the scene into equal zone. One
searcher is normally assigned to each sector with responsibility for all that
occur in the scene.

d. Wheel Method - The searchers gather at the center of the scene and move out
in these spool-like directions. The obvious drawbacks in this method are the
 possibility of ruining evidence when gathering at the center and every
increasing distance between the searchers as the investigators move onward.

e. Spiral Method –usually begins from the outer perimeter of the scene, moving
inward in a constricting circular fashion.

f. Grid Method – is very useful for large crime scenes that must be searched for
small items of evidence in an extremely thorough fashion. The entire search
area is crisscrossed by one or more investigators so that all areas are actually
crossed several times.

THE CRIME SCENE SKETCH

The crime scene sketch is a simple line drawing that indicates the position of the body
in relation to fixed and significant objects in the scene. It supplements both the written reports
and the crime scene photographs. Photographs, because of camera perspective and distortion,
this will always depict the exact location in which objects are situated or the relation of one
object to another. The crime scene sketch is an excellent visual aid which allows for the
removal of unnecessary details and the inclusion of significant material. Practically speaking,
the crime scene sketch can become one of the most useful tools of the investigator.

The Sketch

A drawing of the crime scene is the simplest and most effective way to present
measurement and to identify those items that the investigator seems significant, including the
location of the victim’s body, the location of any physical or trace evidence, the position of
the weapon, the objects which may be significant to the overall scene. In addition, the
drawing permits the deletion of irrelevant or distracting items which appear in photographs.
Considering that “photograph and sketch are interdependent with each other as an evidence in
court presentation.”
 In addition in creating a diagram which is specific and selective, the crime scene
sketch can be used to:

a. Refresh the memory of the investigator.

b. Refresh the memory of the witness/es.
c. Refresh the memory of the cooperative suspect to assist in detailing his or her
actions at the scene.
d. Develop a clearer understanding of what happened and determine the relative
livelihood of various possibilities. For instance, people may be requested to
trace their particular movements on copies of the original sketch.
e. Explain to a jury or witness the specifics of a case that may be otherwise be
too complex or confusing.
 Choosing the Best Method

1. Coordinate Method – the coordinate method employs the practice of measuring an

object from two fixed points of reference. Once such procedure is the baseline
technique, in which a line is drawn between two known points. The baseline could
also be a wall or a mathematically derived point along a designated area where exact
measurements can be determined.

2. Triangulation Method – the triangulation method is a bird’s eye view of the scene,
utilizing fixed objects from which to measure. This is particularly useful for sketching
outdoor crime scenes where there are no easily identifiable points of reference. In this
procedure, two or more widely separated point of reference are required. The item of
interest is then located by measuring along a straight line from the reference points.

3. Cross – Projection Sketch –this is a method for making a sketch of the crime inside
of a room. It is done by drawing the walls as if they were folded down flat on the
floor. This method is very good where there are bullet holes or blood stains on the
wall or ceiling.

FIELD NOTES

Field notes have many benefits for both the officers and the department. Most notes
will result from interviews, but there are other uses as well. For examples, notes may be the
most important step in documenting a crime scene initially. An investigator’s field notes are
his or her most personal and readily available record of the crime scene search. It is difficult,
if not impossible, to recommend a particular form of field note taking, as most officers
usually adopt their own style. However, one objective of this process remains clear: the notes
taken at a crime scene must adequately reflect the condition and state of the location at the
time of the crime scene search.