Investigating the Crime Scene

Responding to a Crime Scene

• First responder (usually a police officer)
– Offers assistance to injured persons
– Identifies witnesses and suspects
– Identifies the scope of the scene and secure it
– Documents the conditions of the scene
– Protects the evidence

• Later responders (detectives and/or CSI’s)

– Contacts first responder for overview of scene
– Directs the investigation
– Collects evidence and/or statements
Securing the Crime Scene
 Securing the Crime Scene
• Set initial boundary larger than the scene
• Create a staging or work area outside the scene
• Locate physical evidence for collection
• Create single path in and out of scene
• Document all actions taken by responders:
– Personal information
– Actions and statements of persons entering and
exiting the scene
– Items moved or removed and who moved them
Crime Scene Investigation Team
What do you think is each person’s role in investigating
the crime scene below?
Crime Scene Investigation Team
• Police officers- Typically the 1st to arrive at a scene.
Secures the scene and initially interviews witnesses.

• Detectives- interviews the first responder, interviews

witnesses and examines the overall scene,
coordinates work of crime scene investigators about
the evidence and ME/Coroner about the victim.

• Crime Scene Investigators- document scene in

detail, collect and record evidence.

• Medical Examiners/Coroners- determine cause of

death if homicide has occurred, transport the body
to the morgue.
 CSI Processing of a Crime Scene

1. The lead CSI investigator will get a report from the

first responder or detective then evaluate the area.

2. The lead CSI then proceeds with an initial walk-

through to gain an overview and develop a
strategy for a systematic search and
documentation of the entire crime scene.

3. CSI’s search and document the scene with

photography and sketches while identifying and
documenting all evidence.

4. CSI’s Package movable evidence and process for

latent prints, impressions, blood stains etc that
cannot be moved.
 The Search
• The search for physical evidence at a crime scene
must be thorough and systematic.

• The search pattern selected will normally depend

on the size and locale of the scene and the number
of evidence collectors.

• Investigators wear gloves and shoe protectors to

prevent contamination of the scene.

• Begin searches outside or at the point of entry or

exit and move inward.
 The Search
• Level I Search- Survey of the crime scene. Nothing
is touched, the eyes are the only tools utilized.

• Level II Search- moving items that cause minimal

intrusion to the scene. Examples are opening
closet doors, cabinets, moving heavy furniture.

• Level III Search- most intrusive which includes

emptying every draw at a crime scene or
overturning mattress. Also consist of searching
each pocket the victims cloths or cloths in a closet.
Carpet or wall or can be taken out. (Latent prints
and luminal is utilized at this stage)
Systematic Search for Evidence
 Documenting the Scene
• Documenting is the most important and time-
consuming activity at a crime scene because:
– It shows the evidence in the context of the crime
scene.
– It allows detectives and crime scene analysts to do
a reconstruction of the corpus delecti.
– Helps create and maintain the chain of custody.
– It may become evidence in court.

• Notes, photographs and diagrams are all used to

document the crime scene and the location of
physical evidence.
 Taking Notes
• Describe everything; the location, weather, type of
crime, all physical evidence, etc.
• Make notes in ink, in a bound notebook, with pages
numbered sequentially.
• Do not erase errors; cross them out with pen.
• Make notations in chronological order.
• Evidence is documented by describing:
• Type and condition of evidence
• Time of discovery
• Name of discoverer
• Placement, collection, packaging, labeling
Photography
 Photography
• You can never take too many photos of a crime
scene. At a death scene there may be 200-500
shots taken from every possible angle of view.

• Victims and evidence must not be moved until they

have been photographed from all necessary
angles.

• Physical evidence is photographed with a scale to

show it’s size and also it’s location relative to the
entire scene.
 Photography
• Use a 35-mm single-lens reflex camera and learn how to manipulate ALL its settings.
• Archive the original digital images and work with copies.
• A photo log must also be created.
– Date and time
– Camera settings
– Film roll number and exposure number or file name and exposure number
– Type of shot
– Distance to the subject
– Brief description
Photography
Outdoor Photography
Outdoor Photography
Indoor Photography

Living Room
What other
photos should
be taken in
these rooms?

Bedroom
Indoor Photography
 Learning Check
Mark on the sketch or describe the positions where
photographs of the crime scene and the evidence
should be taken.
 Sketches
• Rough Sketch—A representation of all essential
information, evidence and measurements at a crime
scene drawn at the crime scene.
Other Ways to Document the Scene & Evidence

• Videography
– May be used to complement still photography
– Is the best way to document the overall view of
the scene
– You must still record the locations of evidence
in still photos.

• Record a running audio narrative; but this must be

transcribed into a report.

• Leica Geosystems ScanStation can be used to

create a digital image of the entire crime scene.
Investigating the Crime Scene
 Sketches
• Rough Sketches
– use an overhead view
– not drawn to scale, but with accurate distances
– establish two fixed reference points

• Other items included in a sketch:

– Case identifier, sketch artist
– Date, time, location, weather, lighting
– Identity and assignments of personnel present
– Key or legend
– Compass direction or geographic orientation
 Sketches
Finished Sketch—A precise rendering of the crime
scene, usually drawn to scale. This type is not
normally completed at the crime scene.
 Learning Check
What important elements are missing from the crime
sketch below?
 Collection of Evidence
This is a photo of a burglary crime scene. Which items should be
collected and why?
 Collection of Evidence

• Flashlights or ALS (alternate light sources) are

used to help identify evidence for collection.

• Once identified and documented, the evidence

must be collected, preserved, packaged and
inventoried in preparation for submission to the
crime lab.

• Reference samples should be collected from

relevant persons or from the scene and are used for
comparison.

• Disposable gloves are always worn, and often

changed, to protect evidence from contamination.
 Collection of Evidence
• Impression evidence (fingerprint, shoe print, etc.)
– Identified by sight, ALS or chemical reagent
– Enhanced by use of special photographic
techniques or by chemical developers
– Collected by lifting tape or molding materials
• Biological evidence (blood, semen, etc.)
– Identified by sight, ALS or chemical reagent
– Collected with sterile swabs
• Firearms and ammunition (gun, bullet, shell, etc.)
– Must be rendered safe for transport
– Stored in paper envelopes, bags, or boxes
 Collection of Evidence
• Arson evidence (flammables, ignition source, etc.)
– Locate by sight and smell
– Place carpet, wood, and absorbent materials in
clean paint cans and seal lid
– Place flammable liquids in glass bottle with tight-
fitting lid
• Chemicals and controlled substances (drugs)
– Locate by visual observation
– Chemical field tests are used to classify or identify
them at the scene
– Place liquids or solids in a screw cap jar or vial
 Collection of Evidence
• Trace evidence (hair, fibers, soil, etc.)
– May be extremely small or microscopic
– Collect by forceps, tweezers, scraping, taping, or
vacuuming
– Document and collect questioned and known
samples
– Work in conjunction with medical examiner for
homicide evidence collection
What Evidence Would You Collect
and How Would You Collect It?
 Packaging Evidence
• Each item must be placed in a separate container
to prevent cross-contamination.
• The package should be clearly labeled and sealed
with evidence tape.
• Take entire piece of evidence as it is found at the
scene, if possible.
• Wet blood should either dry first and then be
scraped or can be collected on a swab.
Is this evidence properly packaged? Why or why not?
 Packaging Evidence
• Unbreakable plastic pill bottles with pressure lids
are excellent containers for hairs, glass, fibers, and
other kinds of trace evidence.

• Manila envelopes, screw-cap glass vials, or

cardboard pillboxes are also good containers.

• Paper bags and boxes can be used for larger

and/or heavier pieces of evidence.

• Ordinary mailing envelopes should not be used

because powders will leak out of their corners.

• Arson evidence is placed in clean paint cans.

 Learning Check
What type of evidence should go in each type of
container below?

1. Bloody clothes
2. White powder
3. Glass fragments
4. Burned wood
 Beyond The Crime Scene

The medical examiner or coroner will examine the

victim to establish a cause and manner of death and
preserve tissues and organs for analysis.

They may also collect some or all of the following:

1. Victim’s clothing
2. Fingernail scrapings
3. Body hairs
4. Blood
5. Vaginal, anal, and oral swabs
6. Bullets or other objects inside the body
7. GSR swabs from shooting victims
 Submitting Evidence to The Lab
• Evidence should be sent directly to the lab to
preserve the chain of custody.

• It may be submitted to the lab in person or via mail

or commercial package delivery.

• Chemicals, radiological agents, and explosives

may be transported via UPS or FedEx.

• Once at the lab, the evidence is placed in secured

storage areas and logged as to location.
Chain of Custody
 Chain of Custody
• In court, all evidence will be subject to questions
about chain of custody.

• The chain starts with the evidence’s original

discoverer.

• The chain is broken if movements are not

documented; that may result in evidence being
excluded in court.

• Preserve the chain of custody by making sure that

investigator documents everything that happens to
each piece of evidence at the scene and once it is
in the lab.
Investigating the Crime Scene
 Evidence and the Fourth Amendment

US Constitution, Fourth Amendment

The right of the people to be secure in their persons,

houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable
searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and
no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause,
supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly
describing the place to be searched, and the
persons or things to be seized.
 Evidence and the Fourth Amendment

• Evidence is most often excluded due to Fourth

Amendment violations.

• Officers must present an affidavit of probable

cause that criminal activity is taking place at a
particular location to receive a search warrant.

• Contraband, “fruits and instrumentalities of the

crime,” evidentiary items, voice and handwriting
can all be obtained via warrants.

• Only the areas or items explicitly described in the

warrant can be searched and taken.
 Exceptions to the Fourth Amendment

• Border searches: customs searches at the border

do not require a warrant.

• Consent searches: persons can voluntarily submit

to a search but can rescind it at any time.

• Search incident to arrest: persons and the area

under their immediate control can be searched
during a lawful arrest.

• Plain view doctrine: officers can seize contraband

and evidence that they can see from a legal vantage
point.
 Exceptions to the Fourth Amendment
• Emergency exceptions: officers can enter premises
without a warrant if they have reasonable suspicion
that an injured person is inside.

• Open fields: no expectation of privacy.

• Stop and frisk: officer may pat down a suspicious

person who may be armed and dangerous.

• Vehicle inventories: the search of a vehicle can be

done if the driver or occupant is arrested.

• There is NO murder scene exception.

 Evidence and the Fourth Amendment

• Mincey v. Arizona (1978)

– Police conducted an undercover raid of a
suspected drug house.
– An officer and three suspects were shot.
– The premises were searched extensively over 4
days without a warrant.
– The court overturned the conviction: The
offense did not merit a warrantless search
because the evidence would be not lost while a
warrant was obtained.
 Evidence and the Fourth Amendment

• Michigan v. Tyler (1978)

– It involved a fire at a furniture store.
– Investigators conducted several searches
during the day including some well after the
fire was out.
– The convictions were overturned: The later
warrantless entries were not part of the initial
emergency circumstances.

• Bottom Line: Officers must obtain a search

warrant before they conduct any careful,
detailed examination of a crime scene.
 Learning Check
In a neighborhood well known for producing
methamphetamines, the police have a warrant to
search the basement of a home to find a
production lab. Finding nothing in the basement,
they perform a search on the rest of the house.
In an upstairs bedroom find a kilo of marijuana,
which they seize and then arrest the occupant.

Is this search legal or illegal? Why or why not?

Investigating the Crime Scene