Crime Scene Investigating and Processing Essay

Also, having records of the crime scene allows investigators to look back over the evidence as it appeared at the scene long after the crime scene itself is gone.

Yes, it is necessary to videotape and photograph the crime scene. This documents how the scene looked upon your arrival prior to any manipulations by you, the coroner, or the crime scene technicians.

By now the crime scene has been labeled a homicide and detectives have been dispatched to the scene. When the detectives arrive the lead officer will then provide a detailed crime scene briefing to the detective in charge of the scene. This briefing will be the only opportunity for the detective to receive the initial aspects of the crime scene prior to subsequent investigation. Since the crime scene and any/all evidence collected are the key factors in making a case, the crime scene must be documented as soon as possible including, appearance and condition of the scene upon arrival, lights on/off, shades up/down, doors, windows open/closed, any unusual smells, ice, liquids, weather conditions, temperature, and any personal items that may have been left behind. Once the lead detective has been briefed and evaluates the scene him/herself, he/she will then need to determine if consent to search and/or obtaining a search warrant is needed. The scene assessment allows the lead detective

Upon arrival at a crime scene you will need to speak with the lead officer or lead crime scene investigator to find out what allegedly happened at the crime scene. There are certain precautions that are taken at crime scenes to preserve evidence. First you will have to wear protective gear including, hair net, shoe covers, plastic surgical gloves, suits and any other items that are required to prevent scene contamination. This gear will also help protect you against any health hazards that may be located in the crime scene such as blood or tissue contaminates. Before entering a crime scene be sure to look for protective plates that are put in place to

Tashanna N Garcia is currently enrolled in the Masters of Criminal Justice, with a concentration in Forensic Science, program at Saint Leo University. Tashanna comes from a military background where she served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. Her military training was essential to her transition into law enforcement, where she spent the last ten years working for two police departments as a patrol officer and then for the Alabama Department of Public Safety as a Traffic Homicide Investigator for the State Troopers. Tashanna hopes to return to the law enforcement field in an administrative capacity and has a passion for forensic disciplines. Correspondence concerning this paper should be addressed to Tashanna N Garcia,

Like you see in the Crime scene investigation shows like CSI and Bones, there are many things that go into investigating shows a lot of those things happen but it takes much longer than forty or sixty minutes to solve the crime. While crime scene investigating is very serious job, collecting evidence at crime scenes requires education and knowing of what you're doing, requires hard work, and it can be difficult to perform this job.

2009, ‘Integrity, ‘Continuity and contamination’, in Crime scene management: scene specific methods, Wiley, Wolverhamptom, ENG, pp. 51-54.

This is important because clearing the scene of possible suspects and protecting the scene is safer and more effective with multiple law enforcement personnel present. The first responding officer needs to be looking for suspect vehicles as well as potential suspects as he or she approaches the general vicinity of the crime. The responding officer must also take notice of individuals acting suspicious or lingering at the crime scene. They could be witnesses or even suspects. Suspects in a homicide sometimes stay in the area to gain information on the initial investigation or intimidate witnesses. Another important fact to remember as the first responding officer is that most homicides are committed by acquaintances. It is tough to accept, but a friend or family member at the scene could be the perpetrator of the crime. (Lyman

While entering the crime scene, the first responding officer should look out for any evidence which is present on the ground. There have some cases in which the first responding officer stepped on the evidence such as blood or

After the crime is first reported, the law enforcement officers must open an investigation. Within the investigation, witnesses must be interviewed separately by police, along with the victims, and suspects. Crime scene technicians should also be contacted to collect any type of evidence from DNA, fingerprints, and blood samples. After possible incriminating evidence is collected, it must be sent back to the lab for testing.

An investigation does not just happen. It must be an organized event that occurs. There are many steps that must be taken during an investigation. The first step to an investigation would be to preserve, document, and collect all of the evidence at the scene of the crime. The investigator would then need to establish that a crime has been committed. Once that is established, an investigator must identify all of

The purpose of this paper is to discuss and analyze the practices conducted by law enforcement during the investigation of the murder of Ashley Smith. The following pages will discuss the crime scene investigation, the evidence collection, the investigative steps following the initial crime scene investigation, the interviews of witnesses and suspects, and other strategies performed by the acting case investigators. Constitutional challenges have surfaced regarding specific pieces of critical evidence and a section of this paper will analyze the admissibility of this evidence. Lastly this case’s law enforcement processes will be contrasted with textbook processes in an effort to determine the validity of the case’s outcome.

Next thing they have to do is to secure the crime scene. Officers have to scan

evidences can tell what sex, age, and race of the suspect. If the scene was not

Crime scene preservation should be the most important step to any first responder. This protocol should continue to be followed by anyone who processes the scene. From the moment the first responder arrives at the scene, he/she should exercise a pertinacious attitude to insure that curious onlookers and personnel who are not involved in a task related to the scene, remain outside the cordoned