This will help him to find things that could be out of place. And record what they find on a digital recorder. So that they have something to reference to while they are going over the crime scene. They have to ask themselves questions like does anything look out of place? What odors maybe noticeable and are there any unusual sounds. This gives the technician and idea of what to look for while approaching the
Any preliminary identification of a victim or suspect should be recorded also. (Saferstein, 2009). There are certain steps to photographing a crime scene and certain photos are to be taken. The most important part is for it to be in an unaltered condition. Except for injured parties, objects are not to be moved until they have been photographed from every angle. If they are then the evidence could be admissible as evidence at a trial. (Saferstein, 2009).
Porsha Jenkins 2.6 Review and Critical Thinking Questions Review Questions 1.) What is physical evidence? Provide at least three examples in your answer. • Physical evidence is anything that can establish a crime has occurred and anything that links the crime to a criminal. Three examples of physical evidence are fibers, weapons, and hair. 2.) Describe three ways
3.1 Evaluate different techniques for sampling evidence of assessment, including use of technology There are a wide variety of techniques used for sampling the evidence of assessment which are all valuable for different reasons. Below are listed these different techniques
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.
The photographer that is present at the crime scene is responsible for making one picture worth a thousand words. Photography plays an integral role in the documentation of physical evidence found at crime and accident scenes as well as during forensic autopsies. Forensic Photographers are among the first crime scene technicians to arrive at crime and accident scenes. They walk through a scene to obtain an overview before they begin taking photographs. Forensic Photographers apply their technical skills and their knowledge of anatomy and forensic requirements to take photographs that convey the information that crime scene, criminal, medico legal, or forensic investigators need documented. These
The Rules of Evidence: In today’s society there are rules that define evidence pertaining to a defendant’s trial. These rules are defined as the “The Rules of Evidence” or “The Law of Evidence.” These rules create a safe and orderly environment, promote efficiency, and enhance the quality of evidence that pertain to all criminal trials. These rules restrict what a jury can and cannot hear or see, details of the law, and the importance of the effective performance of the law enforcement officer. Americans are well aware of the rules that govern evidence; but what are they, what do they mean, how do they apply to each case, and how are they broken down.
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
Criminal investigation is crucial to the solving of crimes. Investigators also known as detectives, discover, prepare, identify and present the evidence. In many cases, the first responders and first on the scene officers, are the primary source to secure the crime scene (Schmalleger, 2015).
The forensic technician will record the date and the time the call-out was received. The forensic technician will meet with the investigator and will be briefed about the incident that occurred. The tech will record the time they arrived at the scene and when the briefing commenced. After the briefing has
In the documentation stage of an organized approach for processing the crime scene all functions have to correspond and be consistent in depicting the crime scene. The final results of a properly documented crime scene are the ability of others to take the finished work and reconstruction the events that occurred at the scene and make a court room presentation. In the Scene Documentation stage there are three simple steps to properly document the crime scene written notes and reports, photographs, sketching.
The most efficient and acceptable means for the collection of evidence to be permissible and admissible to a court of law through trial proceedings is to maintain a credible chain of custody. However, the chain of custody is an insufficient factor without proper discovery retrieval and/or collection of evidence. When offenders respond to a scene in which there is evidence to be collected, only officers properly trained in the process are allowed to collect the evidence. In the State of Georgia, law enforcement officers undergo a strenuous police academy course in which they learn the fundamentals of collecting elements such as fingerprints and bodily fluids. In addition to learning the fundamentals of collecting elements at a crime scene, they are also instructed and trained on how to properly take crime scene pictures. These pictures are important because they show the courts where an element or piece of evidence was discovered in reference to the whole sight of the scene. Once the officer collects the elements/evidence according to his or her training they place the evidence in either a plastic or paper bag to be submitted into evidence. Upon the collection of evidence there is a legible record of each person that handles the evidence from start to finish
Forensic science technicians are vital on a crime scene because the collect and analyze physical evidence. Evidence is one of the most important factor of a crime scene because this puts in investigator a step ahead in finding the suspect of a crime. Crime scene specialists help to collect and preserve evidence in a crime scene. There are rules concerning the collection of data in order to preserve its natural state. For example, “all non-movable items, such as fingerprints, at a crime scene should be processed at the scene using gray powder, black powder, or black magnetic powder. Polaroid 665 black and white film loaded in a Polaroid CU-5 camera with detachable flash should be used to make one-to-one photographs of prints which do not readily lift.” (Schiro, n.d.) Also in the case where there is a computer involved, if it is turned on, it must not be turned off until all the information is properly collected and stored on a file for later use. DNA examiners usually search for anything that could possibly contain DNA. These include fingerprints, hair, blood, semen, bite marks, and dead skin found under fingernails. Tests can be done to determine whether the DNA is the victim’s own or the possible suspect. The coroner’s role is to certify the death of an individual and if unknown, to gain the identity of the victim. These agencies
Westerfeild was found guilty and sentenced to death. CRIME SCENE PROCESSING: The first priority for a first responding officer(s) is safety that there is no threat to the officer or citizens at the scene. Once the scene is secured, investigators and forensics personal can process the scene. Once forensics personal is notified this is called “called out”. They should record the date and time of the call out they receive. Once at the crime scene they get a briefing about the incident. Forensic technician should record arrival time, and time briefing is over. Should also document the names and identification numbers of all personal present. Ask if any fragile evidence or area of the scene has been disturbed is important. Tracked blood, shoe or tire impressions from first responder’s activity. Start processing scene. Initial search for evidence is a search conducted by the forensic technician to survey the scene to determine and prioritize task. Records date and time the initial search for evidence. Records notes on areas of interest, and location of evidence. Notes environmental and premises conditions. Always proceed slowly (sight, smell, hearing, and touch) using senses. Night time crime scenes are difficult to see blood, firearm casings etc. hard to locate.
Perfect Evidence is an episode of the weekly radio program This American Life focusing on the theme of DNA evidence. The program starts out with the story of four innocent teenagers who served fifteen years in prison for murder and concludes by recounting how legal police procedures manipulated a fourteen-year-old into falsely confessing to the murder of his sister. In both cases, the introduction of DNA evidence years later proved the innocence of all wrongfully convicted parties.