NCJ Number
189005
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 49 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2001 Pages: 38-42
Date Published
May 2001
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article on priorities in crime scene investigations addresses the protection of the scene, reassessment of the evidence, locating and collecting evidence, storing evidence, the chain of custody, and lawful searches.
Abstract
The primary goal in crime scene assessment is to detect all traces that indicate a crime has been committed and establish any association between the crime and victim or victim and perpetrator. It is impossible to collect all physical materials, so these traces must be accurately identified at the scene itself. Consider a series of circles radiating from a murder victim. The innermost perimeter, where the death occurred, must be secured, and no one but the coroner, who will pronounce the death, and the identification detective should enter this perimeter. In the next circular zone are other forensic investigators who are beginning to assess the peripheral scene. The third zone is a command center occupied by the chief of police. Outside of this area, the general public can, and undoubtedly will, be found. The most senior officer within each zone should take command and stay within that zone until the investigation is complete. When gathering evidence, the forensic pathologist will limit the number of people with access to the victim and make every effort to eliminate the possibility of contamination. Although it does not happen often, an occasional case is retried when new evidence emerges or new technologies contest previous evidence. Detailed records are extremely important during the initial period following the crime, but may still be needed 20 or even 30 years after the event. Records should assist in accurately revealing the events that surrounded the crime. Ideally, no change should occur in the physical evidence from its collection to its examination. This requires the use of proper storage containers and storage conditions. Chain-of-custody procedures should ensure that the evidence is properly handled in transferring it from the crime scene to storage and then to analysis and back to storage. Evidence collection is all for naught, however, unless searches for evidence are lawful. Prior to the collection of any evidence, investigators should ensure that the search for evidence is lawful; otherwise, it will be rendered inadmissible in court.