NCJ Number
72887
Journal
Fire and Arson Investigator Volume: 31 Issue: 1 Dated: (July-September 1980) Pages: 40-48
Date Published
1980
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article discusses reconstruction of an arsonist's crime scene activities, types of corroborative evidence, and the manner of their collection and preservation.
Abstract
The article covers some of the requirements for taking a useful photograph including devices to indicate scale, rules of preservation, rules in forcible entry, and the use of broken glass and charred labels as evidence. Various kinds of glass fractures and ways to forestall error in glass fracture interpretation are described. Ways to handle and restore charred documents such as a label from a Molotov cocktail are presented. The article also cites the usefulness of obtaining information from individuals at manufacturing facilities based on such items as the availability of a special label on a Clorox bottle and coding on the bottoms of glass bottles. Physical matching can also play an important role as when, for example, a torn match may be, in rare instances, physically reconstructed back to the matchbook from which it was torn. The article also discusses the recovery and packaging of flammable residues and the importance of control samples as an aid in investigative work. Finally, it suggests that it is important to contact local, State, or Federal labs in the area and to consult with a criminalist when submitting evidence.