Documenting a Crime Scene

Baseline method:

2 fixed objects on opposite sides of the scene are located. A line is measured between these. Each object or piece of evidence has a line drawn from it to the baseline at a 90 degree angle. The distance of this line is then measured.

Overall photos are used to demonstrate:

How all of the evidence relates to each other; documents the scope oof the scene, including entry and exit.

Format for notes:

In ink (blue or black), written in a bound notebook, written at the time of initial investigation.

Triangulation method:

Measure the distance to an object from 2 fixed points of known distance from each other, recording the angle formed by the lines within the triangle.

Additional photos to take:

People (victims, suspects, witnesses, crowds and bystanders), and special additional perspectives (area of entire scene, witness positions).

Investigators must keep accurate records of:

Personal movements, firs responding officer, tasks assigned to each person.

The first photos taken are:

Pristine Photos

Show the overall scene first. Then work down to the individual pieces of evidence:

Pristine, overall, intermediate, close-up.

Notes need to be sufficiently detailed to:

Refresh examiners memory months, or years down the road.

Pristine photos are:

Unaltered photos without markers, scales, etc.

Polar coordinates:

Uses only one reference point. Sketch shows the distance and angle at which the object is located relative to the reference point.

Before any evidence is physically collected, the investigator must completely describe it in their notes:

Who found it, the location; how, who, and when it was packaged.

When creating the sketch:

Define the boundaries, establish known fixed points, walls or boundaries are sketched first and dimensions recorded, measurements should be taken from the fixed points to the pieces of evidence.

Sketching the crime scene should be:

Done after the notes and photos.

Intermediate photos should be:

Done as sections of the overall photos, documents the interrelationship of multiple items of evidence, shows the layout of smaller significant areas, should be taken with evidence markers in place, should include the center of the scene.

Close up photos MUST include:

A scale, case number, item number, date, initials.

A rough sketch is:

A simple sketch that shows an accurate depiction of the dimensions of the scene and the location of all objects that have a bearing on the case. Shows all recovered items and other important features of the scene.

Any bodies present must be described before the medical examiner or coroner moves in.

Appearance, position, wounds, blood spatter.

Crime scene notes should be:

Concise, legible, accurate, objective, subject to legal discovery, legally required in some jurisdictions, and must be maintained and surrendered.

When the lead investigator arrives, the note taker (often the investigator) should record:

Date and time of arrival, who is present, identities of any other personnel contacted.

Each photograph logged should tell:

Date and time taken, location of picture, lighting and angle used, the angle of the cameras, description of the subject in the picture, ruler or measuring scale may also be placed in the photo.

What is the first crime scene sketch?

Rough sketch.

Why is sketching the crime scene important?

T show the location of the collected evidence.

Sketches MUST include:

TITLE BLOCK (case number, agency number, name and title of the artist, location of the scene, date and time it was created), LEGEND (key to identifying dimensions of objects that may be represented by the symbols in the sketch), COMPASS, BODY (drawing of the layout).

Close up photos are:

Taken last, shows the detail of the individual objects or evidence, taken at a 90 degree angle; necessary to apply individualization items.

Sequence of photography should be:

The same for all crime scenes.

The finished sketch should be:

constructed with care and concern for aesthetic appearance and must be drawn to scale (legend contains the scale).

Once the initial search for evidence has taken place, team members:

mark the location of all evidence.

Rectangulation method:

measures 2 distances to an object that make a right angle to one another (usually 2 walls to the object)

The goal of producing additional photos is to:

produce examination worthy photographs.