Crime scene - Wikipedia

A crime scene is any location that may be associated with a committed crime. ... Crime scenes contain physical evidence that is pertinent to a criminal ... Crimescene FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia Jumptonavigation Jumptosearch Locationthatmaybeassociatedwithacommittedcrime Forotheruses,seeCrimescene(disambiguation). PartofaseriesonForensicscience Physiological Anthropology Biology Bloodstainpatternanalysis Dentistry DNAphenotyping DNAprofiling Entomology Epidemiology Limnology Medicine Palynology Pathology Podiatry Toxicology Social Psychiatry Psychology Psychotherapy Socialwork Criminalistics Accounting Bodyidentification Chemistry Colorimetry Electionforensics Facialreconstruction Fingerprintanalysis Firearmexamination Footwearevidence Forensicarts Profiling Gloveprintanalysis Palmprintanalysis Questioneddocumentexamination Veinmatching Forensicgeophysics Forensicgeology Digitalforensics Computerexams Dataanalysis Databasestudy Malwareanalysis Mobiledevices Networkanalysis Photography Videoanalysis Audioanalysis Relateddisciplines Electricalengineering Engineering Fireinvestigation Fireaccelerantdetection Fractography Linguistics Materialsengineering Polymerengineering Statistics Trafficcollisionreconstruction Relatedarticles Crimescene CSIeffect PerryMasonsyndrome Pollencalendar Skidmark Traceevidence UseofDNAinforensicentomology Outline Categoryvte Acrimesceneisanylocationthatmaybeassociatedwithacommittedcrime.[1]Crimescenescontainphysicalevidencethatispertinenttoacriminalinvestigation.Thisevidenceiscollectedbycrimesceneinvestigators(CSIs)andlawenforcement.Thelocationofacrimescenecanbetheplacewherethecrimetookplaceorcanbeanyareathatcontainsevidencefromthecrimeitself.Scenesarenotonlylimitedtoalocation,butcanbeanyperson,place,orobjectassociatedwiththecriminalbehavioursthatoccurred. ForensicSceneProjectPicture Afteracrimescenehasbeendiscovered,measuresmustbetakentosecureandprotectthescenefromcontamination.Tomaintaintheintegrityofthescene,lawenforcementmusttakeactiontoblockoffthesurroundingareaaswellaskeeptrackofwhocomesinandgoesout.Bytakingtheseprecautions,officerscanensurethatevidencethatiscollectedcanbeusedincourt.Evidencethathasbecomecontaminated,tamperedwith,ormistreatedcanpollutethesceneandcauseacasetobethrownoutofcourt.[2] Everythingthatoccursduringtheanalysisofacrimescenemustbedocumented.Itisthejoboftheinitialrespondingofficertomakesurethatthescenehasanextremelycoherentandsummarizeddocumentation.[3]Thedocumentationshouldincludetheofficersobservationsandactionswhileatthescene.Theinitialresponderisinchargeofdocumentingtheappearanceandconditionofthesceneuponarrival.Theinitialresponderwillalsogatherstatementsandcommentsfromwitnesses,victims,andpossiblesuspects.Severalotherdocumentsarealsogeneratedsothatacrimescene'sintegrityiskeptintact.Thesedocumentsincludealistofwhohasbeenincontactwithevidence(chainofcustody),aswellasalogofwhatevidencehasbeencollected. Contents 1Preservationandcontamination 2Sequenceofevents 3Documentation 4Evidencecollection 4.1Chainofcustody 5Typesofcrimescenes 6Reconstruction 7Seealso 8References 9Externallinks Preservationandcontamination[edit] Acrimesceneisoftenpreservedbysettingupablockadetocontrolthemovementinandoutofasceneaswellasmaintainingthescene'sintegrity.[4]Aperimeteristapedoffwithbarricadetapeinordertokeeponlythosenecessaryon-site.Thisisdonetopreventcontaminatedevidenceasinvestigatorstrytoavoidcontaminationatallcosts.Whileitisdifficulttocompletelyavoidcontamination,manystepsaretakentoensuretheintegrityofthecrimesceneremainsintact.Officerstakecaretonoteat,drink,smoke,ortaketheirbreaksnearthecrimescene.Anythingleftoverbytheofficersonthescenecouldbemistakenforpotentialevidenceandtamperwiththesuccessoftheinvestigation. Sequenceofevents[edit] TheInitialRespondingOfficerreceivesadispatchcallandarrivesatthelocationofthecrime.Thisofficerplaysacrucialpartinmaintainingtheintegrityofthescene.Initialrespondersareinchargeofsecuringthescenebysettingupphysicalbarrierstocontrolthetrafficinandaroundthearea.Theofficeralsodocumentshis/herinitialobservations,aswellastheconditionofthesceneuponarrival.[1]Oncethecrimesceneinvestigationunit,arrivesonthescene,beingsurenottotouchanything,aninitialwalkthroughisperformed.Thiswalkthroughhelpstheinvestigatorsgetanunderstandingofwhatkindofcrimehasoccurred.Theunitnotesonthepresenceofpotentialevidenceanddevisesaplanforprocessingthescene.[5]Asecondwalkthroughisperformedforthepurposeofdocumentation.Theunitwilltakepicturesanddrawsketchesofthescene.Sometimesvideosaretakentoensureeverydetailofthecrimeisdocumented.[5]Afterthoroughdocumentationhasbeenconducted,theCSIunitcarefullycollectsallitemsthatcouldbeconsideredtheevidence.Theseitemsaretagged,logged,andpackagedtoensurenothingisdamagedorlost.Allevidencefromthesceneissenttotheforensiclaboratoryforanalysis.[5]Theforensiclaboratoryprocessesallpiecesofevidencefromthescene.Oncetheresultsareintheygototheleaddetectiveonthecase.[5] Documentation[edit] Photographsofallevidencearetakenbeforeanythingistouched,moved,orotherwisefurtherinvestigated.Evidencemarkersareplacednexttoeachpieceofevidenceallowingfortheorganizationoftheevidence.Sketchingthesceneisalsoaformofdocumentationatacrimescene.Thisallowsfornotestobetakenaswellastogaugedistancesandotherinformationthatmaynotbeeasilydetectedfromonlyaphotograph.Theinvestigatorswilldrawoutlocationsofevidenceandallotherobjectsintheroom.Thesketchisusuallydrawnfromanabovepointofview.Notesaretakenbyinvestigatorstoensurethememorizationoftheirthoughtsandsuspicionsaboutdifferentpiecesofevidence. Thissectionneedsadditionalcitationsforverification.Pleasehelpimprovethisarticlebyaddingcitationstoreliablesources.Unsourcedmaterialmaybechallengedandremoved.(April2016)(Learnhowandwhentoremovethistemplatemessage) Evidencecollection[edit] FBIagentscollectevidencefromacrimescene Evidencecomesinmanydifferentformssuchasguns,bloodonknives,etc.Itcanbeanythingfromabiologicalsamplelikebloodoreverydayitemslikereceiptsorbankstatements.Othertypesofevidenceinclude:fibers,firearmresidue,photographsorvideos,andfingerprints.Forensicscientistsanalyzethisevidencesotheycancomeupwithanexplanationforwhyandhowacrimeoccurred. Ensuringthatevidenceiscollectedinanaccurateandtimelymannerhelpsofficerstobetterunderstandwhathappenedatthesceneandaidsintheinvestigationbeingcompletedsuccessfully.Onlytheappropriatepersonnelwiththeproperknowledgeandtrainingshouldbecollectingevidence.TheseindividualsincludeFirstResponders,CrimeSceneInvestigators,andotherspecializedpersonnel.[6]Differenttypesofevidencewillsometimesneeddifferentmethodsofcollectionorspecificcontainers.Forinstance,papercontainers,suchasbags,envelopes,orboxes,maybeoptimalforbiologicalsamples.Papercontainersallowevidencethatisnotcompletelydrytocontinuedrying.[7]Thistypeofcollectionprotectsthosesamplesfromdeteriorating.Whentheevidenceiscollectedproperlythereislessofachancethattheitemscollectedwillbedamagedorcontaminated. Thedevelopmentofforensicshasimprovedthelevelofcrimesbeingsolved.Wheneverfirstrespondersrespondtocrimescenestheyarewithpeopleofdifferentexpertise.Thesepeoplehavedifferenttoolsthatallowthemtocollectevidence.Thereistraceevidencesuchashairs,soil,fingerprints,footprints,shoeprints,gunpowderresidue,glassfragments,carpetfibres,andsimilaritemsthatarevitaltocrimesceneprocessing.Dependingonthecrimescene,determineswhattechnicianswillbeneededtorespondtothesceneForensicsusesavarietyofdifferenttoolsandtechniques.[8]Fingerprintcollectionthroughtheuseofgreyorblackmagneticpowder.DNAandotherbodilyfluidsarecollectedand,whetheritishairorfluid,forfurtherexaminationinalab.[2]Shoeandtireprintscanbecollectedusingdentalstone.Electronicsaretakenforexaminationbyatechnicalexperttosearchforfurtherevidence.Documentsfromtheareaarealsotakenforfurtherexamination.Ammunitionandweaponsaretakenformatchingtowoundsandballistics.Photographsoftoolmarksaretakenbecausetheycanbematchedtoaweaponatalatertime.Anyothertraceevidenceisalsocollected.Traceevidenceisanythingleftbehindbyaperpetratororcouldhavebeentransferredtotheperpetrator.Interviewsofbothwitnessesandvictimsofthecrimearetakenbylawenforcementofficialstogainknowledgeandcreatingatimelineofevents. Chromatographyisasciencethatseparatesmixturestotheiroriginalcompoundandallowsforthemtobeidentified.Thisisusefulwhentryingtodeterminewhethersomeonediedanaturaldeathorwaspoisoned.Dependingontheevidencecollecteddeterminestheprocedurethatwillbeused-thinlayer,gas,orpaperchromatographywhicharespecificwaystoseparatecompounds.[8] Fingerprints(whichalsoincludepalmprintsandfootprints)areanothertypeofevidencethatcantieindividualstocrimescenes.Collectingfingerprintsisacrucialprocessandshouldbeoneofthefirstthingsconductedwheninvestigatorsarriveatthecrimescene.Ifaprintisnotabletobeliftedthenphotographsoftheprintsareacceptable.[9]Fingernailsarealsopartofevidencecollectionbecausetheyhavestriationsonthemwhichareindividualcharacteristics.Fingernailsshouldbecollectedandplacedinapaperpacketthenplacedinapaperenvelopeandlabelledforprocessing.[9] Chainofcustody[edit] Aftertheevidencehasbeencollectedfromthesceneofthecrime,itisplacedinitsappropriatecontainerandthenislabelledortagged.Thetagidentifiesthespecificscenetheevidencecamefromandestablishesthe“chainofcustody”.Thechainofcustodyreferstotheorderinwhichevidenceishandledbyindividualswhoareinvolvedinthecase’sinvestigation.Thechainofcustodyispertinenttotheinvestigationandguaranteesthephysicalsecurityofallevidencethatispartofthecase.Thefollowingtypesofidentifiersareneededtoestablishthechain:[6] Initialsornamesofthepersoncollectingtheevidence,andallthesubsequentpeoplewhohaveandwillcomeincontactwiththeevidence. Thedateofcollectionandtransfer Thenameoftheagency,casenumber,andtypeofcrime Voucherorpropertyclerknumber Thenameofthevictimorthesuspect Wheretheitemisbeingstored Asummaryofwhattheitemis Typesofcrimescenes[edit] Differenttypesofcrimescenesincludeoutdoors,indoor,andconveyance.Outdoorcrimescenesarethemostdifficulttoinvestigate.Theexposuretoelementssuchasrain,wind,orheat,aswellasanimalactivity,contaminatesthecrimesceneandleadstothedestructionofevidence.Otherfactorssuchasnotproperlysecuringthecrimescenecanleadtocontaminationofevidence.Ifacrimewerecommittedoutdoorsandindoorsthentheoutdoorcrimesceneisthepriority.Itisverydifficulttoprocessoutdoorcrimescenesatnight.Regardlessofthelightingusedtoenhancevisibility,itisdetrimentaltotheevidence.Thiscancauseforlossanddestructionofevidence,thereforeifatallpossibleitisbesttopreserveacrimescenefordaylightprocessing.[10]Indoorcrimesceneshaveasignificantlylowerchanceofcontaminationbecauseofthelackofexposure.Thecontaminationhereusuallycomesfromthepeoplefactor. Conveyancecrimescenesarecrimescommittedutilizingtransportation,suchasrobbery,grandtheft,carjacking,sexualbattery,andhomicide.[10]Eachtypeofcrimescene,alongwiththenatureofthecrimecommitted(robbery,homicide,rape,etc.)havedifferentprocedures.Whenconveyancecrimescenesarebeinginvestigateditisimportanttolookbeyondtheconveyanceitself.Anexampleofthiswouldbefootprintsorshoeimpressionsofsomeonefleeingasceneandthetrackofcouldleaveevidencethatthesuspectpickupatthescene,suchassoil,rocks,sand,etc.[10] Thissectionneedsadditionalcitationsforverification.Pleasehelpimprovethisarticlebyaddingcitationstoreliablesources.Unsourcedmaterialmaybechallengedandremoved.(April2016)(Learnhowandwhentoremovethistemplatemessage) Reconstruction[edit] Crimescenereconstructionistheuseofscientificmethods,physicalevidence,deductivereasoning,andtheirinterrelationshipstogainexplicitknowledgeoftheseriesofeventsthatsurroundthecommissionofacrime.Crimescenereconstructionhelpsaidinthearrestofsuspectsandprosecuteinthecourtoflaw.Crimescenereconstructionismorethanacrimescenereenactment,itinvolvesmoreofacomprehensiveapproachanddedicatedtofindingafinalresolution.Crimescenereconstructionhelpputpiecesofacasetogether.Thestepstocrimescenereconstructioninvolve:theinitialwalk-throughandexaminationofthecrimescene,organizinganapproachforcollectingevidence,formulateatheory,usethetheorytotrackdownsuspects,reconcilingallevidencethatrefutesthehypothesisorcreatesone.[11] Seealso[edit] Lawportal Forensicphotography Problemproperty References[edit] ^abU.S.DepartmentofJustice(2013).CrimeSceneInvestigation:AGuideforLawEnforcement. ^abCurtis,Caitlin;Hereward,James(August29,2017)."Fromthecrimescenetothecourtroom:thejourneyofaDNAsample".TheConversation.ArchivedfromtheoriginalonOctober22,2017.RetrievedOctober14,2017. ^"EvidencePackaging:AHow-toGuide"(PDF).Archived(PDF)fromtheoriginalon2017-08-29.Retrieved2016-04-26. ^U.S.DepartmentofJustice(2013).CrimeSceneInvestigation:AGuideforLawEnforcement.pp. 4,5. ^abcdLayton,Julia(2December2005)."HowCrimeSceneInvestigationWorks".HowStuffWorks,Science.Archivedfromtheoriginalon2016-04-20.Retrieved2016-04-26. ^abFisher,BarryA.J.;Fisher,DavidR.(2012).TechniquesofCrimeSceneInvestigation.BocaRaton,Florida:CRCPress. ^"EvidencePackaging:AHow-toGuide"(PDF).Archived(PDF)fromtheoriginalon2017-08-29.Retrieved2016-04-26. ^ab"5ImportantToolsUsedbyForensicScientists".TFOT.2017-12-13.Archivedfromtheoriginalon2019-11-13.Retrieved2019-11-13. ^ab"CollectionandPreservationofEvidence,PartIII".www.crime-scene-investigator.net.Archivedfromtheoriginalon2019-06-18.Retrieved2019-11-13. ^abc"TypesofCrimeSceneInformationPage".www.all-about-forensic-science.com.Archivedfromtheoriginalon2019-11-13.Retrieved2019-11-13. ^"CrimeSceneReconstructionJobsandCertificationOptions".12November2013.Archivedfromtheoriginalon2020-09-30.Retrieved2019-11-13. Externallinks[edit] LookupcrimesceneinWiktionary,thefreedictionary. forensics-Toolsforforensicidentification. https://web.archive.org/web/20140221230759/http://www.nfstc.org/pdi/Subject01/pdi_s01_m01_04.htm http://www.evidencemagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=184Archived2014-02-23attheWaybackMachine Authoritycontrol:Nationallibraries Germany Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Crime_scene&oldid=1102227846" Categories:ForensicevidenceHiddencategories:ArticleswithshortdescriptionShortdescriptionmatchesWikidataArticlesneedingadditionalreferencesfromApril2016AllarticlesneedingadditionalreferencesWebarchivetemplatewaybacklinksArticleswithGNDidentifiers Navigationmenu Personaltools NotloggedinTalkContributionsCreateaccountLogin Namespaces ArticleTalk English Views ReadEditViewhistory More Search Navigation MainpageContentsCurrenteventsRandomarticleAboutWikipediaContactusDonate Contribute HelpLearntoeditCommunityportalRecentchangesUploadfile Tools WhatlinkshereRelatedchangesUploadfileSpecialpagesPermanentlinkPageinformationCitethispageWikidataitem Print/export DownloadasPDFPrintableversion Inotherprojects WikimediaCommons Languages العربيةDeutschFrançaisFrysk한국어हिन्दीBahasaIndonesiaItalianoעבריתNederlandsNorskbokmålPortuguêsРусскийSlovenščinaСрпски/srpskiSrpskohrvatski/српскохрватскиSvenskaУкраїнська中文 Editlinks