Chapter 8: Crime Scene Management - BCcampus Pressbooks

The size of a crime scene is usually defined by the area where the criminal acts have taken place. This includes all areas where the suspect has had any ... Skiptocontent MainBody Chapter8:CrimeSceneManagement “Crimescenemanagement,andevidencemanagementasacriticalpartofthat,mustbelearnedandincorporatedintotheinvestigator’stoolkit.” Crimescenemanagementskillsareanextremelysignificanttaskcomponentofinvestigationbecauseevidencethatoriginatesatthecrimescenewillprovideapictureofeventsforthecourttoconsiderinitsdeliberations.Thatpicturewillbecomposedofwitnesstestimony,crimescenephotographs,physicalexhibits,andtheanalysisofthoseexhibits,alongwiththeanalysisofthecrimesceneitself.Fromthischapter,youwilllearnthetaskprocessesandprotocolsforseveralimportantissuesincrimescenemanagement.Theseinclude: Notetaking Securingacrimescene Evidencemanagement Scalingtheinvestigationtotheevent Topic1: NoteTaking Althoughotherdocumentswillbecreatedbytheinvestigatortomanagethecrimescene,nootherdocumentwillbeasimportanttotheinvestigatorasthenotebook. Thenotebookistheinvestigator’spersonalreferenceforrecordingtheinvestigation. Manyvariationsofpolicenotebookshaveemergedovertheyears.Thecourtwillsometimesevenacceptpolicenotesthathavebeenmadeonascrapofpaperifthatwastheonlypaperavailableatthetime.However,beyondextremecircumstances,inoperationalinvestigations,theacceptedparametersofapolicenotesandnotebooksare: Abookwithacoverpagethatshowstheinvestigatorsname,thedatethenotebookwasstarted,andthedatethenotebookwasconcluded Sequentialpagenumbers Aboundbookletfromwhichpagescannotbetornwithoutdetection Linedpagesthatallowforneatscriptingofnotes Eachentryintothenotebookshouldstartwithatime,date,andcasereference Blankspacesonpagesshouldnotbeleftbetweenentriesand,ifablankspaceisleft,itshouldbefilledwithasinglelinedrawnthroughthespaceoradiagonallinedrawnacrossapageorpartialpagespace Anyerrorsmadeinthenotebookshouldonlybecrossedoutwithasinglelinedrawnthroughtheerror,andthisshouldnotbedoneinamannerthatmakestheerrorillegible Incourt,theinvestigator’snotebookistheirbestreferencedocument.Whentestifying,thecourtwillallowaninvestigatortorefertonotesmadeatthetimetorefreshtheirmemoryofeventsandactionstaken.Whenaninvestigator’snotebookisexaminedbythecourt,notesconsistentwiththeinvestigator’stestimonyprovidethecourtwithacircumstantialassuranceortruthfulnessthattheevidenceisaccurateandtruthful(McRory,2014).Alternately,ifcriticalportionsoftheinvestigationarenotproperlyrecordedoraremissingfromthenotebook,thoseportionsoftheevidencewillbemorecloselyscrutinizedbythedefence.Thecourtmaygivethoseunrecordedfactslessweightinitsfinaldeliberationstodecideproofbeyondareasonabledoubt. Foraninvestigator,goodnotesareanoverviewofthethingsseen/heardandtheactionstaken.Achronologyofnotesdemonstratestheinvestigator’smentalmapofthefactsthatledtoformingreasonablegroundsforanarrestandcharges.Courtcasesareoftenextendedbyadjournments,appeals,orsuspectsevadingimmediatecapture.Thiscanextendthetimebetweentheinvestigationandthetrialbyseveralyears.Intheseprotractedcases,itbecomescriticalfortheinvestigatortohavedetailednotesthataccuratelyreflecttheirinvestigationtotriggertheirmemoryofthefacts. Asimportantasthenotebookis,notetakingskillsareoftenanunderemphasizedaspectofpolicetraining.Mostpoliceinvestigatorsdeveloptheirpersonalskillsandnotetakingstrategiesthroughonthejobexperienceandinthe“trialbyfire”ofcrossexaminationincourt.Thisvoidinthetrainingofnotetakingskillsislikelyduetothebroadrangeofcircumstancesunderwhichnotetakingneedstotakeplaceandbecauseitisimpossibletoanticipatewhatfactswillbecomeimportantineverypossiblevariationofcircumstances.Thus,somecombinationoftraining,commonsense,andexperiencewillcomeintoplayforinvestigatorstobecomeproficientinrecognizingwhattorecordintheirnotebook. Theconceptof“notesmadeatthetimeofaneventisarathermisleadingdefinitionandrequiressomeexplanation.Inanidealworld,aninvestigatorwouldbeabletoproceedthroughaninvestigationwithanopennotebookandrecordeachfactandeachobservationofeventsastheytranspire.Ofcourse,thewayeventsunfoldisdynamicandunpredictable.Circumstancesoftenrequireaninvestigatortobefullyengagedineffortstobringasituationundercontrol,whileprotectingthelifeandsafetyofpersons.Thereisnoplaceforanopennotebookinsuchcasesandtheinvestigatorisclearlynottakinganynotesatthattime,butwilldosoaftertheeventisundercontrol,andassoonasitispracticaltodoso.Althoughthetypicalreferenceincourtistonotesmadeatthetime,inactuality,theyarenotesmadeassoonaspracticalundertheuniquecircumstancesoftheevent. Thecourtsdoaccepttheoperationaldynamicsthatexistsforinvestigators,anditsometimesbecomesaquestionattrialtoknowwhenthenoteswereactuallycomposed.Assuch,aninvestigatorshouldalwaysbepreparedtoanswerthisquestion.Havinganoteinthenotebookregardingthetimewhenthewritingofnoteswasandfinishedactsasareferencetodemonstrateawarenessandattentiontothisissue. Anotherissuerelatedtonotesmadeatthetimeisthedilemmaoffactsthatwereoverlookedandthenrecalledaftertheinitialnoteshavebeencompleted.Thehumanmemorydoeshaveitslimitationsandflaws.Onoccasion,aninvestigatorwillcompletetheinitialdraftoftheirnotes,and,atsomelatertimemaysuddenlyrecallapointthatwasmissed.Onsuchoccasions,returningtothepagesofnotesmadeatthetimeandattemptingtoinserttherecalledfactsisnotanacceptablepractice.Theproperwaytorecordtheselaterrecollectionsoffactistoimmediatelystartanewnotepage,usingthecurrenttimeanddate,makeareferencetothepreviouscase-notes,previoustime,date,andpagenumber,andrecordthenewlyrecalledfactorfacts.Thesekindsofrecalledfactsandlateentrieswillbecloselyexaminedbydefencecounsel,anditcansometimesbehelpfuliftheinvestigatorcanalsomakenoteofthefactorcircumstancesthatledtotherecollectionoftheadditionalinformation.Anyonewhohaseverparticipatedinacriticalincident,wherelifeandsafetyhavetakenpriority,cantellyouthatoncetheeventisundercontrol,investigatorscanbeseenwritingintentlytodocumenttheirrecollectionoftheevents. Thefollowingstrategiesarerecommendedasageneralguidetonotetaking: Startnotesbycreatingabigpictureperspectiveandthenmovefromthegeneraltothemorespecificobservations.Inthisbigpicture,youarecreatingaperspectiveofthefactsthatyouhavebeenmadeawareoftobeginaninvestigation.Thesebigpicturefactsbecomethestartingpointofyourmentalmapofevents,andthesefactswillbetheframeworktobeginthinkingaboutoffencerecognitionandformingreasonablegroundstobelieveandtakeaction. Inmorespecificterms,andtotheextentitispossible,beginrecordingalldates,times,anddescriptionsofpersons,places,andvehiclesastheyemerge.Youmay,infact,havealreadystartedapageinyournotebookwheresomeexacttimes,addresses,licenceplatenumbers,namesorpersons,andperhapsevenblurtedstatementsfromasuspecthavebeenjotteddown.Itisacceptabletousethesekeypiecesofjottedinformationalreadyrecordedtoenlargeyourdetailednotesattheendoftheeventinamorecompletefashion. Recordtheidentitiesofpersonsencounteredandhowtheidentityofeachpersonwasverified. Forexample:WitnessJaneDoe(DOB:8May64)34345-8StAnywhereBCPhotodriverslicenceID Recordallstatementsmadebywitnessesandvictimstoreflectanaccurateaccountoftheinformationbeingconveyed.Itisoftennotpossibletorecordeverystatementmadeverbatiminnotes,and,inmostcases,itisnotnecessary.Today,technologymakesitpossibletodigitallyrecordtheverbatimaccountbeingprovidedbyawitnessoravictim.But,merelydigitallyrecordingastatementisnotsufficient,sincestatementswillfrequentlyformconsiderationsinestablishingreasonablegroundsforbelieftotakeaction.Recordingthecriticaldetailsbeingconveyedwillprovideawrittenrecordofthefactsconsideredtoformreasonablegroundsforbelief. Ifapersonisasuspectorisapersonwhomaybecomeasuspect,makeeveryefforttorecordanystatementsmadebythatpersonverbatim.Suspectswilloftenbefoundatthesceneofacrimeposingasawitnessorevenasavictim.Accuratelyrecordingtheinitialstatementsmadebysuchapersoncanproduceevidenceofguiltintheformofstatementsthatareprovablyfalseorevenincriminating. Itisthepersonalresponsibilityofeachinvestigatortodocumenttheirpersonalperceptionandrecollectionoftheeventtheyarewitnessing,asitunfolds.Incaseswhereinvestigatorshavecollaboratedonanagreedversionofeventsandauthoredtheirnotestoreflectthoseagreeduponfacts,thenotesarenolongerthepersonalrecollectionofthatinvestigatorand,assuch,maybescrutinizedasbeingacollectiveversionofeventsaimedatproducingevidencethatdoesnotreflectatrueaccountofthefactsastheywerewitnessedbyeachindividualinvestigator. Thepracticeofcollaboratingandmakingcollectivenotesissometimescalled“boxingofnotes”—thispracticecanbediscoveredbydefencewhentheindividualnotebooksofinvestigatorsareidenticalorclosetoidenticalinformatandcontent.Thepracticeofboxingofnoteshasbeenidentifiedasoneoftheflawsininvestigativepracticethatcanleadtomiscarriagesofjustice(Salhany,2008).Assuch,collaborationbetweeninvestigatorswhenmakingnotesshouldbeavoided.If,atanypoint,thereisacollaborationtoreturntoanissuetogetherandre-examinephysicalevidencetoclarifythepointforeachinvestigator,thatcollaborativeeffortshouldbenotedaspartofthenotemakingofeachinvestigator. Despitethiscautionregardingthecollectiveproductionofnotes,thereareoccasionswhereacollectivenotemakingprocessisusedandisacceptedasreasonable.Thisoccursduringlargescaleoperationsinvolvingmanyparticipants,sometimescoordinatedbyanEmergencyOperationsCommandCenter.Inthesecases,thereisaneedforthecommandcentreparticipantstobecompletelyengagedinhandlingtheevent,whichmayextendoverperiodsofhoursordays.Thepracticeofeachparticipantwaitinguntiltheprotractedeventhasbeenconcludedtomaketheirindividualnoteswouldbeimpracticalandpotentiallyinaccurate.Inthesecases,itisnowacceptedoperationalpracticetoassignonepersoninthecommandcentretoactasthecollectivemaker-of-notestosubstituteforindividualnote-taking.Thenotemakerinthesesituationsisknownas“TheScribe.”Forthepersonsinthecommandcentretobeawareofthenotesbeingmade,theScribedoesnotmakenotesintoatypicalnotebook.Insuchcases,thenotesaremadeontolargepiecesofflipchartpaperand,aseachsheetofnotesiscompleted,itispostedontothewallofthecommandcentrewhereeachparticipantcanreferencethecontentofthenotesandverifytheaccuracyofthenotes.Attheendoftheoperation,thecollectivepagesofnotesarephotographedandthenotepagesaresavedbythescribeasanexhibit.Eachpageisofteninitialledbytheparticipants.Underthisprocess,eachparticipantinthecommandcentremayadoptthesenotesasareferencedocumentforcourtpurposes. Topic2:IntegrityoftheCrimeScene Aspartofcrimescenemanagement,protectingtheintegrityofthecrimesceneinvolvesseveralspecificprocessesthatfallundertheTaskscategoryoftheSTAIRTool.Thesearetasksthatmustbeperformedbytheinvestigatortoidentify,collect,preserve,andprotectevidencetoensurethatitwillbeacceptedbythecourt.Thesetasksinclude: a)Lockingdownthecrimescene b)Settingupcrimesceneperimeters c)Establishingapathofcontamination d)Establishingcrimescenesecurity Whenaninvestigatorarrivesatacrimescene,theneedtoprotectthatcrimescenebecomesarequirementassoonasithasbeendeterminedthatthecriminaleventhasbecomeaninactiveeventandtheinvestigatorhasswitchedtoastrategicinvestigativeresponse.AsyouwillrecallfromtheResponseTransitionMatrix,itissometimesthecasethatinvestigatorsarriveatanactiveeventintacticalinvestigativeresponsemode.Inthesecasestheirfirstpriorityistoprotectthelifeandsafetyofpeople,theneedtoprotectthecrimesceneanditsrelatedevidenceisasecondaryconcern.Thisisnottosaythatinvestigatorsattendingintacticalinvestigativeresponsemodeshouldtotallyignoreevidence,orshouldbecarelesswithevidenceiftheycanprotectit;however,ifevidencecannotbeprotectedduringthetacticalinvestigativeresponsemode,thecourtwillacceptthisasareality. Assoonastheeventtransitionstoaninactiveeventwithastrategicinvestigativeresponse,theexpectationsofthecourt,regardingtheprotectionofthecrimesceneandtheevidence,willchange.Thischangemeansthatthereisanimmediaterequirementfortheinvestigatortotakecontrolofandlockdownthatcrimescene. a)LockingDowntheCrimeScene Veryoften,whenthechangetostrategicinvestigativeresponseisrecognized,firstrespondersandwitnesses,victims,orthearrestedsuspectmaystillbeinsidethecrimesceneattheconclusionoftheactiveevent.Allthesepeoplehavebeeninvolvedinactivitiesatthecrimesceneuptothispointintime,andthoseactivitiescouldhavecontaminatedthecrimesceneinvariousways.Lockingdownthecrimescenemeansthatallongoingactivitiesinsidethecrimescenemuststop,andeveryonemustleavethecrimescenetoalocationsomedistancefromthecrimescenearea.Onceeveryonehasbeenremovedfromthecrimescene,aphysicalbarrier,usuallypolicetape,isplacedaroundtheoutsideedgesofthecrimescene.Definingoftheedgesofthecrimescenewithtapeisknownasestablishingacrimesceneperimeter.Thisprocessofisolatingthecrimesceneinsideaperimeterisknownaslockingdownthecrimescene. b)CrimeScenePerimeter Thecrimesceneperimeterdefinesthesizeofthecrimescene,anditisuptotheinvestigatortodecidehowbigthecrimesceneneedstobe.Thesizeofacrimesceneisusuallydefinedbytheareawherethecriminalactshavetakenplace.Thisincludesallareaswherethesuspecthashadanyinteractionoractivitywithinthatscene,includingpointsofentryandpointsofexit.Theperimeterisalsodefinedbyareaswheretheinteractionbetweenthesuspectandavictimtookplace.Insomecases,wherethereisextendedinteractionbetweenasuspectandavictimovertimeandthatactivityhashappenedoveradistanceorinseveralareas,theinvestigatormayneedtoidentifyonelargecrimescene,orseveralsmallercrimesceneareastosetcrimesceneperimeters.Consideringthethreestagesoforiginatingevidence,aninvestigatormayfindthatpre-crimeorpost-crimeactivityrequiresthecrimesceneperimetertosurroundalargerarea,ortheremaybeevenbeanadditionalseparatecrimescenethatneedstobeconsidered. Forsomecrimesceneswheretherearenaturalbarriers,suchasbuildingswithdoorways,itiseasytocreateacrimesceneperimeterdefiningaccess.Thisbecomesmorecomplicatedinoutdoorvenuesorlargeindoorpublicvenues,wherefencingandbarricadesmaybeneededalongwithtapemarkerstodefinetheperimeters. Oncethecrimesceneperimeterhasbeenestablishedandlockdownhastakenplace,itbecomesnecessarytoensurethatnounauthorizedpersonscrossthatperimeter.Typically,andideally,therewillonlybeonecontrolledaccesspointtothecrimescene,andthatpointwillbeattheentrypointforthepathofcontamination. c)PathofContamination Itisnotpossibletoeliminateallpotentialcontaminationofacrimescene.Wecanonlycontrolandrecordongoingcontaminationwithagoaltoavoiddamagingtheforensicintegrityofthecrimesceneandtheexhibits.Onceacrimescenehasbeenclearedofvictims,witnesses,suspects,firstresponders,andinvestigators,itisnecessarytorecord,innotesorastatementfromeachperson,whatcontaminationtheyhavecausedtothescene.Theinformationbeinggatheredwilldocumentwhatevidencehasbeenmoved,whatevidencehasbeenhandled,andbywhom.Withthisinformation,theinvestigatorcanestablishabaselineorstatusofexistingcontaminationinthecrimescene.Ifsomethinghasbeenmovedorhandledinamannerthathascontaminatedthatitembeforethelockdown,itmaystillbepossibletogetanacceptableanalysisofthatitemifthecontaminationcanbeexplainedandquantified. Asanexample,sometimesincasesofseriousassaultsorevenmurders,paramedicshavebeenpresentatthescenetreatinginjuredpersons.Whenthistreatmentishappening,non-suspect-relatedDNAtransferbetweenpersonsandexhibitscanoccur.Determiningthosepossibilitiesisoneofthefirststepsinestablishingthelevelofexistingcontaminationatthetimeoflockdown. Witheveryonenowoutsidethecrimesceneandtheperimeterlockeddown,thenextstepistoestablishadesignatedpathwaywhereauthorizedpersonnelcanre-enterthecrimescenetoconducttheirinvestigativeduties.Thispathwayisknownasapathofcontaminationanditisestablishedbythefirstinvestigatortore-enterthecrimesceneafterithasbeenlockeddown.Priortore-entering,thisfirstinvestigatorwilltakeaphotographshowingtheproposedareawherethepathofcontaminationwillextend,andthen,dressedinthesterilecrimesceneapparel,theinvestigatorwillenterandmarkthefloorwithtapetodesignatethepathwaythatothersmustfollow.Increatingthispathway,thefirstinvestigatorwillavoidplacingthepathwayinalocationwhereitwillinterferewithapparentlyexistingevidenceandwillplaceitonlywhereitisrequiredtogainaphysicalviewoftheentirecrimescene.Asotherinvestigatorsandforensicspecialistsenterthecrimescenetoperformtheirduties,theywillstaywithinthepathofcontaminationand,whentheyleavethepathtoperformaspecificdutyofinvestigationorexamination,theywillrecordtheirdeparturefromthepathandwillbepreparedtodemonstratetheirdeparturefromthepathwayandexplainanynewcontaminationcausedbythem,suchasdustingforfingerprintsortakingexhibits. d)CrimeSceneSecurity Atthesametimethecrimesceneisbeingdefinedwithperimetertape,itisalsonecessarytoestablishasecuritysystemthatwillensurethatnounauthorizedperson(s)entersthecrimesceneandcausescontamination.Forthispurpose,acrimescenesecurityofficerisassignedtoregulatethecomingandgoingofpersonsfromthatcrimescene.Fortheassignedsecurityofficer,thisbecomesadedicateddutyofguardingthecrimesceneandonlyallowingaccesstopersonswhohaveauthorizedinvestigativedutiesinsidethecrimescene.Thesepersonsmightinclude: Forensicspecialists Searchteammembers Assignedinvestigators,and/or Thecoronerinthecaseofasuddendeathinvestigation Tomaintainarecordofeveryonecomingandgoingfromthecrimescene,adocument,knownasa“CrimeSceneSecurityLog,”isestablished,andeachauthorizedpersonissignedinastheyenterandsignedoutastheydepartthescenewithashortnotestatingthereasonfortheirentry.Anyunauthorizedpersonwhoentersorattemptstoenteracrimesceneshouldbechallengedbythecrimescenesecurityofficer,and,ifthatpersonrefusestoleave,theycanbearrested,removedfromthescene,andchargedforobstructingapoliceofficer. TheassignedsecurityofficerisresponsibleforcreatingandmaintainingtheCrimeSecurityLog,whichcantakevariousforms.Inshortterm,smallscaleinvestigations,itmayonlyrequireasinglepageinthesecurityofficer’snotebook;however,inalargescale,longterminvestigation,thelogcouldincludevolumesofpagesunderthecareofseveralassignedsecurityofficersworkinginshifts.Whateverthescaleorformat,thesecuritylogrecordswhoattendedthescene,whentheyattended,whytheywerethere,andwhentheyleftthescene.Anexampleofacrimescenesecuritylogisshowninthefollowingexample. [LongDescription] Topic3:EvidenceManagement AswehavealreadylearnedintheSTAIRtool,analysisistheprocessthatmustoccurtoestablishconnectionsbetweenthevictims,witnesses,andsuspectsinrelationtothecriminalevent.Thecrimesceneisoftenanexusofthoseeventsandconsequently,itrequiresasystematicapproachtoensurethattheevidencegatheredwillbeacceptableincourt. Exhibits,suchasblood,hair,fibre,fingerprints,andotherobjectsrequiringforensicanalysis,mayillustratespatialrelationshipsthroughevidencetransfers.Othertypesofphysicalevidencemayestablishtimelinesandcircumstantialindicationsofmotive,opportunity,ormeans.Allevidencewithinthephysicalenvironmentofthecrimesceneiscriticallyimportanttotheinvestigativeprocess.Atanycrimescene,thetwogreatestchallengestothephysicalevidencearecontaminationandlossofcontinuity. ContaminationofEvidence Contaminationistheunwantedalterationofevidencethatcouldaffecttheintegrityoftheoriginalexhibitorthecrimescene.Thisunwantedalterationofevidencecanwipeawayoriginalevidencetransfer,diluteasample,ordepositmisleadingnewmaterialsontoanexhibit.Justasevidencetransferbetweenasuspectandthecrimesceneorthesuspectandthevictimcanestablishacircumstantialconnection,contaminationcancompromisetheanalysisoftheoriginalevidencetransfertotheextentthatthecourtmaynotaccepttheanalysisandtheinferencethattheanalysismightotherwisehaveshown. Contaminationcantakeplaceinanynumberofwaysincluding: Policeorotherfirstrespondersinterferingwithevidenceduringatacticalinvestigativeresponse Suspectsinterferingwiththecrimescenetocoveruporremoveevidence Victimsorwitnesseshandlingevidence Animals,includingpets,causingunwantedtransferofevidenceorevenremovalofevidencethroughcontactorconsumption Weather-relatedcontaminationduetorain,wind,orsnowdilutingorwashingawayevidence,or Crimesceneinvestigatorsfailingtofollowpropercrimescenemanagementproceduresandcausingcontaminationofexhibitsorcross-contaminationbetweenexhibitsduringtheirinvestigation Contaminationisafactoflifeforinvestigators,andanycrimescenewillhavesomelevelofcontaminationbeforethescenebecomesaninactiveeventandthepolicecanlockdownthelocation.Whileissuesoflifeandsafetyareatrisk,thecourtwillacceptthatsomecontaminationisoutsidethecontroloftheinvestigator.Thattoleranceforcontrollingcontaminationchangessignificantlyoncethecrimesceneislockeddownandisundercontrol.Oncethescenehasbeenlockeddown,crimescenemanagementproceduresmustbeputinplace.Crimescenecontaminationpresentsthreechallengesforinvestigators,namely: Preventingcontaminationwhenpossible, Controllingongoingcontamination,and Recordingtheknowncontaminationthathastakenplace Inregardstothephrase“controlongoingcontamination,”theword“control”isusedbecauseinvestigatorscannoteliminateongoingcontamination,theycanonlyseektocontrolit.Thispracticeofidentifyingandrecordingtheknowncontaminationisnecessary,andevenifcontaminationhastakenplace,identifyingandexplainingthatcontaminationmaysalvagetheanalysisofexhibitsthathavebeencontaminated. Duringthecriticalperiodbetweenthelockdownofthecrimesceneandobtainingawarranttosearchthecrimescene,investigatorsneedtoconsiderthepossibilitiesforongoingcontamination.Ifreasonablegroundsexisttobelievethatevidenceofthecrimewillbedamagedordestroyedbysomethreatofcontamination,theinvestigatorhastheauthority,underexigentcircumstances,tore-enterthatcrimescenewithoutawarranttotakethenecessarystepstostoporpreventcontaminationandprotecttheevidence. Theveryactofenteringthecrimescenetocollectevidence,andtheprocessofevidencecollection,areformsofcontamination.Thegoalincontrollingongoingcontaminationistoavoiddamagingtheforensicintegrityofthecrimesceneanditsassociatedexhibits.Itisthisgoalthatmakescrimescenemanagementproceduresessentialtotheinvestigativeprocess. LossofContinuity Likecontrollingcontamination,establishingandmaintainingcontinuityofevidenceareprotocolsthatprotecttheintegrityofthatevidence.Foranyevidencetobeacceptedbythecourt,thejudgemustbesatisfiedthattheexhibitpresentedisthesameitemthatwastakenfromthecrimescene.Evidencemustbepresentedtodemonstrate“thechainofcontinuity,”whichtrackseveryexhibitfromthecrimescenetothecourtroom. Theevidencetoshowcontinuitywillcomefromtheinvestigatortestifyingthattheexhibitbeingpresentedisthesameexhibitthatwasseizedatthecrimescene.Thistestimonyissupportedbytheinvestigatorshowingthecourttheirmarkingsontheexhibitoritscontainer.Thesemarkingswillincludethetime,date,andinvestigatorinitials,aswellasanotebookentryshowingthetime,date,andplacewhentheitemwastransportedandlockedawayinthemainexhibitholdinglocker.ThisevidenceisfurthersupportedbyanExhibitLogthatshowstheexhibitaspartofthecrimesceneevidencedetailingwhereatthecrimesceneitwasfound,bywhomitwasfound,andthesupportinginitialsofanyoneelsewhohandledthatexhibitfromthecrimescenecontinuouslytothemainexhibitlocker.Anyprocesswherethatexhibitisremovedfromthemainexhibitlockerforexaminationoranalysismustbesimilarlytrackedanddocumentedwiththeinitials,time,anddateofanyotherhandlersoftheitem.Anypersonwhohashandledtheexhibitmustbeabletotakethestandprovidingtestimonythatmaintainsthechainofcontinuityoftheexhibit.Thesearesimpleprocessesyetcritical.Iftheyarenotfollowedrigorously,itcanresultintheexclusionofexhibitsbasedonlostcontinuity. AttentiontoOriginatingStagesofEvidence Oneofthebigdilemmasincrimescenemanagementisdeterminingwherethecriminaleventhappenedorwheretheeventextendedto.Makingthesedeterminationsprovidestheinvestigatorwiththelocationswhereevidenceofthecrimemaybefound.Thisisoftennotasimplematterofjustattendingonelocationorthinkingaboutthecriminaleventinjustasingletimeframe.Intheinvestigativeprocess,therearethreepossiblestagesoftimewhereevidencecanoriginate.Thesearethepre-crimestage,thecriminaleventstage,andthepost-crimestage. Thesethreestagesofcrimecanalsomeantherecouldbeotherlocationsoutsidetheimmediatelycrimesceneareawherecriminalactivitiesmighthavealsotakenplaceandevidencemightbefound.Thepointtorememberabouttheoriginatingstagesofevidenceisthateachofthesestagesprovidespossibilitiesforcollectingevidencethatcouldconnectthesuspecttothecrime.Whenconsideringtheorydevelopmentormakinganinvestigativeplan,eachofthesestagesofthecriminaleventshouldbeconsidered. ThePre-CrimeStageoccurswhenevidenceofpreparationorplanningcanbefoundduringtheinvestigation.Itcanincludenotes,research,drawings,crimesuppliesorpre-crimecontactwiththevictimoraccomplices.Sometimesitemsofpre-crimeorigin,suchashairandfibre,willbelaterdiscoveredatthecrimescenecreatinganopportunitytolinkthesuspectbacktothecrime TheCriminalEventStageiswhenthemostinteractiontakesplacebetweenthecriminalandthevictim,orthecriminalandthecrimescene.Duringtheseinteractions,thebestpossibilitiesforevidencetransferoccur.Eventhemostcarefulcriminalshavebeenknowntoleavebehindsometraceoftheiridentityintheformoffingerprints,shoeprints,gloveprints,tiremarks,toolimpressions,shellcasings,hairorfibre,orDNA. ThePost-CrimeStageoccurswhenthesuspectisdepartingthecrimescene.Whenleavingthecrimescene,suspectshavebeenknowntocastoffitemsofevidencethatcanberecoveredandexaminedtoestablishtheiridentity.Thispost-crimeperiodisalsothestagewherethesuspectbecomesconcernedwithcleaningupthescene.Asmuchasasuspectmayattempttocleanup,evidencetransfersfromthecrimesceneareoftenoverlooked.Thesecanrangefromhairandfibreonclothingtoshardsofglassonshoes.Frequentlyfoundpost-crimeareproceedsofthecrime.Theseareoftenidentifiablearticlesofstolenpropertywithuniquemarks,victimDNA,serialnumbers,orsometimeseventrophiesthatthecriminaltakesasakeepsake. [LongDescription] Evidencedoesnotalwaysappearasafullyformedpieceofinformationthatoffersanimmediateconnectionoraninferencetoimplicateasuspect.Itoftencomestogetherasfragmentsoffactintimelines,spatialrelationships,andevidencetransfersbetweentheoriginatingstagesofevidenceconstructingcircumstantialpicturestodemonstratethesuspect’sidentity,thefactpatternofthecrime,opportunity,means,ormotiveandintent. EnhancingtheValueofEvidenceRecovered Piecesofphysicalevidenceoftenreferredtoasexhibits,haveinvestigativevaluesattwodifferentlevelsforinvestigators.Atthefirstleveleachphysicalexhibithasafacevaluerepresentedbywhatitisandwhereitexistswithinthecontextofthecrimescene.Forexampleabloodyshoeprintfoundonthefloorofacrimescenetellsusthatsomeonetransferredevidenceofbloodontotheirshoefromasourceandwalkedinaparticulardirectionwithinthecrimescene.Thesearefirstlevelinterpretationsofevidencethatwecanreconstructwithourownobservations.Atthesecondlevelthissamebloodyshoeprintmaybesubjectedtoforensicexaminationsthatcouldprovideadditionalinformation.Forexampleanalysisoftheshoeprintpattern,size,andaccidentalcharacteristicsmayallowapositivematchtotheshoeofasuspect,orthebloodmaybeexaminedtomatchtheDNAofavictimorotheroriginatingsource.Boththesefirstlevelandsecondlevelvaluescangreatlyassistincreatingareconstructionandinterpretationofwhathappenedatthecrimescene. Physicalexhibitsthatneedtobeexamined,seized,anddocumentedatanycrimesceneareamajorconcernforinvestigators.Asmentionedearlier,oneofthebigchallengesforinvestigatorsistoidentifyanddocumentalloftheavailableevidenceandinformation.Thisraisestheimportantquestionsofwhatwillbecomeevidenceandwhatisgoingtobeimportant? Whenthesuspectandthefact-patternarenotimmediatelyapparent,howdoesaninvestigatordeterminewhichitemswithinthecrimesceneneedtobeconsideredandtakenaspossibleevidence?Therearesomegeneralpracticesthatcanbefollowed,butaguidingprincipleofevidencecollectionfollowedbymostexperiencedinvestigatorsistoerronthesideofcaution.Moreisalwaysbetterthanless.Toassistindecidingwhatcouldpossiblybecomerelevant,investigatorsneedtoconsider: Itemsthatthesuspectmayhavetouchedorinteractedwith Itemsthatavictimmayhavetouchedorinteractedwith Itemsthatthesuspectmayhavebroughttothecrimescene Itemsthatmayhavepassedbetweenthesuspectandthevictim Itemsthatthesuspectmayhavetakenfromthecrimescene Itemsthatthesuspectmayhavediscardedwhiledepartingthecrimescene Oncethecrimesceneexaminationhasbeencompleted,andthecrimescenehasbeenunsecuredandabandonedasanopenarea,returningtocollectforgottenevidenceisoftennotpossible.Itisbettertocollecteverythingthatcouldpossiblyberelevantorcouldbecomerelevant. Intermsofsearchingforevidence,oncethecrimescenehasbeenlockeddownandsecured,thecrimesceneitselfneedstobeconsideredasthefirstbigexhibit.Asthefirstbigexhibit,itneedstobesubjectedtodocumentationusingphotography,videorecording,measurements,anddiagrams.Withinthisfirstbigexhibit,othersmallerandpossibly-relatedexhibitmaybediscovered.Whatitemsarefoundandwheremayshowspatialrelationshipsofinteractiondemonstratingprooftosupportasequenceofevents.Thisphysicalevidencewillbecomethebenchmarkofknownfactsthatinvestigatorscanusetoverifythestoriesofvictimsandwitnesses,oreventhealibiofapossiblesuspect.Physicalevidenceatbothlevel-oneandlevel-twobecomestheknownfactsuponwhichtheoriesofeventsmaybedevelopedandtested.Anyitemcouldbeconsideredevidenceifitdemonstratesaspatialrelationshiprelativetotheplace,thepeople,orthetimes,relativetothecriminalevent. Theveryfirststepatthispointissecuringanddocumentingthecrimescene.Itishelpfulforinvestigatorstorecognizethatacrimesceneisnotjustalocationwhereexhibitsarefound,butthecrimesceneshouldbeconsideredasasinglebigexhibituntoitself.Notonlywillindividualexhibitswithinthecrimescenehavevalueasevidence,thespatialrelationshipsbetweenexhibitsinthescenemayspeakascircumstantialevidencetotheoverallevent. Tosecurethecrimesceneasthefirstbigexhibit,investigatorswillconductacompletewalk-throughonthepathofcontaminationcompletelyphotographingandvideotapingtheentirecrimescene.Thisfirstprocessisveryhelpfulindemonstratingtheexactstateofthecrimescenepriortothingsbeingmovedforforensicexamination.Thisshouldhappenimmediatelyafterlockdownanditwillbecomeasnapshotdemonstratingtheexistingspatialrelationshipsatthatpointintime. CreatingaFieldSketchandCrimeSceneDiagram Thenextstepistodocumentthecrimesceneaseitherafieldsketchoracrimescenediagram.Eitherofthesecanbedonetoillustratethephysicaldimensionsandnotablecharacteristicsofthecrimescene.ThedifferencebetweentheFieldSketchandtheCrimeSceneDiagramisthatthesketch,asimpliedbythename,isaquickroughdepictionoftheevent.Thefieldsketch,likenotesinaninvestigator’snotebook,servesasamemoryaid.Thecrimescenediagramisamoreformalrepresentationofthesameinformation,butiscomposedtoscaleusingtheassistanceofthefieldsketchandmeasurements.Ineitherofthesedrawingsofthecrimescenesimilarcoreinformationwillberepresented. Ifitisabuilding,itwillshowtheaddressofthelocation,entries,exits,windows,thepositionofrooms,thepositionoffurniture,andthelocationofallexhibitsrelativetothecrime. Inanoutdoorcrimescene,establishinganddocumentingthelocationofthescenebecomesmorecomplex.Thegeographiclocationofanoutdoorsceneneedstobeestablishedrelativetosomeknowngeographiclocation,suchasaroadwayintersection,amile-marker,orevenbywayoffixingofGPScoordinatesoflatitudeandlongitudetoapermanentfixedobjectatthecrimescene.Insomecases,suchasalargeopenfield,wherenopermanentfixedobjectsareavailable,itmaybecomenecessarytoplaceafixedobjectlikeasteelsurveypintomarkafixedpointatthecrimescene. Aftertheinitialdiagramfeaturesarecompletedandevidenceiscollectedwithinthecrimescene,eachofthoseexhibitswillbeshownonthediagramwithanexhibitnumber.Thatnumberwillbecrossreferencedtotheexhibitlogthatwillbecompletedbyanassignedexhibitcustodianaspartofthecrimescenemanagementteam.Thisprocessofshowingeachexhibitasanumbereliminatestheneedtoclutterthediagramwithwrittendescriptionofeachexhibitfound.Insomecases,wheretherearemanyexhibits,writingthedescriptionofeachexhibitontothediagramwouldmakeitunreadable,cluttered,andconfusing. Inadditiontoexistingfeaturesandevidenceatthecrimescene,thediagramwillalsoshowthelocationofthepathofcontaminationthathasbeenestablishedandtheexternalperimeterofthecrimescene. Aspartofacceptedprotocols,thesediagramsarealwaysdrawnwithanorientationtoNorthatthetopofthediagram,andallwritingonthediagramisorientedinonedirection,namelyeasttowest TheExhibitLog Aspartoftheevidencemanagementprocess,establishingthefirstlinkinthechainofcontinuityoccurswhenthecrimesceneissecuredandtheassignedexhibitcustodianrecordsoftheexhibitsthathavebeenidentifiedatthesceneiscreated.Theseitemsarerecordedinadocumentcalledan“ExhibitLog”oran“ExhibitLedger.”ThisExhibitLogorLedgershowsanassignednumberforeachexhibitthatisidentifiedandseized.Itshowswhereatthescenetheexhibitwaslocated,andthenumberofthatexhibitisplaceinthecorrespondinglocationinthecrimescenediagram. TheExhibitLogshowswhoseizedtheexhibitandwhenitwasturnedovertotheexhibitcustodian.TheExhibitLogalsoshowsatimeanddatewhentheexhibitwasplacedintothemainsecureexhibitstoragelocker.Whentheexhibitsaretakentocourt,thecourtwillonlyaccepttheexhibitsifthesecuredchainofcontinuitycanbeshowntobeguardedandunbroken.Ifanexhibitcustodianweretostopandleavetheexhibitsunguardedinavehicleorlefttheexhibitintheofficewhileattendingtoanothermatter–thatwouldbreakthechainofcontinuity.ThefollowingdocumentisanexampleofacommonExhibitLogDocument. [LongDescription] Evidenceatacrimesceneisgenerallyfoundintwoforms.Oneisevidenceofwitnesseswhocanprovidetheirobservationsofthecriminalevent.Theotherisphysicalitemsofevidencethatcanbeexamined,analyzed,andinterpretedtoillustratefactsaboutthecriminalevent.Eachoftheseformsofevidencepresentsomesimilarconcernsforinvestigators,andeachrequiressomespecificconsiderationstobestsearchfor,collect,andpreservetheinformationthatexists. SearchingforWitnessEvidence Identifyingandinterviewingthewitnessestoacriminaleventcanbeassimpleasspeakingtopersonswhohaveremainedatthesceneofthecrimetogivestatements.Alternately,itcanbeasdifficultasidentifyingandtrackingdownapersonwhosawsomethingorheardsomethingthatwaspartofthecriminalevent,buttheyarenotevenawarethatwhattheysaworheardwasimportant,ortheydowishtocooperatewiththepolice. Theprocesssearchingforwitnessesstartsatthecrimesceneitself.Thissearchwillincludenotonlyidentifyingandinterviewingthepersonswhoareimmediatelypresent,butalsodeterminingwhoelsemighthavebeenpresentduringthepre-crimeandpost-crimestagesoftheevent. Often,witnessesremainingatthecrimescenecanassistinidentifyingotherwitnesseswhowerepresentandhavesincedeparted. CCTVsecuritycamerascansometimesassistinidentifyingotherwitnesseswhowerepresent. Identifyingthevehiclesparkedinproximitytothecrimessceneorreturningtothecrimesceneonsubsequentdaysaroundthetimeofthecrimecanassistinidentifyingawitnesswhosenormalcourseofactivitiesmayhavepreviouslyputthemintheareaatthetimeofthecrime. Inadditiontothesewitnesssearchstrategies,anotherprocessknownascanvassingforwitnessescanalsobeemployed.Canvassingisastrategyofconductingdoor-to-doorinquiriesintheimmediateareaofthecrimetodetermineifanythingwasseenorheardbyneighbours.Canvassingcanalsotaketheformofstructuredmediareleasestorequestpersonswithknowledgeofthecriminaleventtocomeforward.Whateverwitnessidentificationstrategiesareused,timeisoftheessence.Memoriesfadeandpeopleundernormalcircumstancesonlyretainday-to-dayrecollectionofunremarkableeventsforalimitedtime.Identifyingandspeakingtothewitness,andreceivingtheirbestrecollectionoftheevents,willbediscussedinthechapteronwitnessmanagement;however,witnessevidencecanmakeorbreaktheinvestigation,anditmustbecollectedquickly,accurately,andeffectively. SearchingforandIdentifyingPhysicalEvidence Earlierinthisbook,wedescribedphysicalevidenceastheburiedtreasureforinvestigatorsandcriticalwhenitcomestoverifyingordiscountingvariousversionsofaneventincourt.Physicalevidenceissomethingtangiblethatthecourtcanexamineandconsiderinmakingconnectionsanddeterminingproofbeyondareasonabledoubt.Incontrast,witnessevidencedoesnothaveaphysicalqualitythatthecourtcanobserve.Itrequiresthecourttoaccepttheperceptionandinterpretationofeventsbeingprovidedbyapersonand,assuch,thecourtcannotevaluatewitnessevidencewiththesameconfidenceofverificationthatituseswhenconsideringphysicalevidence. Inoursub-sectiononOriginatingStagesofEvidence,welookedatthetimeframesandalternatecrimescenevenueswhereevidenceofacrimemaybefound.Now,wearegoingtoconsiderthephysicalevidencethatinvestigatorsshouldthinkaboutwhenevaluatingwhatmightconstituteanitemofphysicalevidence.Wewillconsiderhowevidencecanbesearchedfor,howitshouldbecollected,whenitshouldbecollected,andhowitshouldbepreserved.Theseprocessespresentseveralchallenges: Physicalevidencecanbetransientortimesensitive.Aspartofthebigpicturesearchinthefirstinstance,theinvestigatormustbeconsciousofphysicalevidencethatneedstobeimmediatelyrecordedanddocumented. Physicalevidencecanbeconcealedandmaynotbeeasilyvisible.Walkingontoacrimesceneinthefirstinstance,itwouldbeunrealisticforaninvestigatortobelievetheywillimmediatelyseeallthephysicalevidencethatneedstobecollected.Itemsofphysicalevidencecanexistinmanyformsanddiscoveringtheirexistenceisamatterofcarefulexaminationoftheentirescene.Theideaofconductingabigpicturesearchfirstallowstheinvestigatortonotonlydiscovertheimmediatelyapparentitems,butalsoforasurveyofthecrimescenetodetermineareaswherethesmallscaleandmoredetailedsearchmightbeproductive. Doorsandwindows:open,locked,orunlockcanberelevanttotimeandmeansofentryorexitfromthescene Conditionofroomlighting:turnedonoroffcansuggestthelightingconditionsatthetimeofthecrime Statusofappliancesinuseatthescenecanindicatecertainactivities Lastactivationofelectronicdevicescannarrowtimelinesofactivity Ambientcrimescenetemperatureandbodytemperaturecanberelevantinrelationtotimeofdeathandtheprogressrigormortisordecomposition Theimmediatevalueofanitemmaynotbevisibleatfirstglance.Movingfromthebigpicturesearchtoidentifyitemsinthesmallerscalesearch,investigatorscanconductadetailedgridsearchofthecrimescenetolocateitemsthatmaybeverysmallorareconcealedbyotherobjects.Thesegridsearchescanbeusefulinbreakingdownthecrimesceneintosmallersearchareastomakesurethatnoareagoesunexamined.Alongwiththisdetailedsearchforsmallorconcealeditems,theinvestigatorneedstoconsiderenlistingtheassistanceofforensicspecialiststosearchforitemsthatmayrequireenhancedexaminationandanalysisbeyondtheboundsofregularhumansensesandperception.Forexample,theuseofblacklightcanrevealbodyfluidorstains,andlatentfingerprintscanbecomevisibleafterfumingortheapplicationofspecialpowder.Inmostmajorcriminalcases,forensicspecialistswillbeavailabletoassistinconductingthedetailedcrimescenesearch.Everyinvestigatormustbeproficientinrecognizingwhentoutilizeoftheseforensictools. Thesizeornatureofanitemofevidencemaymakeitimpossibletoseizeorpreserve.Amongthechallengesofgatheringevidenceatacrimesceneare: Someexhibitsaretoobigtobephysicallyseizedandbroughttocourt.Aspreviouslynoted,theentirecrimesceneandtheinherentspatialrelationshipsofobjectswithinthatscenecouldbeconsideredasonebigexhibitthatneedstobeshowntothecourt.Thisbigcrimesceneexhibitiscapturedandcanbepresentedtothecourtbywayofvideorecording,photographs,crimescenediagram,orusingasampleofsmallerexhibitswithinthesceneitself. Someexhibitsareperishableandimpracticaltoseizeandpreserveforcourt.Agoodexamplewouldbetheevidenceofthedeadbodyinamurdercase.Thebodyitselfwouldbeimpracticaltobringtocourt.Itisconsideredadequatetohavephotographicevidenceandcertificatesofanalysisonpathologysamples. Someexhibitsaretransientinnatureandcannotbepermanentlyseizedandpreservedforcourt.Forexample,ambientroomtemperatureorlightingstatusatthecrimesceneneedstobepreservedbyphotographsandmeasurementsinthatmomentoftimeandsubsequentlypresentedtothecourtasphotographsandreadingsbytheattendinginvestigator. Thecollectionofcertainevidencecancausecross-contaminationtootherexhibits.Amajorconsiderationinthecollectionofanyevidenceatacrimesceneistoensurethatevidencewithanypotentialforcross-contaminationishandledinamannerthattakesprecautionsagainstthisoccurring.Inmostcases,atmajorcrimescenes,physicalevidenceiscollectedbyforensicexperts.However,thisdoesnotprecludetheneedforinvestigatorstounderstandthedangersofcross-contaminationandtheprecautionsrequiredtopreventit.ThisisparticularlytruewhenitcomestothecollectionofbodilysubstanceswhereDNAmightbecollected.DNAanalysisisnowsoadvancedthatevenasmalltraceofDNAmaterialcanbetransferredbythecarelessorinadvertenthandlingofoneexhibittothenext.Thiscross-contaminationcanbeavoidedorpreventedbythepracticeofhandlingonlyoneexhibitatatime,markingthatexhibit,placingintoasecurecontainer,anddecontaminatingtheinvestigatorbychangingglovesanddiscardinganyitemcouldhavecomeintocontactwiththepreviousexhibit.Despitetheassurancethatforensicspecialistswillnormallyattendacrimesceneforevidencecollection,itispossiblethataninvestigatoratthescenewillbeforcedtohandleanumberofexhibitstoprotectthatevidencefromsometypeofenvironmentaldamageorothersecuritythreat. Topic4: ScalingtheInvestigationtotheEvent Noteverycrimesceneisamajoreventthatrequiresaninvestigatortocalloutateamandundertakethecrimesceneandevidencemanagementprocessesthathavebeendescribedinthisbook.Often,forminorcrimes,asingleinvestigatorwillbealoneatthecrimesceneandwillengageinalltherolesdescribed,albeitonafarsmallerscale.Whenthisprocessisbeingundertakenbyasingleinvestigatoronasmallerscale,theissuesofdiagram,securitylog,andexhibitlogmaybelimitedtodataandillustrationsinthenotebookoftheinvestigator. Itisimportanttostressthateachofthetasksbelowneedstobeconsideredandaddressedforeverycrimesceneinvestigation,nomatterhowbigorhowsmall.Specifically: Thecrimescenemustbesecured,preserved,andrecordeduntilevidenceiscollected Existingcontaminationmustbeconsideredandrecorded Cross-contaminationmustbeprevented Exhibitsmustbeidentified,preserved,collected,andsecuredtopreservethechainofcontinuity. Largescaleorsmallscale,alltheseissuesmustbeconsidered,addressed,andrecordedtosatisfythecourtthatthecrimesceneandtheevidencewerehandledcorrectly. Summary Inthischapter,wehavediscussedthecriticalissuesofcrimescenemanagement,evidenceidentification,evidencelocation,evidencecollection,evidenceprotection,andproperdocumentation.Thesearethemostimportantskillsthataninvestigatorcanlearnandincorporateintotheirinvestigativetoolkit.Asmuchasthesetasksmayseemsimplistic,ritualistic,andmundane,theyaretheveryfoundationofacriminalinvestigation,andwithoutthisfoundationofproperevidencepracticesinplace,thecasewillcollapsewhenitcomestocourt. Thereisagreatopportunityonaday-to-daybasisfornewinvestigatorstobeginpracticingtheprotocolsofcrimescenemanagementonasmallerscaleinvestigatingcrimessuchasbreakandentryandlowerlevelassaults.Oncetheseskillsofcrimescenemanagementandevidencemanagementarelearnedandincorporatedintodailypractice,theywillbecometheproceduralnormandwillformtheessentialoperationalhabitsforproperandprofessionalinvestigativepractice. LongDescriptions Crimescenesecurityloglongdescription:Ablankcrimescenesecuritylog.Ithasspacestowritedownthenameoftheassignedscenesecurityofficer,thedate,thepolicedepartmentinvestigatingthescene,thefilenumber,andthecrimescenelocation.Italsohasatablewithseveralrowstorecordeveryonewhohasattendedthecrimescene.Thetablehasspacesfornameandrank,initials,date/timein,date/timeout,dutiesoncrimescene,andcontaminationcaused.[ReturntoCrimescenesecuritylog] Theoriginatingstagesofevidencelongdescription:Achartshowingwhathappensatthedifferentoriginatingstagesofevidence.Thethreestagesare: Pre-crimestage Planning Notes Research Crimesupplies Criminaleventstage Mosttransferofphysicalevidence SuspecttoVictim VictimtoSuspect SuspecttoScene Post-crimestage Avoidingapprehension Casts-offevidence Evidenceofclean-up Transfertakeaway Proceedsofthecrime [ReturntoTheoriginatingstagesofevidence] Exhibitloglongdescription:Asampleexhibitlog.Thereisroomtowritethenameoftheassignedexhibitcustodian,thedate,thefilenumber,andthelocation.Thereisatablewithseveralrowsforwritingabouttheexhibitsfromacrimescene.Therearespacesfortheexhibitnumber,description,whotheexhibitwasseizedby,thedate/time,thelocation,whentheexhibitwasturnedovertotheexhibitcustodian,andthedate/timesecured.[ReturntoExhibitlog] Previous:Chapter7:WitnessManagement Next:Chapter9:Interviewing,QuestioningandInterrogation Backtotop License IntroductiontoCriminalInvestigation:Processes,PracticesandThinkingbyRodGehlislicensedunderaCreativeCommonsAttribution-NonCommercial4.0InternationalLicense,exceptwhereotherwisenoted.