The purpose of crime scene investigation is to help establish what happened at the crime and to identify the responsible person(s). This is done by carefully documenting the condition at a crime scene and recognizing all relevant physical evidence. The ability to recognize and properly collect physical evidence is often times critical to both solving and prosecuting violent crimes. It is no exaggeration to say that in the majority of cases, the law enforcement officer who protects and searches a crime scene plays a critical role in determining whether physical evidence will be used in solving or prosecuting violent crimes.
An investigator must not leap to an immediate conclusion as to what happened based upon limited information, but must generate several different theories of the crime, keeping the ones that are not eliminated by incoming information at the scene. The crime scene is the only link between the crime and its victim, if any or all evidence is destroyed or lost, the crime may never be solved. It is imperative that the officer knows what, how and where to look for key evidence.
Documenting and Examining a Crime Scene
Documenting a crime scene and its conditions can include immediately recording transient details such as lighting, furniture, fingerprints, and other valuable information. Certain evidence if not collected immediately can easily be lost, destroyed or tainted. The scope of investigations can also extend to the fact of argument in such cases as suicide or self defense. It is also important to be able to recognize what should be present at a crime scene, what to look for at a crime scene and what might appear out of place.
One of the first things an officer should do once he approaches a crime scene is to take control and secure the scene as......
