Evaluating a Crime Scene PDF

Preview

Summary

Download Evaluating a Crime Scene PDF

Description

a Crime Scene Page Evaluating |1

Evaluating a Crime Scene Joshua Williams University of Phoenix CJS/215 5/29/2017

Evaluating a Crime Scene Page | 2 Introduction Crime scene evaluation is something that happens at every crime scene; typically handled by the first to arrive at the crime scene. The process for evaluating a crime scene often spread out among a few steps normally carried out by four or five officers depending on how many arrive until the Crime Scene Investigators arrive to handle cataloging and collecting all forms of evidence at the crime scene. By studying the evidence at a crime scene, it allows the investigators, to focus on who was at the scene, what happened to the victim and other important details regarding victim’s daily life. Before the crime scene evaluation, it must need securing and whoever is injured gets medical attention. Securing the crime scene Securing the crime scene is one of the most important steps in evaluating a crime scene, this involves making sure that all injured parties received medical assistance, taping off the scene within proper boundaries to ensure that every piece of possible evidence found and marked according to the survey.[ CITATION Saf13 \l 1033 ] By placing the boundaries improperly, it allows for important evidence to be misplaced or lost. [ CITATION Saf13 \l 1033 ] Once the crime scene is secured and all parties that are seeking or needing proper medical care/assistance, the following step would be to ensure that all evidence has been surveyed and marked in its proper location not disturbing the scene at all.[ CITATION Saf13 \l 1033 ] Each piece of evidence marked at the precise location it was found in which is done to secure the crime scene and preserve it until the investigators arrive on the scene to collect evidence and all. [ CITATION Saf13 \l 1033 ] Collecting the evidence and processing it

Evaluating a Crime Scene Page | 3 Once the scene has been secured and preserved in the state of discovery by the first responders, and they wait until the CSI’s arrive. Then the CSI’s arrive to go through the evidence, photograph the different locations of each piece of evidence to be cataloged into the system to develop a simulation of what possibly happened at the crime scene based on the evidence found and the location of the victim’s body. Each piece of evidence requires a different process to properly bag, tag and categorize the evidence.[ CITATION Saf13 \l 1033 ] Though the overall process for each piece of evidence stands to be very similar the difference lies in how each piece of evidence is handled.[ CITATION Saf13 \l 1033 ] When evidence is in the lab, there is a certain protocol in place to handle the different types of evidence.[ CITATION Saf13 \l 1033 ] Physical evidence is normally picked up and bagged then labeled as to what it is and whom it belonged to as well as the specific case that the evidence is belongs in. the bags are also vacuum-sealed to keep the evidence in preserved. [ CITATION Saf13 \l 1033 ] Biological evidence has a more scientific approach and is treated more like glass, due to how simple it is to cross contaminate biological evidence.[ CITATION Saf13 \l 1033 ] Both pieces of evidence are important to any crime scene mainly because it allows the forensic scientist to be able to piece together the puzzle of what had happened slowly.[ CITATION Saf13 \l 1033 ] Processing the evidence in the lab The collecting and preservation of physical evidence is a large portion of what goes on in the lab and as well as at the crime scene. Evidence requires a major portion of being preserved to keep it in the condition of which it was discovered at the crime scene.[ CITATION Saf13 \l 1033 ] Physical evidence requires attention to detail in the steps to preserve it just like it was found at the crime scene. [ CITATION Saf13 \l 1033 ] Every single case has a number that goes on the bag that each piece of evidence from that crime scene goes in. With there being a certain

Evaluating a Crime Scene Page | 4 number to each case it makes it easier for them to locate the evidence in a case they need to revisit the cases at a later date; this happens only if another murder or some other crime appears with a similar M.O as a previous case.[ CITATION Saf13 \l 1033 ] Each case is different one way or another but to each investigator some elements similar to one case might appear in another which would lead to something new affecting the previous case. Take a cold case for example, some elements that are in one cold case appear in a new case; which would force the old case to reopen. These developments are rare but they do happen in some cases. Cold case evidence and markers Cold cases are often used to teach students the basics in forensics and detective work especially in the FBI. Most of the time the cold case used to teach have already been solved. Cold Cases are very unique in a large-scale matter, these are the cases that tend to eat at a detective as the one that had got away. [ CITATION Saf13 \l 1033 ]These cases hold a detective and are great as a teaching aspect mainly because the evidence is still located in the lock-up to go over and probe for new leads. Physical evidence in cold cases are perfectly preserved and go to a great detail to the eye of detail needed to be able to preserve the case just like the moment it was discovered.[ CITATION Saf13 \l 1033 ] Conclusion Each case is different, though they can share various elements. Over time if the suspect is never caught they can evolve get better, some elements stay but others change. Criminals never stay the same the longer they can avoid being caught, the more time they get to hone their craft. Criminals are smart they can find a way to avoid getting caught by making subtle changes to their M.O. Physical Evidence and Biological Evidence lead to figuring out the exact M.O of a

Evaluating a Crime Scene Page | 5 criminal. Once the M.O is discovered it becomes simpler to develop a working profile to catch the criminal. Overall, it’s the evidence that makes the case, but it is up to solid police work to discover the evidence, each piece of item needed to build a case and develop the correct profile of the suspect. Forensics is a broad topic that holds a large amount information, different fields are in forensics each are needed to be able to gain a better understanding of the physical evidence pertaining to the case.

References Saferson, R. (2013). Forensic Science: From the Crime Scene to the Crime Lab (2nd ed.). New York: Pearson....