In solving a crime, a crime scene is usually imperative to the investigation. Documenting a crime scene helps to establish some of the evidence or rather investigative leads which may help solve the case. Additionally, the leads found in the crime scene can help solve the case or determine what happened. Poor scene documentation can prompt unacceptable evidence in a courtroom, or missed evidence that may permit a victim to escape with a crime. Photography is important during the documentation of a scene.
It helps preserve some of the leads in hard copy form. Additionally, sketching of the scene also helps during the investigative process as well as storage of such data. By using photographs and crime scene sketches, the careful examination of a crime scene combines more than one technique for documentation to help solve a crime. The Importance of Documenting a Crime Scene There are legitimate methods and conventions required in handling a crime. A standout amongst them is documenting the crime scene.
Such a procedure includes photography, note taking and reports, sketches, and recording names of individuals responsible for gathering evidence, and the dates and times those individuals were available. As a rule, poor scene documentation can prompt unacceptable evidence in a courtroom, or missed evidence that may permit a victim to escape with a crime against people or property. This paper discusses the most widely recognized techniques for documenting a crime scene.
When investigators arrive at a crime scene, they should be ready for anything including emergency situations like serious injuries, risky suspects, and life or death circumstances. After the scene has been secured, the immediate officers and examiners will be on the scene to investigate. The condition of the crime scene when first arrived is a crucial piece to continuing the investigation. Documentation is the first task in their routine. Pictures are being taken, processing of fingerprints or blood splatters, and collecting of any evidence are the tasks for scene documentation (Rosser, 2012).
A CSI is always on call, whether in the lab or on the road. Their stress level can be anywhere from completely relaxed to extremely intense. Skills like attention to detail, ability to analyse scenes, and thinking outside the box are necessary to have (Young & Ortmeier, 2011). Legitimately handling a crime scene includes different individuals utilizing a wide variety of media or strategies to record information, give a course of events, and how the crime scene was drawn nearer and evidence was recognized, checked and gathered for investigation.
A crime scene examiner should dependably remember that criminal lab testing faculty, lawyers, and even members of the jury will consider all evidence at some later point in time. When building up an arrangement of activity to distinguish and assemble evidence from any crime scene, the crime scene examiner must adhere to departmental techniques and conventions with an aim to guarantee that all gathered evidence will be acceptable in an official courtroom (Young & Ortmeier, 2011). Documentation, in all its different structures, starts with the underlying association of the agent.
The documentation never stops; it might back off, yet the requirement for documentation remains steady. Crime scene documentation will be discussed below. First, photography permits an investigator to precisely record the scene, utilizing either film or computerized media. To archive the scene, one has to take generally medium and close-up shots. These photographs ought to show the area, nature of the crime, the outcomes, and the physical evidence made by the crime. The significance of still photography is of a crime scene is to give a genuine and precise pictorial record of the crime scene and physical evidence.
In fact, still photography records the underlying state of the scene (Goodall & Hawks, 2004). It gives specialists and others a record that can be analysed or inspected ensuing to scene examination, and fills in as a perpetual record of lawful concerns. Photography of a crime scene is typically done quickly after the videography of the scene or after preparatory scene study. An orderly, composed strategy for recording the crime scene and applicable physical evidence is best accomplished by continuing from the general to particular rule.
Adherence to this rule permits introduction of the whole crime scene, introduction to evidence inside the scene and gives examination quality photographs of particular things of evidence that might be utilized for investigation far from the scene (Robinson, 2010). The number of photographs that ought to be taken at a crime scene cannot be foreordained or constrained. The crime scene agent ought to never question whether a photograph should be taken; it should dependably be taken. Photographs are critical not just for the present crime scene processing, but also for those occasions that will happen later, for example, trials.
It is fundamental that photographs of evidence be taken before it is touched or moved in any capacity. On the off chance that a photo demonstrates that evidence may have been moved or generally interfered with before a photo being taken, it might be viewed as unacceptable in a courtroom (Fish, Miller & Braswell, 2011). Photographs ought to be made of any physical evidence found at the scene of a crime, including finger and impressions, blood stains, weapons and the body of the casualty.
While shooting, the crime scene photographer ought to likewise keep a photograph log to archive the types of photographs taken, who took them, the date and time such photographs were taken, and additionally points of interest, for example, camera type, kind of film utilized and brief depictions of the photographs (Robinson, 2010). To hinder any evident untruthfulness in the photo because of the optical confinements of the focal points utilized, or for whatever other reason, amination of photo taken at the scene of crime ought to be made in conjunction with an investigation of an arrangement made of the scene of the crime.
There are a significant number of cases in which photography is used to evaluate an object’s position and space and how it connected with other items is always troublesome or difficult to clarify. For instance, if an accident expected to have been a result of a criminal hand but which cannot without much effort be clarified completely, the photo of the scene of the accident might be capable to outfit the desired clarification. When conclusions might be drawn from that position without having adequate verification, photography can show evidence of the presence of wounds, writings, aftereffects of pyro-crime and so forth.
Photography in some cases indicates marks on the face, for example on the cheeks, which are not recognizable normally (Rosser, 2012). These are old wounds which the passage of time has rendered them imperceptible to the eye, yet they have left imperfections which can be plainly brought out by photography. While photographs are a critical and key source of evidence of any crime scene examination, sketches that show distances and estimations are irreplaceable in crime scene documentation. A sketch is made to complement the photographs, as well as to offer a more extensive portrayal of the crime scene.
Such a document is particularly critical when the crime scene is spread out over a territory, for example, a house. For instance, the casualty might be found in the room, yet he or she may have been assaulted in the other rooms in the house (Fish, Miller & Braswell, 2011). The crime scene sketch will have the capacity to give a thorough perspective of the whole crime scene than single photographs taken in one room at once. Conversely, a crime scene sketch will likewise demonstrate the position of different objects and evidence in connection to where the casualty or body is found.
It may incorporate evidence of bloodstains, spread, drops and also the way that the casualty or culprit made through the house using directional bolts. Numerous crime scene sketches will likewise incorporate significant estimations as to where certain objects are found in connection to the body (Young & Ortmeier, 2011). A crime scene sketch can be made of a few unique sheets of paper: the primary demonstrating the whole area, the entrance of the room or general territory the casualty is found, or considerably another that demonstrates a particular graph of different bits of evidence.
A crime scene sketch done at the scene might be utilized for later reference in idealizing the sketch or finishing a more point by point sketch at a later time but in time, to affirm in court as to its validity as a “genuine and precise” depiction of the crime scene. By using photographs and crime scene sketches, the careful examination of a crime scene combines more than one technique for documentation. While the number of photographs taken will rely on the circumstance, dependably attempt to get a balanced perspective of the underlying crime scene and its surroundings before the scene is inspected for evidence (Young & Ortmeier, 2011).
While the crime scene photographers may need to work rapidly, either in light of conditions, climate or approaching darkness, the nature of the scene documentations is a fundamental and important part of the whole examination. Consequently, care must be practiced to obtain the best photographs, the most intensive notes, and the most exact crime scene sketch as feasible for an effective conclusion of the case.