The crime scene is a crucial aspect of criminal justice and the investigation of a case. Crime scene professionals are tasked with ensuring that the evidence gathered at the crime scene is valid and admissible in court. They do this by examining the evidence and connecting it to a specific crime event. This article, created by Hilbert College Global’s online Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice program, explains the steps that are taken when processing a crime scene and why they are so important.
The first step is providing medical assistance to any victims if necessary. After that, law enforcement must determine the boundaries of the crime scene and secure it. This is usually done by blocking off the area with crime scene tape or cones to prevent unauthorized access. The crime scene must be undisturbed to allow for a complete and thorough forensic investigation by law enforcement officers, including detectives and technicians.
Once the crime scene has been secured, investigators will scan the entire area. This can be done using several methods, such as photography, video recording, measurements and diagrams. The investigators will then document all evidence found at the scene, including the spatial relationships between exhibits. This is a critical step in establishing proof of the sequence of events that occurred and proving or disproving the story told by victims, witnesses or suspects.
Once the area has been scanned and documented, a second survey of the crime scene is conducted to ensure that all areas have been searched. This is a quality control step that helps ensure no exhibits were missed in the initial survey. During this process, a photographic inventory of the evidence is taken and descriptions are written in an evidence log.