Crime Scene Investigation: Sop
Crime scene probe is non a random act and needs a standardised process otherwise the defence lawyers will normally hold the instance thrown out or hold the suspect acquitted based on carelessness by jurisprudence enforcement. The ultimate purpose of any probe is to protect and procure the offense scene so that no grounds is lost. It is critical that the first respondent to the offense scene does non touch any points. A consistent and a professional attack to offense scene is necessary to minimise injury to others and yet collection the maximal sum of information. The figure of people come ining the offense scene must be kept to a lower limit at all times.1-4
Anyone who is employed to execute a offense scene probe needs to cognize the undermentioned rules
Arrival at the Scene
Before hotfooting to a offense scene, make certain that one has a hunt warrant. This applies to all elected or non-urgent probes. Of class at an ague offense scene, this is non needed. The first officer who arrives at the offense scene must make the followers:
Wholly insulate the offense scene country and continue any grounds. If there is anyone who need medical exigency, merely the individual should be moved without upseting any other country. This country should be secured instantly to forestall bystanders from traveling inside the country.
Nothing at the site must be touched or moved unless there is a dangerous state of affairs. If there is an injured person at the offense scene, the first officer must supply basic first assistance. This should be continued until exigency medical forces arrive. These professionals should be told where they can come in the country so as to forestall loss of grounds. If there was an effort or completed self-destruction, one should name for immediate aid and take the single down if hanging or loosen the cause of hanging. Make certain that you obtain exposures and do notes of where you touched the person and what knot or ligature was loosened.
If there is a demand to travel something, so exposure and notes should be made with diagrams. The ground for traveling the points should be stated in the notes.
Do non go forth the scene of the offense and call others for aid.
Always note down the clip of reaching of other research workers and officers. In the interim make notes of a timeline ordering the event that occurred.
Once the country is secured, set up a “ safe walk ” zone, which will allow other officers to measure the offense scene without upseting the country. The chief aim is to minimise the perturbation in the country. All motion should be done in a deliberate and unagitated mode and one should be cognizant at all times of possible offense scene grounds like presence of footmarks or fingerprints on doorhandle, knife grips, light switches, walls and computing machines.
The first officer is responsible for the security of the offense scene until more officers arrive.
Continuing Evidence
If any drugs or arms are found, the first officer should non touch any such instrument and rede the research worker upon reaching. If the first officer demands to take a arm, he/she must have on latex baseball mitts, place the point in a fictile bag/envelope, seal it and label it.1-4The label should observe the nature of contents, location, names of any person who found it, and what clip and day of the month the point was found. It is of import to keep continuity of ownership. All forces who handle grounds must be noted and they must subscribe the chart. When the first officer has completed his/her responsibility, he must manus the grounds over to the senior investigating officer. In add-on, the senior research worker ‘s name, rank and employment should be stated. At all times, whenever anyone else is involved in the “ concatenation of ownership ” of grounds, their names should be noted.
Similarly any vesture, panpipes, acerate leafs, pills, medical specialty, pulverization, solids should be collected and packaged separately and placed in a fictile container. When marihuana is found at the scene, it is of import to guarantee that the wrongdoer is non turning it at place. All physical grounds collected must be photographed, videotaped and sketched. Photos must be obtained from several angles and if possible this should besides be recorded on picture. A swayer must be placed near the point to denote the size of the point.
Any papers like self-destruction notes, endangering letters or anon. letters should besides be safely placed in a paper bag and sealed. One should avoid doing indentures or touching the paperss with au naturel custodies. Each papers must be placed in separate plastic containers.
When a piece is found, the first thing the first arriving office must guarantee safety of other people in the locality. The officer must do certain that the arm is merely handled by a qualified arms expert and that the arm is secured until it is removed. It should non be touched. No efforts should be made to take cartridges, unload or analyze the arm under any fortunes. Same applies to a knife.
Any liquid or intoxicant must be recapped in its original container or poured into a clean glass bottle and secured with a cork. The container should be labeled bespeaking its content, twenty-four hours, day of the month and topographic point of find. The officer who found it should be stated
Biological Fluids
At many offense scenes there is biological grounds like blood, organic structure fluids or blood stained garments. Each point must besides be packaged separately and labeled. If the point is wet, it must be handled in such a manner that the spatter forms are non erased. All wet points should be placed in a fictile container and refrigerated.1-4
At most offense scene there are ever atoms or points that may keep a latent fingerprint, bite grade, footmark or some other feeling. Great attention must be taken when walking around the country and one should avoid touching anything as a latent print may be missed. One really obvious ground for non allowing others to come in the offense scene is that non all grounds is seeable to the bare oculus. Sometimes the wrongdoer may hold made efforts to pass over the offense scene. Atoms of Deoxyribonucleic acid are unseeable to the bare oculus but even minuscule sums can assist work out offenses. However, DNA can be transferred and therefore one should avoid touching any point with au naturel custodies.
Decision
This comprehensive operating manual will assist you go better officers when it comes to work outing offense. The most of import thing is to be cautious, prudent and cognizant. Record all information and be argus-eyed. There is no replacement for being organized, thorough and prepared.
Mentions
- McShane JJ. Procuring a offense scene-common CSI errors in the beginning. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.thetruthaboutforensicscience.com/securing-a-crime-scene-common-csi-mistakes-in-the-beginning/ . Accessed on June 6, 2014.
2. Organization and Procedures for Search operations. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.crime-scene-investigator.net/respon3.html. Accessed on June 6, 2014.
3. A usher to decease scene probe: arriving at the decease scene. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.nij.gov/topics/law-enforcement/investigations/crime-scene/guides/death-investigation/pages/arrive.aspx. Accessed on June 6, 2014.
4. Crime Scene Collection technqiues. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.all-about-forensic-science.com/crime-scene-collection-techniques.html. Accessed on June 6, 2014.
