Assignment 7

When an investigator of an incident scene is looking for testimonial evidence, the investigator is seeking eyewitnesses of the incident. When the investigator is seeking physical evidence, the investigator seeks items that would be present at the crime scene. Physical or testimonial evidence collected at a scene may be used to prove whether or not a crime actually occurred, tie a person to the scene or to a victim, determine key elements of the incident or crime scene, possibly identify the victim or a suspect or group of suspects, uncover physical evidence that corroborates the testimony of an eyewitness, or identify evidence that clears people and shows they were not involved. When processing a crime scene, there are a series of steps that must be followed for this evidence to be uncovered, and for any recovered evidence to remain untainted, and admissible later in court if needed (Newman, 2007).

The very first step to an investigation is securing the crime scene. Best practice for securing a crime scene calls for the creation of three levels of access perimeter, one to keep bystanders at a safe distance and prevent destruction of evidence, one inner lever for the command post for the investigators conducting the search, and lastly the crime scene (Byrd, 2000). The first step after the crime scene is secured is for the investigator to conduct a walkthrough of the scene to create a plan of investigation. Not everything within a crime scene will be useful to an investigator, so an organized search to uncover and catalog probable evidence should be conducted first. The search should be conducted in a methodical manner to prevent critical evidence from being missed, and to plan the order of evidence collection. Fingerprin...

... middle of paper ...

...s been completed. The last step in the evidence collection process for the investigator is releasing the scene to the location’s owners once the final survey and scene debriefing is done. Anything removed from the site should be recorded on an inventory list provided to the owners. Every item on the list should be accompanied by a receipt and chain of custody information. The risk to the investigating team is that once a scene has been released, the team may not be able to enter the scene again without going to court to obtain a warrant (Newman, 2007).

Works Cited

Byrd, M. (2000, March 2). Duty description for the crime scene investigator. Retrieved from http://www.crime-scene-investigator.net/dutydescription.html

Newman, R.C. (2007).Computer Forensics: Evidence Collection and Management. Auerbach

Publications: Taylor and Francis Group.