SUBJECT FORENSIC SCIENCE

Paper No. and Title PAPER No.1: General Forensic Science

Module No. and Title MODULE No.16: Stages in Crime Scene Investigation - I

Module Tag FSC_P1_M16

FORENSIC SCIENCE PAPER No.1: General Forensic Science

MODULE No.16: Stages in Crime Scene Investigation - I
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Learning Outcomes
2. Introduction
3. Aim of Scientific Investigation
4. Various Stages in Physical Evidence Analysis

1. Protection of crime scene

2. Recognition of evidence
3. Searching of evidence
4. Common Search Pattern

5. Summary

FORENSIC SCIENCE PAPER No.1: General Forensic Science

MODULE No.16: Stages in Crime Scene Investigation - I
 1. Learning Outcomes
After studying this module, you shall be able to know about -

 The different ways in which science can contribute in resolving the legal issues in
both the criminal and civil cases
 The approach to develop awareness about the various stages of crime scene
investigation.
 The importance of protection of crime scene and physical evidence in context to
their recognition and searching at any crime scene before documentation.

2. Introduction
As we all are aware that crime scene is a place where actually any unlawful act has taken
place and is always unique. So there can’t be any single right way to process every crime
scene. Each scene has to be evaluated individually. There are no hard-and-fast rules for
successful crime-scene processing. There is a need to have flexible approach to crime-
scene processing. Nothing can substitute for experience.

3. Aim of Scientific Investigation

Crime scene investigation works on two important factors i.e. logic and feasibility.
Processing a crime scene is a tedious job that involves logic how event might have taken
place and then feasibility of that event is checked. Once these two issues have been
resolved, then it is followed by recognition and thorough search for any left out physical
evidences take place. The collected physical evidences packaged properly at the scene
and sent to the forensic science laboratory along with the list of requirements for
scientific analyses in the laboratory. These scientific opinions not only help us in
reducing our dependence on witnesses to minimum, but also link the suspect and victim
with each other and with the scene of crime. In all the crime cases victim and the crime
scene is mostly known or available and the only missing link is the suspect/criminal, who
has committed the crime. So, finally identification of the suspect is required with the help
of physical evidences lying with the victim and the crime scene or some time with
suspected person also. To achieve the above said aim the crime scene processing has to
pass through a number of stages.

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MODULE No.16: Stages in Crime Scene Investigation - I
 4. Various Stages in Physical Evidence Analysis

Analysis of physical evidences can be divided into two major stages. The first stage is
Crime Scene Investigation i.e. the investigation start from the crime scene, which is a
meeting place of the persons involved in the commission of crime and where the
exchange of traces takes place. The physical evidences originated from crime scene
required to be recognized, documented, collected and packaged.

After that the second stage started which is a ‘Laboratory investigation’, where all the
evidences collected from crime scene are sent to be analyzed scientifically according to
the requirement of the investigating officer and report is prepared. Finally that report is
presented before the court of law to take final decision in that particular case based on the
scientific outcome.

So for conducting a successful crime investigation, whole process can be divided into
following series of stages:

1. Protection of crime scene

2. Recognition of evidence
3. Searching of evidence
4. Documentation of crime scene and evidences
5. Collection of Evidence
6. Marking of Evidence
7. Packaging of Evidence
8. Analysis of Evidence
9. Interpretation of results and
10. Reporting of results and expert testimony

All of these stages are important. The actions taken at the earlier stages determine the
quality or success of the final outcome. Discussions on these stages also points out
differences between the traditional science and science of forensic.

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MODULE No.16: Stages in Crime Scene Investigation - I
 1. Protection of Crime Scene:

As soon as the information reaches the police station, the police have to perform two
most important duties:

First, sending the police staff to the crime scene and protect it at the earliest so that
access to it is strictly limited and Second, informing senior officers (including the
Forensic science team) about the crime. Certain problems, however, remain and serious
mistakes are commonly made at the first stage. Such mistakes are often irreversible and
have potential to compromise or spoil an investigation, jeopardize a prosecution, or
effectively deny a defendant due process. Of course, perfection in any other human effort
is never guaranteed. However, investigators must develop a habit to learn from their
mistakes of the past and make every effort for continuous improvement.

Duty of the first officer is not to allow unauthorized personnel to enter the scene, after the
scene has been secured. This makes sense but this important rule is often ignored or
sidestepped during practice. The scene can be considered secured only when it has been
ascertained that suspect/s, witnesses, and living victims have been removed, and an
adequate staff has been deployed to safeguard it. It is also clear that the search for a
suspect or the victim must take precedence over physical evidence concerns for the
moment. In fact, these activities should be carefully monitored and recorded by the first
officer or any other responsible individual present. Seemingly, insignificant details such
as initial positions of furniture, doors, windows, and light switches and any subsequent
alterations of these needs to be noted and documented carefully.

The body may not be removed rather left undisturbed until the scene has been finally
processed and thoroughly documented. Essential evidences on the body or information
regarding its relation to the scene may be lost if attempted to remove in haste. Of course,
if there is any chance that the victim is still alive, medical aid by a medical professional is
certainly necessary and should be arranged urgently at the earliest.

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 Those admitted to the scene after it has been secured should only be those persons who
are capable of making a contribution to the investigation and whose presence is actually
required. This means that the simply curious among the detectives and police officers, the
members of the public and the press should not be allowed as for as possible. This might
be difficult at times. But such exclusion is more readily accomplished in those depart-
ments where a clearly enunciated policy and is firmly enforced. If the department's
policies are unclear or not enforced, it becomes embarrassing for the officer in charge of
the scene to exclude influential politicians or high-rank individuals. However, even in
these situations some fairly effective tactics can be adopted and utilized. These tactics
will serve dual purposes.

The first of these is to discourage entry by nonessential personnel rather than

confrontation risk in attempting to prohibit it. This eases the burden on the first officer in
charge. The second purpose is to minimize the damage caused by the entry of these
crucial officials. Several inmates have an almost irresistible urge to clean up a disorderly
office or residence, where the crime has been committed. It is not unusual to find
secretaries, housewives, maids cleaning up a crime scene when the police reach at the
scene. This can’t be allowed to continue. At this point, it is duty of the first officer to
document what has been done and elicit as much information as possible about the
conditions existing preceding to the cleanup, in addition to putting an end to the cleanup
and rearranging.

The suspect should not be led back to or in any case be allowed to enter the scene.
Otherwise it would compromise evidences that might be developed later to associate the
suspect with the scene and that could also be used to great advantage by a defense
attorney.

The first officer's responsibilities end once he hands over the control of the crime scene to
the investigating officer along with the important information available with him about
crime. But to maintain continuity, the presence of first officer at the scene is necessary
during the entire investigation.

Some times in certain cases, the results of the laboratory are not conclusive, that may be
because of the carelessness either in protecting the crime scene or recognition of proper
evidences. The exclusion of a particular suspect is also a useful result.

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MODULE No.16: Stages in Crime Scene Investigation - I
 The investigator has to be very meticulous and vigilant in assuming that everything is
significant and protect the scene accordingly. There are many cases in which seemingly
unimportant evidence gains importance as the investigation proceeds. It is very
unfortunate if such evidences are destroyed or neglected before its importance is
recognized.

2. Recognition of Evidence:

As soon as the scientific team reaches at the scene, their most important duty is to
observe the crime scene and start recognizing searching the evidences present at the
scene. Recognition of evidence is in fact, one of the complex and difficult job for the
investigator, for which no set of rules have been framed. As there is no single approach or
procedure enables the scientist to recognize evidences. This ability develops only with
training and experience of the investigator. But investigator has to remember that he has
only one chance to visit and properly examine the crime scene

The crime-scene investigator must be able to differentiate the significant and relevant
evidence from insignificant and irrelevant articles that may be present at the scene. Since
every case is different and unique, what is insignificant in one case may prove to be
crucial for another case. This places difficult demands on the investigator. Crime scenes
experience and knowledge about what can be done in the laboratory help the investigator
to conduct useful and successful investigation at the scene. Careful observations and
adequate time be devoted to this duty. As long as proper precautions regarding possible
perishable evidence are being observed, the job should not be rushed.

The important for investigator is to take his or her time and think about the relationship to
the act under investigation, so that significant evidence must be recognized. Mental
reconstructions greatly facilitate recognition of such relationships.

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MODULE No.16: Stages in Crime Scene Investigation - I
 Recognition of evidence extends into the laboratory investigation. There is a need to have
good communication between field investigators and laboratory investigators which may
result in important evidence being recognized, collected and submitted to the laboratory.
A scientist knowledgeable about details of a case can be far more effective than acting
solely in response to a routine request for analysis. If the right questions are posed to the
laboratory investigator, the most useful answers will be imminent. Comprehensive
documentation techniques are most effective in helping to communicate details of a case
to the scientist who is unable to be at the crime scene.

3. Search of Evidences:

Searching and collection of evidences at crime scene are backbone of any criminal
investigation. The primary purpose of a crime scene search is to search for associative
evidences to develop a link between a suspect and a victim with each other and with the
scene of crime and become capable to answer the following crucial questions, such as:

 Who perpetrated the crime?

 How the crime was committed?
 Why the crime was committed? and
 Which circumstances led to commission of crime?

In the recognition phase chances are always there that some of the evidence could not be
recognized. But the mental reconstruction or according to the available information
during the recognition phase may imply that certain items are missing and need to be
sought. Examples of these items in the form of evidences can be weapons, tools, and
expended cartridge cases etc. Such searches may also be prompted by either information
obtained from preliminary reports from the medical examiner or from witnesses/viewers.
Another type of evidences includes broken fragments of glass having potential of
physical matching. A search and examination for these types of evidences become
important on the spot.

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MODULE No.16: Stages in Crime Scene Investigation - I
 Scientists can’t complete an extensive search and then think of something else to seek,
particularly when he is looking for some evidences based on information received and
mental reconstruction. This would be a waste of time and worker resources on one hand
and worse part is that the desired evidence might be destroyed during the process. Careful
instructions must be given to the auxiliary searchers as what to do and what not to do.

Mostly the large-scale search operations have normally been carried out by a small
number of knowledgeable and skilled personnel. It is extremely imperative for the
investigator to decide and use an appropriate search patterns to conduct an effective and
successful investigation while processing a crime scene. This will be of great support in
searching evidences at the crime scene thoroughly.

4. Common Search Patterns:

Several different search patterns have been recommended, some of which are commonly
used are as follows:

 Spiral
 Grid
 Strip
 Quadrant or Zone patterns

The decision as to which of the particular method is to be followed depends mostly on the
nature of the crime scene. But whatever specific search pattern may be selected, the
objective remains the same i.e. the search must be conducted in a logical, systematic,
thorough and methodical manner.

 Strip Search: Also called Line search method, which is used by one or two
investigators by walking in straight lines across the crime scene as shown in fig-1.
 Grid Search: In this method search is conducted by two or more people
overlapping separate line searches forming a grid as shown in fig-2.
 Quadrant/zone Search: Another search method in which the crime scene can be
divided into smaller zones or quadrants according to the convenience and team
members are assigned to search each section thoroughly as shown in fig-3.

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  Spiral Search: In this method the investigator move either from an inward spiral
to periphery or from periphery to the central spiral as shown in fig-4.

The initial survey of every crime scene can be carried out by the lead investigator by
walk-through the crime scene to get an overview and formulate a plan for processing the
scene.

Practically, a strip or grid search method is mainly used. Depending upon the outdoor
scenes, the search may be required to be conducted along the pathway by using any of the
above method. In indoor scene particularly where area is bigger such as in factories, it
may not be practical to search the entire premises. Instead, attention must be focused on
points of entry and exit and target areas like a safe or vault etc. The investigator is the
best judge to select an appropriate method to search for evidences and should also
thoroughly check the likely paths taken and means of transportation used by the criminals
between these areas. For example scenes of suspected arson which are somewhat like
other indoor crime scenes, especially if the suspect enter the crime scene by breaking.
There is a need to search for a cause and its origin. Specific points concerning tracing fire
patterns to their origins and the search for accelerants and incendiary devices become
important to be searched.

Fig-1 Strip Method

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MODULE No.16: Stages in Crime Scene Investigation - I
 Fig-2 Grid Method

Fig-3 Quadrant or Zone Method

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 Fig-4 Spiral Method

It is also important and relevant to search a suspected person for useful physical
evidences particularly in sex or other crimes where contact with the victim is required to
establish. Hairs and fibers should be searched.

5. Summary

 The collected physical evidences packaged properly at the scene and sent to the
forensic science laboratory along with the list of requirements for scientific analyses
in the laboratory.

 In ‘Laboratory investigation’, all the evidences collected from crime scene are sent to
be analyzed scientifically according to the requirement of the investigating officer
and report is prepared.

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MODULE No.16: Stages in Crime Scene Investigation - I
  Those admitted to the scene after it has been secured should only be those persons
who are capable of making a contribution to the investigation and whose presence is
actually required. This means that the simply curious among the detectives and police
officers, the members of the public and the press should not be allowed as far as
possible.

 Searching and collection of evidences at crime scene are backbone of any criminal
investigation. The primary purpose of a crime scene search is to search for associative
evidences to develop a link between a suspect and a victim with each other.

FORENSIC SCIENCE PAPER No.1: General Forensic Science

MODULE No.16: Stages in Crime Scene Investigation - I