Evidence
What is the most important step in protecting evidence from being destroyed or altered?
Securing the crime scene
During nighttime: outdoor scenes should be
taped off and left undisturbed: guarded until daylight
During the _____, a lead investigator gains an overview of the situation and begins to develop a strategy to examine the scene.
Walk Through
After arriving on the scene, first responders should _____.
Determine if the area is safe from any remaining perpetrators
In a _____ search pattern, one or two investigators start at one end of a scene’s boundary and walk straight across to the other side, repeating this a little further along the boundary until the area has been covered.
Line/Strip
Why would a first-responder want to exclude family and friends of the victim from a crime scene
To keep evidence from being tampered with
A _____ is where investigators would most likely give or receive assignments and discuss any details or questions about a crime.
Command center
Which term refers to the area where an occurrence, such as a shooting, burglary, or rape initially occurred?
Primary scene
Even though all unauthorized personnel are not admitted to the scene, a very accurate ____________ must be kept of those who do enter and exit the scene and the time at which they do so.
log
The _____ search pattern usually involves only one person who moves in an inward circular fashion toward the center of an area, or an outward circular fashion toward the boundaries of an area.
Spiral
Use of _____ is the best way to establish the visual boundaries of a crime scene.
Crime Scene Tape
Why is it important to use the line/strip search pattern for areas with well-established boundaries?
To avoid missing evidence that could exist outside of the search area
Why do investigators use numbered reflective markers during the walk-through as they survey the scene?
To indicate the presence of difficult-to-observe evidence
The investigator must _________________________ any evidence found at the crime scene.
document and photograph
In a _____ search pattern, two people perform a line search that begins from adjacent corners while they intersect lines with one another.
Grid
What are the three factors that determine how one carries out a crime-scene search?
The locale
The size of the area
The actions of the suspect(s) and victim(s) at the scene.
Which 2 patterns are best suited for scenes that cover a large area?
Quadrant/Zone
The first step in a walkthrough is to establish the
perpetrators path of entry/exit
How does an investigator treat fragile evidence found at the crime scene
Secure or tag it for a search team
What search patterns can be performed effectively by one person?
Line, Spiral
Describe the steps the crime scene investigation team takes during its final survey of the crime scene.
Team makes a visual overview of all parts of the scene, takes an inventory of evidence collected so nothing is lost or left behind, retrieves equipment, verifies that any threats to health or safety at the scene have been dealt with properly
Describe the basic functions of a command center. What kind of equipment must a command center contain?
Place where members of the investigation team receive their assignments, store equipment and can meet to talk about all aspects of the case. Center of communication between investigators and multiple crime scenes; Must contain basic needed equipment to photograph, sketch, process, and collect evidence
Describe three steps investigators typically take to control access to the crime scene
1- Establish boundaries of the crime scene
2- Prevent unauthorized access to the crime scene
3- Keep accurate log of everyone who enters/leaves crime scene
List 2 possible consequences of failure to protect a crime scene properly
May result in the destruction or altering of evidence, or hinder the search for the perpetrator by misleading investigators about the true facts of an incident
The crime scene officially ends when the lead investigator:
Determines that all pertinent evidence has been located to the best of the teams ability