Chapter 3 - The Crime Scene: Discovery, Preservation, Collection, and Transmission of Evidence

Abstract

This chapter discusses the importance of the crime scene as a source of evidence. The crime scene consists of all areas over which the actors—victim, criminal, and eyewitness—move during the commission of a crime. Although the precise boundary lines of a crime scene are most often well-defined, sometimes they can be in dispute. In the world of cyberspace, the crime scene may be less obvious, and may involve multiple sites and multiple victims. Once position and boundaries of the crime scene are defined, the scene must then be made secure, the physical evidence discovered and collected, and the crime reconstructed (if needed). When searching the crime scene (and afterward), an investigator's observations and interviews might develop intangible evidence. The crime scene provides the major opportunity to locate physical evidence. The initial response should be regarded as the only chance to recognize, record, and collect physical evidence. To understand the numerous precepts imposed on police behavior at a crime scene, one must be aware of the reasons for conducting a search. The most common reason is to develop associative evidence—that is, to find evidence that could link a suspect to the crime or the victim.