Elements Of Crime Scene Investigation

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According to Bertino and Bertino (2012) there are seven components of any crime scene investigation:
Maximizing safety and securing the scene: Usually the police are the first to arrive at any crime scene and are therefore referred to as the ‘first responders’. The crime scene is dynamic and ever changing. It is therefore the actions of the first responder which will ultimately dictate whether the crime will be successfully solved or not. There are two primary tasks of the first responding officer. Firstly, the first-responding police officer’s duty is to ensure the safety and security of all individuals in the area (including victims, witnesses, officers, bystanders and others). The area needs to be scanned for any kind of danger (e.g., hazardous …show more content…

Separating these witnesses so that they do not communicate with each other in any way is the next step. There have been many studies which indicate that eyewitnesses’ memories may change if they are allowed to speak to each other. Co-witnesses may be influenced and influence each other in myriad ways. In one study it was found that errors made by one witness were incorporated in the accounts of another witness (Wright et al, 2009). Memon and Wright (1999) cite the famous case of Oklahama City bombing. There were three witnesses when Timothy McVeigh rented the truck used in the bombing. At first the two witnesses thought McVeigh had been alone. However, subsequent to talking about this with a third witness who believed that there had been an accomplice, the first two witnesses too came to believe that there had been an accomplice of McVeigh. The FBI now thinks this "accomplice" was an innocent individual who rented a different truck the following …show more content…

It is very essential that the chain of custody be kept intact. Once the evidence has been discovered and catalogued, every person who is the next custodian of the evidence (i.e. is a part of the chain of custody) needs to sign it and is responsible for maintain the integrity of the evidence. The chain of custody may for e.g. begin with the officer who found the evidence, to the lab technician, and so on. Maintaining the chain of custody is of paramount