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The Crime Scene and Evidence Blog

I have learned a lot about crime scene management and evidence collection. For one thing, I have learned all of the steps that go into managing the scene. The very first thing is safety. The police officer who first arrives will make sure that any victims are okay, confirm the person is dead (if there is a body), and secure any suspects that are still at the scene. Next it is important for the crime scene to be secured, and its surrounding area. Securing the crime scene and some extra surrounding area  is important so that none of the evidence gets tampered with, and securing extra area is important in case there is any evidence beyond where the crime actually happened.

After making sure that everyone is okay and everything is secure, it is now time to start collecting physical evidence. Photos and videos are taken of the whole crime scene so that the location of everything and what it looked like can be recorded and looked back at. If there is a body, it will be examined as to how the person may have died. One important thing that is observed is hypostasis. This is when the body gets red after death. The redness occurs at where ever the part of the body that was facing down when the person dies was, and the red blood cells collect at the bottom. Hypostasis can show the position that the person was in when he or she died. This can let investigators know if the body has been moved since he or she died, because they can see where the hypostasis occurred.

Investigators also collect DNA samples and fingerprint samples. These are both useful when identifying the victims or possible suspects. These are vital as to knowing who has been at the crime scene. The science doesn’t lie, so they both are a lot more reliable and useful than any witnesses. Fingerprints can be found wherever the person touched. DNA samples can be as simple as cheek cells from where the person spoke, hair, sweat, saliva, or where they touched.

Although all of the steps to managing a crime scene are vital, I think that some of the most important steps are securing off a large area and taking photographs. Securing off a large area allows for any evidence that may not be spotted yet and is not in the direct scene of the crime, to be secured and observed. This evidence can be found later, and not tampered with, if a large area has been secured. I think that taking photographs is also very important because it allows everything to be recorded the way that it was. Knowing exactly where everything was can be very useful when solving a crime, such as knowing the position of the body. Once the crime scene is cleared the only way to see where everything was is by looking at photographs, so have many pictures at many angles is vital.

Evidence is what leads to finding the suspect, and eventually to conviction. Therefore, getting good evidence is key. The best way to do this is by securing the scene and taking good observations and collecting as much physical evidence as possible. The guidelines for managing a crime scene are in place because they work. They allow all evidence to be collected correctly. Analyzing a crime scene correctly is the most important thing when solving a crime.

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