CRIME SCENCE

INVESTIGATION AND
RECONSTRUCTION
CHAPTER 3
Lesson 1: Procedures in Criminal
Investigation
Lesson Objectives:

 Discuss the procedures in criminal investigation;

 Explain the process how the crime reaches the attention of the police;
 Explain the responsibility of the first responder upon reaching the crime scene;
 Discuss the job of the investigating team; and
 Discuss the basic priorities in criminal investigation.
 As a general rule, all crime scene investigation must be done by the police station who
has the territorial jurisdiction of the crime incident unless otherwise specified by higher
authorities to be investigated by some other unit or agencies and must be recorded in the
official police blotter.

Police Station refers to the office of local police that

has jurisdiction within the area and exercises control
over the community and persons movement by
enforcing the laws necessary for the maintenance of
peace and order.

Territorial Jurisdiction means that the crime

incident happened within the area or place that a
certain police station holds or covers.
 Refers to the PLACE where
crime took place

Illustration:

CrimeA Scene vs Crime Incident

committed murder (Crime Incident) in the house (Crime Scene) of B

Refers to the OCCURRENCE

of a certain crime
 In the process of investigation, crime scene must be preserved as it contains the essential
ingredients surrounding the commission of the crime. On the other hand, crime incident must be
established as it will guide investigators in filing the proper charge.

In what way are police officers be notified in the

event that a crime happened?

In the event that a crime happens, it reaches the attention of the police through:
1. A concerned citizen who witnessed the crime incident;
2. An accidental discovery of some citizen; or
3. The action itself of the police in patrol.
 Those who are in patrol are commonly regarded a the first responder as they are those
who are employed in the community with the end of purpose of crime prevention. As
part of their duties, first responder must do the following:

1. Proceed to crime scene and validate information regarding crime incident;

2. Record all relevant facts and the time of arrival at the crime scene;
3. Cordon the are, meaning isolate the place so that unauthorized persons cannot enter the scene or
the suspect cannot destroy the evidence.
4. Identify possible witness an do the preliminary interview id feasible;
5. Arrest suspect/s if they are around or recommend for the conduct of dragnet operation which
pertains to an operation conducted to seal off possible exits of the suspect/s;
6. Be ready to take dying declaration of injured person. A dying declaration is a statement made by a
person who is under the impending death in which such declaration is related to the facts in which
the person is competent to testify;
7. Evacuate wounded person and/or account killed, wounded or arrested person;
8. Conduct initial investigation and briefing of investigator case (IOC) upon his arrival at the
scene; and
9. Conduct initial inventory of all possible evidence at the crime scene which must be signed
by him, the SOCO and by the investigator.
Investigating Team

Refers to the group of police personnel charged with the investigation and processing of the
crime scene which include but not limited to the search, collection, marking, tagging,
preservation and transfer of evidence.

Investigating team is composed of the following:

 The team leader
 Investigator
 Photographer
 Evidence custodian; and
 Artist
 Investigative Procedure/s

 Record the date and time of arrival as well as other important details in the crime scene;

 Photograph and video of the crime scene;

 Arrest of suspect/s if their identity is apparent; and

 Separate possible witness to get their individual accounts.

Lesson 2: Crime Scene Processing

Lesson Objectives:

 Discuss the method of search;

 Explain the purpose of the marking, tagging, and collection of evidence;
 Discuss the importance of photographing the crime scene;
 Discuss the rules in sketching crime scene;
 Illustrate the process of evaluating, preserving and releasing of evidence;
 Explain the proper chain of custody an transmittal to crime laboratory; and
 Illustrate the proper releasing of the crime scene.
 It is true that the investigating team must give priority to the human life, nevertheless, they must exhaust
whatever means to secure and preserve the crime scene for it contains all the necessary ingredients for the
prosecution of the case. As such, they must reconsider the necessary steps in order to collect all available
evidence and maintain the integrity of the crime scene by remembering “MAC” rule.

TRANSIENT EVIDENCE – evidence which when not collected at

appropriate time may diminish or loss its value such as urine, blood,
semen, etc. CONTAMINATE
MUTILATE ALTER

Do not remove anything Do not change anything in

Do not add anything to the
fro the crime scene the crime scene
crime scene
FRAGILE EVIDENCE – evidence which may be broke if collected
inattentively.
 Methods of Search
Method of search is defined as the systematic procedure employed by the investigating team in order to
recognize, collect and preserve the evidence or any object/s found in the crime scene that has a logical
connection to the case.

METHODS:

Strip Method Double Strip Method Spiral Search Method

Zone Search Method Wheel Search Method

 STRIP METHOD

 The strip method requires that crime scene personnel walk a path from

one end of the crime scene, over to the other side of the room or area,
and then return in the direction from which he or she first started.
Every lap brings the investigator closer to the center of the room or
space being searched. The appearance is similar to someone swimming
laps in a pool. 
 DOUBLE STRIP/GRID
METHOD
Is almost similar with strip method. As the term suggests, “double”
meaning after the entire area is done searching using strip method, the
searcher will again start another process but this time at the other side at
right angles from where you started.
SPIRAL METHOD

Is done when the area to be searched is circular in nature. The searcher

may start either from the center or outside although commonly
searcher usually starts from the outside following a circular shape until
they finish searching the entire area.
WHEEL METHOD

Is also applicable in circular areas similar to the spiral method.

However, the searcher starts in the center and is best applied when
there are plenty of searchers. From the center, they follow a straight
path toward outside unlike in radial that they follow a circular pattern.
Radial Method:
ZONE METHOD

Is best applicable in crime scene covering a wider range. In this

method, the crime scene is divided into four quadrants and the searcher
may select what type of search should be done in each quadrant. It
could be either be strip, double strip, radial, wheel or zone method.
 Marking, Tagging and Collection of
Evidence
Marking of Evidence
Refers to the process of identifying and recognizing any objects in the crime scene by way of placing the
letter symbol or number

Tagging of Evidence
Collection of Evidence
Is the process of labelling the physical
Refers to the actual gathering and
evidence by way of placing the
lifting of evidence from the crime
appropriate evidence tag containing
scene to the custody of the appropriate
the description of the item, the date
office.
and the initial of the collecting officer.
 Photographing the Crime Scene
Photographs should depict the actual scenario of the crime scene and portray the
proper placement of the individual evidence.

All individual evidences must be shown in the sketch with precise measurement.

Investigators Notebook refers to the pad of paper such as work pad, tickler, or
notepad and the like which is used to remember the details regarding the commission
of the crime and in any manner aids the investigator in refreshing his memory to
recall matters related to the case under investigation.
 In taking photographs, investigating team must consider the following
angle/views to properly appreciable the crime scene such as:

1. GENERAL VIEW - these are taken outside of the crime scene purposely to show location,
direction and the place of crime incident.
2. MEDIUM VIEW – these shots are taken to show the different divisions of the crime scene as
this medium will allow investigators to clearly see the nature of the crime committed.
 CLOSE-UP VIEW – these shots are done to individual evidence to show what constitutes the
crime and how it was committed.
Guidelines in taking Photographs

1. Take overall photos of the scene which includes street signs, areas, streetlights, location
near the crime scene, and any identifying objects;
2. Picture of every room must be taken though they are not apparently connected to the
crime scene;
3. Photograph must be taken from at least 2 opposite corners but 4 corners is better;
4. If possible, take photos from above or ceiling to avoid the possibility of missing any
evidence; and
5. Keep a photo log during crime scene processing.
 Sketching the Crime Scene
ELEMENTS OF SKETCH:

1. Title – basic information regarding the case such as the nature of the crime, the time and date of
incident and the location of the crime.
2. Measurement – this pertains to the dimension and the distance of the relative object to one
another.
3. Essential Items – these refers to the pieces of physical evidence found at the crime scene.
4. Legend – this refers to the use of words or number to represent an item in the crime scene.
5. Compass Direction – refers to the north direction from when the sketch was drawn
6. Scale of Proportion – is the representation of the sketch to the actual size of the scene.
 Rough Sketch
Is drawn by the artist at the crime scene containing all the necessary details regarding
the crime.

Finished Sketch
Is drawn by the artist for court presentation and is commonly done in the office.
 Type of Sketch
 Floor Plan or Birds Eye View – drawn from above

 Elevation Sketch - drawn to show the given side of an area

 Exploded View Sketch – drawn to show the relationship or order of the whole parts

 Cross Projection Sketch – the ceiling and/or walls are flattened all out in the ground
 Additional Guidelines on Drawing the
Sketch

 Indicate the nature of the crime scene and the place of incident as well as the name
of the persons who prepare and drew it. Use capital letters and numbers are highly
suggested
 CAPITAL LETTERS for basic parts or accessories of the place
 Numbers – for individual evidences
 Indicate the position, location and how objects relate to one another.

 Use standard symbols while sketching

 Use arrow to show the direction and stairways

 Be consistent with the units of measurement such as centimeter, inches,

yard, feet, etc.
Methods of Measuring Individual Evidences
 Rectangular Method – fin fix post at a right angle to serve as the base
 Triangulation Method – find two fix points to the evidence that must
 Evaluation of Evidence

Is the process of assessing the significance of individual evidence that

should be subjected for further examination such as transmittal of firearm
to crime laboratory for ballistics examination or transmittal of electronic
devices such as cellphones or laptops to Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) for
digital examination
 Preservation of Evidence

It refers to the measures employed in order to maintain, protect and safeguard the original
state of physical evidence from the time it was collected up until the time that it will be
released to appropriate personnel.

It is the primary responsibility of the investigator to preserve the evidence until it will be
transferred to the hands of the evidence custodian.

Evidence Custodian- is the person who take charge with the responsibility and control in
handling and disposal of evidence.

Releasing of Evidence – refers to the discharge of individual evidence upon the order of the
court and/or prosecutor
Chain of Custody

Is defined as the transfer of evidence from one person who holds

supervision or care of such evidence to another person from the time it
was gathered at the crime scene up to the time that it will be presented in
court.

It includes the lists of personnel who handled the evidence from

collection until court presentation.
 Standard Procedure in Maintaining the
Chain of Custody

 Proper recording of area or location from which evidence was gathered

 Proper marking of evidence for accurate identification; and

 Completing the evidence submission form for laboratory analysis

Evidence Log – is any material upon which the writing or note taking is done to keep and
maintain the record and disposal of evidence
Release of the Crime Scene

Is defined as the discharge of the crime scene from the custody of

authorized law enforcement officer to the lawful occupant, owner, or
any person who is charged with the responsibility and management of
the place where the crime happened.
1. All physical evidence must be properly marked, tagged and labelled

2. Ensure that proper inventory of all items is done

3. Error should not be entertained as there is only one chance to process the crime scene

4. Release the crime scene only after final survey and proper documentation.

Final Survey – refers to the action taken by the investigating team to ensure that all items have
been gathered which includes the proper documentation of all circumstances under which the
physical evidence was collected.
Lesson 3: Reconstructing the Crime

Lesson Objectives:

 Discuss the purpose of reconstructing the crime;

 Explain how perpetrators commit crime; and

 Discuss the ways of establishing the identity of the suspect.

Crime Scene Reconstruction

Crime scene reconstruction is a method of solving a crime that starts with the
creation of a theory of how it occurred. Deductive reasoning is then used to clarify
and test that theory.
 Stages in Reconstructing the Crime
 Appreciation – is the process of recognizing the potential physical evidence that has or may
have evidential value and separate it from those items which are not significant in the progress
of the investigation.

 Comparison – is the process of comparing groups of standards from the one collected at the
crime scene to establish its identity

 Individualization – this involves the process of establishing the uniqueness of the physical
evidence taken from the crime scene; and

 Reconstruction – is the final stage undertaken in order to fully reconstruct the crime
considering all related factors such as crime scene evaluation, laboratory results, individuality
of physical evidence and other independent information from various sources to provide better
understanding and explanation as to how the crime was committed.
Crime Scene Recreation VS Crime Scene
Reenactment

Crime Scene Recreation – is the process of substituting all necessary items or

actions at the crime scene through the use of what is documented or with the aid of
investigators log.

Crime Scene Reenactment – is the process of reenacting and portraying the crime
incident based on their previous knowledge regarding the event by having the
offender, victim or witness to play such role.
Modus Operandi

Refers to the manner and methods employed or used a well as the

sequence of various actions taken by the perpetrator in committing the
crime

It is otherwise known as the Method of Operation.

 Profiling

Is defined as the psychological process of establishing the

characteristics of the most likely individual who might have committed the
crime based on the evaluation of the crime scene and the placement of
physical evidence.
 Rouges Gallery
refers to the compilations of photographs of known criminals.

Cartographic Sketch
refers to the composite drawing of a suspect’s face done by
an artist
 End of
Chapter 3……..