CRIME SCENE SEARCH

CRIME SCENE- Is the place wherethe essential

ingredients of the criminal act took place, and
this also includes the setting of the crime and
the adjoining places of entry and exit of both
offender and victim.

LIMITS OF THE CRIME SCENE- The crime scene

encompasses all areas over which the actors-
victim, criminal and eyewitness-moved during
the commission of crime. Usually, it is one,
readily defined area of limited size, but
 PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS
Before treating the crime scene search itself, it is
profitable to consider the actions and duties of
the investigator on first arriving at the crime
scene. The ff. measures or steps are ordinarily
found necessary.

1) Identify and, if possible, retain for questioning

the person who first notified the police.
2) Determine the perpetrator by direct inquiry
or observation if his identity is immediately
apparent.
5) Safeguard the area by issuing appropriate
orders and physical isolating it by establishing the
"police lines".
6) Subsequently permit only authorized persons
to enter the area.
7) Separate the witness so as to obtain
independent statements.
8) Do not touch or move any object.

9) Definitely assign the duties of the search if

assistants are present.
 PROTECTING THE CRIME SCENE
First step in the crime scene search is the
preservation of its original condition. Protecting
the crime scene means protecting all physical
evidence and clue materials, visible and latent,
from mutilation, alteration, and contamination by
foreign elements for as long as these have not yet
been recorded, photographed and sketched.
SECURING THE CRIME SCENE
To avoid contamination of the crime scene, and
to gain the greatest possibility of documenting
the original condition of the crime scene, the
exert maximum effort in securing the crime
scene. Such an effort requires continuous
attention and cannot be succusful if a haphazard
approach to the crime scene is used. It is
necessary to think of the concepts of "securing
the crime scene" and "protecting the crime
scene" as seperate, but interrelated duties.
CONTROLLING DISINTERESTED PERSONS AT THE
CRIME SCENE
It is important that persons having no interest in
the conduct of investigation or those who in no
way are connected with the crime must definitely
people having access to the crime scene, the
greater the possibility that important physical
evidence and clue materials will be destroyed or
the crime scene disturbed.
ARRIVAL OF THE INVESTIGATOR
Upon arrival at the crime scene, the investigator
must note the following details:
1) Who made the notification, the time of arrival,
and how long it took to respond.
2) The weather condtion and visibility.
3) The names of persons at the crime scene. In
particular, the names of those who already went
through the scene or may be part of it.
4) The facts of the case as ascertained by the first
responders at the scene.
5) Actions taken by the uniformed officer at the
crime scene who was incharge up to that point.
ASSIGNMENT OF DUTIES
For a full discussion of the crime scene search,
optimum personnel conditions must be assumed.
As a matter of common experience, however, the
investigator will frequently find that he must
perform all of the crime scene duties without
assistance.
1) Officer-in-charge
Directs search, assigns duties, and assumes
responsibility for the effectiveness of the search.
2)Assistant officer-in-charge
Implements the directions of the officer-in-
charge.
3) Photographer
Photograps the crime scene and individual places
of evidence as they are discovered.
4)Sketcher
Makes a rough sketch of the crime scene and
later finished sketch.
5) Master Note Taker
Writes down in short hand the observations and
description given by the others, and notes the
time of discovery and the identity of the finder.
Maintains an orderly log of the proceedings.
6) Evidence Man
Collects, preserves, and tags articles of evidence,
and maintains custodyof evidence.
7)Measurer
Makes overall measurements of the crime scene
and locates by a coordinate system or otherwise
each article of evidence and each significant
 THE CRIME SCENE SEARCH
In gathering the evidence, some principle of
selection must be employed, since the
indiscriminate collection of clue materials is an
unscientific procedure which may lead to serious
ommissions. As a basic guide, the investigator
should look upon the evidence as serving to
establish one or more of the following.

1)The fact that the crime was committed;

2) The method of operation of the perpetrator;
and
 PURPOSE OF THE CRIME SCENE SEARCH
To understand the many precepts imposed on
police behavior at the crime scene, one must be
aware of the reasons for initially making a
thorough search. First, there is the steadfast rule
that nothing be disturbed, moved, touched, or
stepped on before the crime scene is recorded. It
is based on the possibility that the accounts given
by the witnesses, suspects, and even victims will
need to be checked out.
PRELIMINARY CRIME SCENE SURVEY
At this stage of the investigation, prohibitions and
must initially restrain himself from taking physical
action. The natural inclination is to form a quick
opinion of what happened and endeavor to verify
it by physically examining various articles.
SPECIFIC PURPOSE OF PRELIMINARY CRIME
SCENE SURVEY
The preliminary crime scene survey is a stage of
crime scene search in which the basic foundation
for management. Organization, and logistics is
developed to suit the needs of a particular crime
scene. The most significant specific purposes of
the preliminary crime scene survey are as
1) To establish administrative and operational
control;
2) To delineate the extent of the crime scene
area;
3) To organize the methods and procedures
needed in the conduct of the crime scene search;
4) To determine manpower and equipment
needs;
5) To develop a general theory of the crime;
6) To identify and protect transient physical
evidence and clue materials; and
7) To prepare a narrative description of the crime
 INITIAL WALK-THROUGH OF THE CRIME SCENE
The process of descovery begins after the
complainant has been questoned. When
information is not otherwise available, the
investigator's experience is put to use in forming
a general impression of what happened and
where to look for physical evidence. The search
should include:

1) The most probable acces and escape

routes.When fleeing the scene, some criminals
deliberately discard a weapon or tool, or, on
2) Any area where the perpetrator waited before
committing the crime. Thieves gain entrance to a
building just before closing time, then wait until it
has been vacated. Killers or robbersand thieves
also wait in ambush for their victims.
3) The point of entry to the premises.
4) The route used within the premises where
signs of the perpetrators activity-such as objects
which have been moved or places broken into-
are apparent.
5) Any objects which seem to have recieved
attention from the criminal, such as safe.
6) Some unusual places where evidence might be
found include the following:
a) Refrigerator with half eaten food and latent
fingerprints on handle:
b) Bathroom with fingerprints and hair on the
toilet seat and trash can.
METHODS OF CONDUCTING CRIME SCENE
SEARCH
If the crime scene is indoors, the search plan will
naturally be dictated by the size of the room and
its contents. The unlimited variety of indoor
situations precludes systematic discussion.
selected to suit the terrain. The choice of method
is not too important, since the essential elements
of succes in implementing any of the suggested
schemes are the alertness, knowledge, and
experience of the participating investigators.
1) Strip Method
In this method, the area is blocked out in the
form of the rectangle. The three searchers A, B,
and C proceed slowly at the same pace along a
path parallel to one side of the rectangle.
2) Double Strip Method or Grid method
This is the modification of the stip method. Here,
and then parallel to a side.
3) Spiral Method
The three searchers follow each other along the
path of a spiral, beginning from the outside and
spiraling in toward the center.
4) Zone method
One searcher is assigned to each subdivision of
a quadrant. depending on the size of the area,
each quadrant is cut into another set of
quadrants.
THANK YOU & GOOD DAY