The Importance Of Crime Scene Investigation

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On December 26, 1996, the body of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was discovered by her father John Ramsey in the basement of their Boulder Colorado home. Twenty-one years later this case has still not been solved. The reason this case has gone cold is due to the lack of the Boulder Police Department who allowed individuals to walk the scene in which became tampered and contaminated. Casarez (2016). This is why it is important for investigators to protect the crime scene in order to avoid contaminating it. Collecting and preserving evidence is crucial in all crime scene investigations. In order to successfully collect evidence investigators must ensure that the scene is protected at all times. This begins with the arrival of the…show more content…
interviewing witnesses are also important because they can provide a lot of information that can help detectives solve the case. Examining the crime scene for potential evidence and getting a general layout of the crime scene is also an important aspect of processing the crime scene. Photographs are yet another step that must be taken in the process. A lot of photos must be taken of the crime scene and different angles must also be taken when photographing the scene. Sketching the crime scene is another step that investigators take when processing a crime scene. Sketches are helpful in dictating the actual position of a deceased victim (Baldwin, n.d). This is needed for when the body is removed from the scene, investigators will know exactly the location and position it was in prior to removal. Finally processing the scene for physical evidence and to send out to the crime laboratory for further analysis is one of the most important aspects of processing a crime scene. If evidence is missed this can affect the case if taken to…show more content…
Videotaping can help give a better view of the scene more than photographs and sketches are able to give. Still photography is also important in documenting the scene. Also if and when videotaping is not available then still photography should be the first option chosen for documenting the crime. Once the crime scene has been thoroughly documented the next step would be to collect and process the evidence found. A first priority should be given in collecting the most fragile and easily lost evidence such as hair and fibers; this is because if these items are not collected first they run the risk of getting lost during the process due to how little and barely visible they are. Attention should also be given to objects that must be moved for whatever reason. Every item collected should be packaged in special containers, envelopes, or paper bags. Items containing liquid must be packaged in non-breakable, leak-proof containers. Moist or wet evidence that contains blood, semen, or other bodily fluids should be packaged in plastic containers. This type of evidence should not be kept there for more than two hours. This is to avoid contaminating other possible evidence. Once removed from the container it must be left to air dry and then repackaged in a new paper

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