CSI Module Five

Transportation of Evidence Evidence that is collected from the crime scene is of utmost importance before releasing the crime scene to the appropriate authorities. Once the scene is released, the chances of the evidence being recovered from that crime scene at a later time are slim to none. Evidence is packaged, sealed, secured, signed, and dated prior to leaving the scene to ensure integrity and no chance of contamination or tampering.

Transportation of Evidence Evidence is packaged according to its characteristics. For an overview of evidence characteristics and packaging procedures, please refer to the earlier unit on Physical Evidence. Before items of evidence are tossed into the back of a squad car or van, they must be evaluated.

Transportation of Evidence Items which are fragile, wet, damp, or heavy are taken into account and transported accordingly. Items are positioned so that the chance of damage, alteration, contamination, or loss is lessened. An item that has encountered damage on the trip from the crime scene to the evidence room will not serve as an accurate representation of what was collected from the crime scene.

Notes/Narrative When compiling a crime scene report, a well written, thorough narrative can provide as much information (if not more) than a sketch. A narrative incorporates transient details that are not conveyed through a sketch. Ambient temperatures, weather conditions, visibility conditions, and time of day are just a few conditions that are recorded in a narrative which cannot be conveyed through a sketch or photographs, but may be important details.

Notes/Narrative A final version of the narrative that is included in an overall crime scene report is a well written, grammatically correct description of the initial conditions of the crime scene. This description is taken from rough notes gathered during the initial stages of the crime scene investigation. This principle makes it critical to record an accurate description of the crime scene upon initial response. It is important to retain and include the original notes recorded at the scene, coinciding with the final draft as an essential part of the overall crime scene report.

As a measurement log goes hand-in-hand with sketches, the same holds true for a photography log accompanying supplemental photographs. A photography log contains information such as: Photography Log F-stopLighting conditionsPhotograph topic Shutter speedPhotograph notesApprox. distance from object Flash settingsPhotograph number

Prefabricated and preprinted photography logs can be kept in response vehicles or photography kits for easy documentation at the scene. The amount of photographs taken at a scene can range from a few to a few hundred. It is a good idea to have a sufficient amount of preprinted photography logs in the event that many photos are taken. A photography log is recorded at the scene roughly, and is then transferred to a spreadsheet or table at a later point, which contains all the same aspects recorded in the rough copy. Photography Log

As evidence is collected from a crime scene, an evidence log is created. An evidence log serves the purpose of documenting and inventorying types of evidence and the associated number or letter identifier as was collected from the scene. This evidence log may also serve as a supplement to measurement logs in order to further identify where collected items were located at the scene. As with photography logs and measurement logs, evidence logs can be preprinted for ease of completion. Evidence Log

Another possible feature of the evidence log is the subsequent processing information. An item of evidence is collected from the scene, but may need further analysis, such as chemical enhancement of latent fingerprints, test firing a recovered firearm, or running a test on an unknown substance. By including this subsequent information on the evidence log, an investigator can group items of evidence so that they can all be submitted to different sections of the laboratory for further analysis. Evidence Log

An evidence log may be sloppily written at a crime scene, which emphasizes the need for a neat, final copy that gets included within the overall crime scene report. It is also important to include the original copy of the evidence log which coincides to the final copy. Evidence Log

CSI Module Five