1. Documenting the Crime Scene: Note Taking, Photographing, and Sketching
Chapter 2
Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
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2. Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
Case Documentation
70% of an officer’s job is paperwork.
Field notes are brief records of what is seen or heard.
Investigative notes are a permanent record to be used in writing reports and prosecution.
Start note taking immediately.
Record all facts, regardless of where they lead.
Who? What? When? Where? and How?
Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
Copyright 2010 Delmar, a part of Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

3. Note taking is an acquired skill
Write brief, legible notes that others can understand.
Omit unnecessary words and don’t erase.
Use a tape recorder.
Notes should be complete, accurate, specific, factual, clear, well-organized and legible.
Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
Copyright 2010 Delmar, a part of Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

4. Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
Photographic Tips
Photographs and videotapes reproduce the crime scene in detail for court presentation.
They are used in investigating, prosecuting, and police training.
Always photograph the scene from general to specific.
A marker or ruler should be used in a photo for scale.
Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
Copyright 2010 Delmar, a part of Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

5. Photographs can be taken immediately not selective
Advantages
can be taken immediately
accurately depict the crime scene and evidence
create interest
increase attention to testimony
Disadvantages
not selective
do not show actual distances
may be distorted
mechanical errors in shooting or processing
Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
Copyright 2010 Delmar, a part of Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
Copyright 2010 Delmar, a part of Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

6. Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
Immersive Imaging
A type of computer software that stitches together digital photos of 180 degrees or more to create one 360-degree photo.
Overlapping Imaging
A process by which the scene is photographed clockwise until the entire scene has been photographed.
Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
Copyright 2010 Delmar, a part of Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

7. Types of investigative photography
Crime Scenes
Indoor/Outdoor
Weather
Day/Night
Surveillance
Aerial
Infrared
Telephoto
Laboratory: Microscopic
Line-up
Mug shot
Injuries/Wounds
Fingerprints
Blood spatter
Evidence “in situ”
Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
Copyright 2010 Delmar, a part of Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

8. Photograph Terminology
A photographs must be:
Material
relates to a specific case and subject
Relevant
helps explain testimony
Competent
accurately represents what it purports to represent
Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
Copyright 2010 Delmar, a part of Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

9. Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
Digital Photography
No film developing costs
Image storage considerations
Image authentication is providing proof that the image introduced into evidence is the same image taken at the crime scene.
Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
Copyright 2010 Delmar, a part of Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

10. Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
Crime Scene Sketch
Accurately portrays the facts
Relates to the sequence of events at the scene
Establishes the precise location and relationship of objects and evidence
Helps create a mental picture of the scene
Is a permanent record of the scene
Is usually admissible in court
Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
Copyright 2010 Delmar, a part of Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

11. Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
Sketches
Rough sketch
Pencil drawn at the scene. Although usually not drawn to scale, distances are measured and entered.
Scale drawing
Shows the precise distance and location of objects in question (also known as a finished drawing).
Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
Copyright 2010 Delmar, a part of Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

12. Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
Rough Sketch
Sketch by R. Michelson
Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
Copyright 2010 Delmar, a part of Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

13. Sketches—plotting methods
Rectangular-coordinate method
Locates objects by using adjacent walls as fixed points of reference at right angles
Baseline method
Establishes a straight line from one fixed point to another, from which measurements are taken at right angles
Triangulation method
Uses straight-line measurements from two fixed objects to the evidence to create a triangle with the evidence in the angle formed by the straight lines
Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
Copyright 2010 Delmar, a part of Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

14. Types of Sketches, continued
Elevation (terrain)
Sectional (cut-away)
Perspective (3-D)
Overview (floor plan)
Exploded
Is one type enough?
Advantages/Disadvantages
Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
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15. Key Points for Identification Using Fixed Points
Triangulation
2 consistent reference points and direction
Transect
Line to 2 points and measure from the line
Rectangular
Indoor version of transect (using walls)
Polar Coordinates
Central point, precise direction, and distance
Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
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16. The sketch should include:
Case identifier (Case number; usually includes the department name, and a number assigned by the date and number of cases)
Date, time, and location
Weather and lighting conditions
Identity and assignments of personnel
Hess/Hess Orthmann, Criminal Investigation, 9e
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