Crime Scene Investigation Roles

1. Crime Scene Investigation Roles 1.0 Describe responsibilities of various personnel involved in crime scene investigations. Examples: police, detectives, laboratory specialists, medical examiners. I,D,M 1.1 Explaining how to search, sketch, and record data from a crime scene.

2. Who’s at the Scene? • Police officers • CSI unit • District attorney • Medical examiner • Specialists • Detectives

3. Police Officers • Usually 1st on the scene • Make the arrest, if possible • Call ambulance if needed • Secure the scene --- WHY?

4. CSI Unit • Documents the crime scene in detail • Collects physical evidence

5. Medical Examiner • May or may not be present to determine a preliminary cause of death

6. Specialists • May be called in if evidence requires expert analysis • Entomologists • Forensic scientists • Forensic psychologists

7. Detectives • Interview witnesses and consult with the CSI unit • Investigate the crime by following leads provided by witnesses and physical evidence

8. CSI Unit’s Procedure • Make sure scene is secure. • Initial walk-through: • Get an overall feel for the crime scene • Find out if anything has been moved • Generate initial theories based on visual examination • TOUCH NOTHING!

9. CSI Unit’s Procedure (cont.) • Document the scene • Photographs • Draw sketches of the scene • Video walk-through • STILL TOUCH NOTHING! • Collect all potential evidence • Tag it, log it, and package it so it remains intact during transport to the lab • May or may not do actual analysis in the lab

10. Crime Scene vs. Crime Lab • Scene = Crime Scene Investigation • Lab = Forensic Science • Lab passes lab results to the lead detective. • NOT ALL CSI’s ARE FORENSICS SCIENTISTS!