First Responder Duties

Question 1

What are the two top priorities of first responders?

Answer 1

1) Maintain order
2) Identify & collect evidence

Question 2

What must the first responder do upon EMS arrival?

Answer 2

Document EMS presence

Question 3

Why is it important to make sure that EMS correctly cuts a victim’s clothing?

Answer 3

Clothing is evidence, so it needs to be well-handled and as intact as possible

Question 4

In total, what are the 4 most important things you, as a first responder, should do when with EMS?

Answer 4

1) Collect clothing
2) Package evidence separately
3) Document what EMS does
4) Begin chain of custody

Question 5

Maintaining order consists of two key actions. What are they?

Answer 5

1) Protecting life
2) Performing a protective sweep

Question 6

What is the purpose of a protective sweep?

Answer 6

To ensure the absence of additional threats

Question 7

What are some (3) additional threats to look for when performing a protective sweep?

Answer 7

Perps, animals, and physical hazards

Question 8

Once life is protected and the scene is safe for other responders, what do you do next?

Answer 8

Protect the integrity of the evidence

Question 9

Should you protect life or perform a protective sweep first?

Answer 9

Generally, protecting the lives of victims comes first, but the two actions can be interchangeable depending on various factors

Question 10

Be wary of animals at the scene, for they can alter…

Answer 10

Evidence

Question 11

What are the 3 types of physical hazards?

Answer 11

1) Biohazards
2) Sharps
3) Chemical hazards

Question 12

When should you put on gloves?

Answer 12

Once the scene is secured

Question 13

As a rule of thumb, you should not place your hands…

Answer 13

Where you can’t see

Question 14

Aside from safety, why should witnesses be removed/isolated from the scene?

Answer 14

To make sure that they’re statements are bias-free

Question 15

Outside of sensory cues, what 3 things should you document when taking notes?

Answer 15

1) Time(s)
2) Conditions
3) Your actions

Question 16

What are the sensory cues to make note of?

Answer 16

Sights, sounds, smells, and touch

Question 17

Give an example of a sight sensory cue.

Answer 17

Lighting condition

Question 18

Give an example of a sound/auditory sensory cue.

Answer 18

TV volume

Question 19

Give an example of a smell/olfactory cue.

Answer 19

Decay

Question 20

Give an example of a touch/tactile cue.

Answer 20

Temperature

Question 21

When deciding on the perimeter, why should you tape off a large area?

Answer 21

Because you won’t know how far the scene extends, and it is difficult to try & expand that set boundary

Question 22

What are the two types of perimeter?

Answer 22

Inner and outer

Question 23

What does the inner perimeter consist of?

Answer 23

All evidence identified in the case

Question 24

What are 3 purposes of the outer perimeter?

Answer 24

1) Serve as area to stage investigation
2) Store equipment
3) Officer supervision of scene

Question 25

When establishing a crime scene path for personnel to move through, why should this path be different than the suspect’s path?

Answer 25

To limit the efficacy of Locard’s exchange principle

Question 26

What 4 things about the personnel entering the inner perimeter should you record in your log?

Answer 26

1) Name
2) Badge #
3) Rank
4) Purpose for personnel entering

Question 27

List the 4 DOs of the crime scene.

Answer 27

1) Protect life first, physical evidence second
2) Establish perimeters
3) Document & protect fragile evidence
4) Log everyone entering the scene

Question 28

List the 2 DON’Ts of the crime scene.

Answer 28

1) Don’t move anything unless necessary
2) Don’t hesitate to ask for help