Crime scene documentation and chain of custody Flashcards
(17 cards)
What are some important thing to document at a crime scene?
Notification info, arrival info, initial walkthrough, scene description, victim description, unexpected/negative findings
How should video Recording be used?
it should act as a virtual walk through
Start broad and move in
review on scene and reshoot if needed
never delete
no audio
no people or equipment
what is the purpose of photogrpahing a scene
Refresh memory, show spatial relationships, support in court
what do photo logs contain?
Date, case number, photographers name, camera info
what are three types of pictures
Overall, mid range, close up
With and without markers and scale
What is triangulation
Choose two fixed reference points (trees, fence posts)
Measure from each of those two points to the evidence
What is baseline method
Establish a straight baseline (a wall or tape measure on the floor)
Measure perpendicularly from this baseline to evidence
What are polar coordinates
Choose a known reference point
use a compass to measure the angle from the reference point to evidence
measure distance from reference point to evidence
Perspective grid
Place a 1-2 foot square grid or scale in the photo
photogrpah scene
use the known size of the square to estimate size and distance of other objects in image
What is a floor plan sketch
2d
Birds eye view
Simple and easy to create all items of interest are in one horizontal plane
Elevation plan
2d
Vertical plane
Indoor or outdoor where vertical positioning matters
site plane
2d
birds eye view
outdoor
Shows road, property boundaries, vehicles
Cross sectional plan
2d
combination of floor plan and elevation
complex indoor or outdoor scenes
Chain of custody
purpose is to prove integrity of evidence submitted to court
What should chain include
Detailed evidence collection
subsequent contact with evidence at what time
under what circumstance
where evidence is stored
Chain of custody documentation
Evidence label
notes or logs
final reports
Info required to prove chain of custody
Name or intial of indivudal collecting evidence
date of collection
agency, case number, type of crime
storage
description
