Types of Evidence in Criminal Investigation

Types of induction in Criminal InvestigationCollecting the EvidenceCollecting try out from a umbrage mise en scene is a in-chief(postnominal) aspect of solving criminal offences. Before evidence shadow be seized, on that point must first be a court order affirmatory the search of the offensive scene and the seizure of the evidence prove at the scene. Standard protocol for policemans is for them to always use latex gloves, avoid m every last(predicate)eable bags, double wrap low-pitched physical objects, big money each object se parately, and to befool as much evidence as attainable. It is better to have alike much evidence than to not have plenty. There be myriad amounts of evidence that can be found at a iniquity scene.Blood topographic points atomic number 18 one type of evidence that can be found at a crime scene. Blood that is still in the liquid form should be picked up on a gauze pad. Once the race is dried thoroughly it should be refrigerated and dis berth to the testing ground (Andrus et al., n.d., para. 1). If the short letter stain is found dried on clothing, the officeholder should wrap the piece of clothing in clean root and place it in a sealed and labeled container. An object with dried blood stains gather ups to be sent to the Laboratory if it is miniature enough. If the object is to a fault large to delegate, then(prenominal) using a clean knife the stain deprivations to be scraped onto a clean piece of wallpaper, which then can be folded and fit(p) in an envelope (Andrus et al., n.d., para. 2). When collecting autopsy blood samples, the officer should request that the pathologist obtain the sample directly from the punk and place it in a yellow or purple stopper vacutainer. If the victim is still alive but in serious withdraw of a blood transfusion, then the pre-transfusion blood sample needs to be obtained promptly ahead the hospital discards it (Andrus et al., n.d., para. 4). It is important for th e Laboratory to receive all blood samples within 48 hours or the samples may be useless. some other type of evidence that can be stack away at a crime scene includes seminal stains. These are most commonly found on clothing, blankets, and sheets. Similar to liquid blood stains, seminal stains need to be air dried before being packaged and sent to the Laboratory (Andrus et al., n.d., para. 10). Victims in sex offense cases should always be examined by a physician. The physician uses a Sexual Assault Evidence Collection kit up to collect evidence directly from the victim.Hair samples can also be found at crime scenes. Collecting sensory hair can be made easier by using tweezers. The collected hair should be dictated in come upon envelopes then folded and sealed in larger envelopes. If hair is found attached to an object, the officer should leave the hair intact and package the entire object (Andrus et al., n.d., para. 13). In an attempt to collect the ideal 50 to 100 head hairs o r 30 to 60 pubic hairs cherished for rape cases, the victim or suspect should bend over a large sheet of clean paper and rub their hands by means of their hair (Andrus et al., n.d. para. 15). The loose hair will fall out on the paper and can then be collected.Collected fibers and threads are another type of evidence found at a crime scene. Such evidence is most commonly found caught in rupture materials. Once collected, the officer should put the sample in a paper bindle that is then lay in a sealed and intented strike envelope. If the fibers are short or are few in number, the officer should send the entire area containing the fibers to the Laboratory (Andrus et al., n.d., para. 19). Any clothing from which the collected fibers or threads may have originated from must also be packaged and sent to the Laboratory.Glass is commonly found at crime scenes. Small glass fragments should be placed in paper bindles which should then be put in a marked and sealed coin envelope. Large g lass fragments should be placed in recessiones with cotton or tissue to prevent the fragments from breaking during shipment (Andrus et al., n.d., para. 23). If a small disconnected window is found, the officer should send the whole window to the Laboratory. If the window is large, the officer should send in individual samples from different areas of the window. However, the whole broken window may be necessary if the glass samples are large enough to match the broken edges (Andrus et al., n.d., para. 24). For auto glass and auto headlights, the officer should send any remaining broken pieces along with the new lens to the Laboratory. It is important that all glass found at the scene be recover and sent to the Laboratory. Any objects that may have been contaminated with glass should be wrapped in paper and also sent to the Laboratory for question (Andrus et al., n.d., para. 26). Glass from a distance away may also need to be collected depending on the crime being investigated.Th e entire throw out scene in arson cases should be examined in search for combustible changefuls. Flammable fluids may have been placed in other locations more or less the scene so it is important to extend the search to areas around the scene where burning did not occur. Wood can be used to strike traces of the fluid it should be sent to the Laboratory for examination. Officers should pour a small amount of found volatile liquids into an airtight glass. Small objects containing the flammable fluid should be placed in small sealed metal cans. If the samples are too large for cans they should be placed in heat-sealed KAPAK plastic before being sent to the Laboratory (Andrus et al., n.d., para. 45). Examiners can still detect flammable fluids on burnt objects, so as long as the object is not charred they should be sent to the Laboratory.There are many pieces of firearms evidence that can be found at a crime scene. archetypical thing to know is that the only time a loaded mechan ism can be submitted to the Laboratory is if it is hand delivered. All magazines should be removed from the weapon, but unfired cartridges may be left in the magazine (Andrus et al., n.d., para. 47). Officers need to record the serial number, make, model, and caliber of the weapon. The weapon should then be placed in a strong cardboard or wooden box and sent to the Laboratory (Andrus et al., n.d., para. 49). Bullets and cartridge cases should be wrapped in paper and sealed in pill boxes before being sent. Ammunition, powder, and gunshot counterbalance need to be get quickly and gingerly to prevent contamination. musical instrument marks can also be evidence found at a crime scene. This type of evidence can all be impressions left by the tools on objects, or the physical tool itself. The recovered tools should be wrapped in paper and packaged before transferral to the Laboratory. Send in the whole object containing the tool marks if it is small enough. If it is not possible to s end in the entire object, photographs and sketches of the area containing the mark need to be taken and sent to the Laboratory (Andrus et al., n.d., para. 53).Latent fingerprints are commonly found at crime scenes. Most fingerprints will be found on paper, glass, metal, or other smooth surfaced objects. When picking up the objects it is important for the officer to touch as little as possible and in areas least likely to contain prints so that they will be less likely to smear the prints. Large objects should be fastened dash off with string on wood or heavy cardboard (Andrus et al., n.d., para 53). Papers and documents need to be individually placed in a cellophane or manila envelope which needs to be placed in between two sheets of cardboard paper. It can then be placed in a box for mailing.The amount of evidence can either help win or lose a case. Every crime scene has evidence available for officers to collect. It is important for them to know what the standard protocol is for collecting evidence and how to properly collect it without contamination.ReferencesAndrus, R., Bailey, J., Sprague, T., Springer, F., Tulleners, F., Wiersema, S., et al. (n.d.). Crime Scene researcher Network Evidence Collection Guidelines. Retrieved January 15, 2014, from http//www.crime-scene-investigator.net/collect.html1