Investigating Beyond the Fender Bender
By Dick Warrington
When responding to multiple car accidents, hit and runs, fatalities, and high speed chases, officers can benefit by calling in Crime Scene Officers to assist with the investigation.
Properly Packaging Evidence
By Dick Warrington
Preserving and maintaining evidence collected at a scene is crucial. The key is understanding evidence and understanding the proper way to package it.
Crime Scene Checklists: Customizing the List
By Dick Warrington
In this column, I’ll discuss how to customize a basic checklist to make it work for specific types of scenes.
Crime Scene Checklists: Value in the Report
By Dick Warrington
For the CSO, a good checklist will help keep you on track. While you’ll have to spend some time up front creating the checklist, it will save you time in the long run.
Arson: Crime Scene Processing Basics
By Dick Warrington
Some of the most challenging scenes to process involve suspected arson. Such scenes call for the special expertise of an arson investigator.
Impression Evidence: Building Your Case with Duplicate Evidence
By Dick Warrington
Collecting impression evidence is definitely worth the effort—once you do so, you have duplicate evidence that can help make your case.
Evidence Photography: Thinking Outside The Box
By Mike Voelker
Photography illustrating your case report can strengthen your case and corroborate your narrative.
Setting the Standard: Maintaining Professionalism
By Dick Warrington
In this column, we’ll look at some ways to set a high level of professionalism even when you’re watching the bottom line.
Don’t Slip Up!
By Vince McLeod, CIH
This month the Safety Guys alert you to the potential significant physical hazards present at crime scenes and in the workplace.
Taking the Crime Scene to the Scientists
By Steve Renteria, Ron Becker, Cortney Boccardi
Forensic scientists need a dose of yearly education in order to stay informed on modern forensic science. Ideally, hands-on experience along with well-designed lectures would comprise the total learning experience.
Soil Characteristics that Impact Clandestine Graves
By Deborah A. Surabian
Analyzing soil characteristics at a potential grave site can provide forensic investigators with information about the evidence within before the digging commences.
Crime Scene Basics
By Dick Warrington
When it comes to processing a scene, you need to focus on the basics. Knowing what evidence to look for and how to prevent contamination is essential.
Crime Scene Integrity
By Dick Warrington
Any experienced crime scene officer will tell you that the key to doing the job well is protecting the crime scene.
Back to Basics
By Dick Warrington
Being aware of the latest technology and the newest advances can certainly be important to performing your job well, but you don’t want to fall into the trap of thinking that you can’t do your job properly unless your department purchases every piece of high-end equipment.
Impression Evidence: The Right Materials for the Job
By Dick Warrington
Impression evidence from tire tracks, footprints, tool marks, extruder marks on different casings, etc. can be just as important in making your case as DNA or fingerprints.
Step Toward Better Track Evidence Photos
By Lesley Hammer
Proper photography techniques are essential to the documentation and analysis of impression evidence.
Case Study: Theft and Murder Unraveled by Forensic Investigation
By Mukesh Sharma, B. S. Khajja, D. R. Godara, Girish K. Mathur
A recent murder case in Rajasthan, India, involving a young married woman was unraveled by the crime scene team. The evidence and laboratory examination provided proof that the victim’s in-laws were trying to mislead the Investigating Officer by fabricating a story of burglary and murder.
Don't Take The Fall
By Vince McLeod, CIH
Almost daily we review accident or injury reports that remind us about the dangers of slips, trips, and falls and the heavy cost associated with the resulting injuries. A few recent statistics hammer home the reality of the concern:
Crime Scene 101: Locating and Documenting Evidence
By Dick Warrington
At the heart of every crime scene are two basic questions for the Crime Scene Officer: how do you find the evidence and how do you properly document it once you find it?
Recently scientists have developed a new technique for processing DNA called “touch DNA.” With this technique, scientists can test for DNA without a sample from blood or bodily fluids.
Crime Scene Bugs
By Dick Warrington
By studying the types of bugs present at the scene and their stage of development, forensic entomologists can estimate the time of death, and in many cases, determine if the body was moved or disturbed and whether the deceased person had ingested drugs.
Spend More Time at the Scene: Spend Less Time on the Stand
By Rodney Westbrook, Steven Ryan
Crime scene processing requires a methodical approach each and every time and deviating from this can have negative consequences.
What Happens Next?
By Dick Warrington
Understanding what happens after CSOs leave the scene can help you do your job better and also help those who need it most: the victims and the people left behind. Professionals in crime scene clean up can contribute to the work of law enforcement and crime scene officers.
Hazardous Materials Preparedness: Training For All-Hazards Response
By Shannon Arledge, CDP Public Affairs
First responders, especially law enforcement, need to recognize the need for enhanced training regarding first response to hazardous materials. ERHM is a five-day class providing responders with a combination of lectures and advanced hands-on practical exercises.
Triage A Computer
By John J. Barbara
Triaging a computer allows investigators to gather volatile data that would be lost by pulling the plug on a live system.
