Responding crime scene officer(s) must have the following items readily available. Officers should keep them in police vehicles or readily available toolkits.

• Bindle paper.
• Biohazard bags.
• Bodily fluid collection kit (sterile swabs, distilled water, — optional presumptive tests [opens in pop-up window], and sterile packaging that allows the swabs to air dry).
• Camera (plus memory cards, back up battery, remote flash, tripod and remote cord).
• Evidence seals/tape.
• Flashlight(s) with extra batteries.
• Footwear casting materials.
• Graph paper and pencils, small ruler or straight edge.
• Latent print [opens in pop-up window] kit.
• Measuring devices (e.g, measuring wheel, tape measures of varying lengths).
• Multifunction utility tool.
• Notebook.
• Paper bags (various sizes).
• Permanent markers.
• Personal protective equipment (e.g., gloves, booties, hair covering, overalls and mask).
• Placards.
• Plastic resealable bags (various sizes)
• Scales for photography.
• Spray paint, chalk, etc.
• Syringe/knife tubes.
• Tweezers(disposable).

Optional items. Officers may need to use other items, and may wish to have them readily available in their police vehicle. These items include:

• Audio recorder.
• Biohazard labels.
• Bloodstain pattern examination kit.
• Business cards.
• Backup camera.
• Chalk.
• Chemical enhancement supplies.
• Cutting instruments (knives, box cutter, scalpel, scissors).
• Directional marker/compass.
• Disinfectant.
• Distilled water.
• Entomology (insect) collection kit.
• Evidence collection containers (e.g., jars, paper bags, resealable plastic bags, metal paint style cans).
• Evidence identifiers [opens in pop-up window].
• Evidence seals/tape.
• Extension cords.
• Fingerprint ink pad and pint cards for elimination prints.
• Flags (surveyor type) for marking evidence and setting up search patterns.
• Forensic light source (alternate light source [opens in pop-up window], UV lamp/laser, goggles).
• Generator.
• Gunshot residue kit.
• High-intensity lights.
• Labels.
• Laser trajectory kit.
• Magnifying glass.
• Maps.
• Marker stickers such as numbers, letters, arrows, scales.
• Marking paint/snow wax.
• Metal detector.
• Mirror.
• Nail clippers and orange peeler (for collecting debris under suspect fingernails).
• Phone listing (important numbers).
• Pocket knife.
• Presumptive blood test supplies.
• Privacy screens.
• Protrusion rod set.
• Rakes.
• Razor blades or knife (knife must have blades that can be broken off after each use).
• Reflective vest.
• Refrigeration or cooling unit.
• Respirators with filters.
• Roll of string.
• Rubber bands.
• Screen sifters.
• Sexual assault evidence collection kit (for victim and suspect).
• Shoe print lifting equipment.
• Tarps to protect evidence from the weather.
• Templates (scene and human).
• Thermometer.
• Tool kit.
• Traffic cones.
• Trajectory rods.
• Waterless hand wash (towelette with germicide).

From: NIJ Crime Scene Guides