The Search:
•The search for physical evidence at a crime scene must be thorough and systematic.
•For a factual, unbiased reconstruction of the crime, the investigator, relying upon his or her training and experience, must not overlook any pertinent physical evidence.
•Physical evidence can be anything from massive objects to microscopic traces.
•Often, many items of evidence are clearly visible but others may be detected only through examination at the crime laboratory. For this reason, it is important to collect possible carriers of trace evidence, such as garments, vacuum sweepings, and fingernail scrapings, in addition to more discernible items.
Different search patterns used at the crime scene are shown below.
•The search for physical evidence at a crime scene must be thorough and systematic.
•For a factual, unbiased reconstruction of the crime, the investigator, relying upon his or her training and experience, must not overlook any pertinent physical evidence.
•Physical evidence can be anything from massive objects to microscopic traces.
•Often, many items of evidence are clearly visible but others may be detected only through examination at the crime laboratory. For this reason, it is important to collect possible carriers of trace evidence, such as garments, vacuum sweepings, and fingernail scrapings, in addition to more discernible items.
Different search patterns used at the crime scene are shown below.