Crime Scene Investigation: PLAN OF ACTION Preparation
The officers or investigators assigned to the scene should have obtained a search warrant, if necessary, by the time the crime scene processing begins. If there is time, the search should be discussed with involved personnel before arriving at the scene.
A command station for communication and decision-making should be established in an area away from the scene but still within the secured perimeter. If personnel task assignments don’t already exist, they should be made before arrival at the scene. Depending on the number of personnel available, each may be assigned multiple responsibilities. Optimally, the person in charge of the scene is responsible for scene security, evidence or administrative log, the preliminary survey, the narrative description, problem resolution, and final decision-making. The person in charge of photography arranges, takes, and coordinates photography and keeps the photograph log. The person assigned to prepare the sketch does so in coordination with other methods of documentation; for complex scenes, multiple personnel may be assigned to this task for reconstructive purposes (Figure 2.2). An evidence custodian takes charge of items collected as evidence, logs them in, and assures that the packaging is labeled properly and sealed. Communication between the various agencies’ representatives, such as medical examiners, laboratory personnel, emergency medical technicians, and attorneys, is crucial to a smooth and successfully executed crime scene process. Questions that arise during the crime scene search can be resolved more easily (with less administrative backlash later) by involving and engaging the proper individuals. Think ahead. Fifteen minutes of thought can save hours, and possibly lives, later on. Prepare the paperwork to document the search before searching. Agree-upon terminology—if everyone refers to an area as the “living room,” then there will be less confusion afterward if questions come up (“Did we collect that from the front room?” “Do you mean the living room?”). Arrange for protective clothing, communication, lighting, shelter, transportation, equipment, food, water, medical assistance, and security for personnel. Processing crime scenes can be tedious, physically demanding work, and people, even professionals, perform poorly when they are tired. In pro longed searches, use multiple shifts or teams. If one doesn’t exist, develop a transfer mechanism for paperwork and responsibility from one team to the next.
FIGURE 2.2 Crimes scenes can be very complex, involving many agencies with sometimes competing goals and directives. The 2014 shootings at the Navy Yard complex in Washington, D.C. involved military, federal, and local agencies all responding to the mass shooting scene with an active shooter.
