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THE ATTIC : Scene of Crime Procedures	Date Added JAN 2003
It is no exaggeration to say that the observation of proper procedures during the primary investigation of the scene of a crime can make the difference between a solved and an unsolved crime, a proved and an unproved case, or at the very least hasten or delay a solution.
Securing the Scene of the Crime
In most instances, irrespective of the gravity of the crime, the first police representative on the scene will be a beat constable or a mobile uniformed officer alerted by radio. These officers are not trained as investigative detectives and are expected to confine themselves to as little activity as necessary in the immediate vicinity of the crime, this will insure against inadvertently destroying or contaminating potential evidence. The primary duty of the first officer on the scene is to 'secure' the site by setting a boundary (if necessary with a physical barrier) within which no unauthorized person may pass. Crime scenes can be literally anywhere, and for convenience and recording are categorized as: 1. Indoors - residential 2. Indoors - place of entertainment 3. Indoors - Other 4. Outdoors - street or public place 5. Outdoors - private place 6. Other - eg; vehicle It will depend upon the accessibility of the crime scene as to how easy it will be to secure - a private dwelling is obviously easier to secure than a public park, where an officer may be obliged initially to control the knots of morbid sightseers who are inexplicably drawn to scenes of tragedy. However, as most police officers are now able to be in immediate radio contact with their local station, the first on the scene will rapidly access the situation and call in for any necessary assistance as soon as possible. For example, if the officer comes upon the scene where a person is badly injured, their first duty is to give what assistance they can and call for medical aid to remove the victim to hospital (in this case the officer will note the position from which the injured party was removed, so that it can be marked on the scene of crime chart). If a person is found hanging, they must be taken down in case it is possible to administer artificial respiration successfully. However, where it is obvious that a person is dead, then the body must not be touched or moved in any way until it has been examined by a police surgeon or pathologist and photographed. Police academies are at pains to instruct young police officers that they have the potential to be the investigation teams own worst enemy. One senior officer tell the story of a case of death by shooting in which everything pointed to suicide, except that the gun was inexplicably found on a mantelshelf on the other side of the room. It was obvious from the severity of the wound that death had been instantaneous - so perhaps it had been murder. Fortunately, the 'murder' investigation had not proceeded far before one of the constables early on the scene admitted obligingly moving the gun from where it lay next to the body - in case it got in anyone's way!
Recording the Scene of the Crime
By this time the senior detectives who will lead the investigation (in the case of a serious crime such as homicide or sexual assault) will have arrived along with the Police Surgeon or Pathologist, and specially trained scenes of crime officers - some of whom will be experts at recording crime scenes in detail.
Photography
The photographer, using a combination of single shot and videotape cameras, will, in the event of a homicide, first take record pictures of the body and its position in relation to the location, as soon as the medical officer has confirmed death. They are then at the disposal of the pathologist to make such records of wounds and other medical features as will help the future investigation. When the body has been removed the photographer works alongside the exhibits officer, recording clues in situ before they are collected, bagged and labelled for the laboratory. Once the photographer has finished at the scene of the crime, the photographer may be required to follow the corpse to the mortuary where he will record details of the post mortem examination.
Sketching
In addition to photographs, detailed sketch plans are drawn of the site on which is entered vital information, such as the position of the furniture, doors and windows, open or closed, exact measurements of distances and heights, angles and position of bloodstains, position of weapons and other clues.
Evidence Before Court
On 24th October 1983, Arthur Hutchinson, already on the run after escaping from custody on a charge of violent rape, broke into the home of Sheffield solicitor Basil Laitner and his family. The Laitner's had just been celebrating the wedding of their eldest daughter and had seen off the last of the guests. Hutchinson, in an orgy of mindless destruction, knifed to death Mr Laitner, his wife and his son before subjecting the younger daughter to rape at knifepoint. Although at his subsequent trial at Durham Hutchinson denied ever being at the house, he was faced with overwhelming forensic evidence consisting of palm prints, a match of his rare blood group, and bite mark evidence left in a piece of cheese. On 7th September 1984, two colour TV sets were installed in the well of Durham Crown Court and a two minute extract from a police scene of crime video was shown to the court and jury. The film opened with an outdoor shot of the victims house, followed by a brief view of a wooden staircase on which the body of Mr Laitner lay face down in his bloody pyjama's, detail was shown of blood staining on the stair carpet which was believed to be footprints. Four days later - after rejecting the prosecution councils wish to protect them from 'some of the nastier shots' - the jury asked to be shown the police video in its seven minute entirety, with details of the victim's injuries being explained by a Home Officer Pathologist. This was the first time that a scene of crime video had been shown to a jury in a British murder trial, and despite the judge's caution that they should not be influenced by 'horror and revulsion' at the film, it is unlikely to have been far from the jury's mind when they returned verdicts of guilty against Arthur Hutchinson.
Medical Evidence
It is vital that scene of crime officers and the medical officer works as a team, each understanding and respecting their clearly defined roles in the investigation, above all, this ensures that no part of the examination is overlooked. The tasks undertaken by the investigating officers and by the police surgeon/pathologist complement each other, and they will exchange information - a matter of particular importance at the scene of the crime.
Murder
In the same way that the first officer on the scene is entrusted with preventing deliberate or accidental interference with the surrounding area, it is also vital that he ensures the body itself is not touched or moved before the pathologist arrives to make his preliminary examination. When death has, for all practical purposes been established (usually earlier by a police surgeon), it is the first job of the pathologist to determine the three key factors involved: Cause of Death : The pathological condition that produced death Manner of Death : The instrument of physical agent employed Mode of Death : The motivation or intent, viz: 1. Accident 2. Suicide 3. Homicide 4. Natural Causes Much of this information may only be available after post mortem examination, but the pathologist will pass on such enlightened opinions as he may form at the crime scene to the senior investigating officer. For example before the body is moved to the mortuary for autopsy, the pathologist may hazard a preliminary estimate of the time of death as indicated by body cooling, rigor mortis, etc. The medical officer will then attend to the following: 1. Placing plastic bags over the head, hands and feet of the deceased to ensure that any trace evidence that may be adhering to those parts of the body is not lost. 2. Overseeing the laying of the whole body on a clean sheet for the same reason. The body may be removed (preferably in the position in which it was found) for post mortem. Only now will the pathologist signal scene of crime officers to examine the floor or ground beneath the body. The pathologist may remain briefly at the scene of the crime to assist in the search for medical clues, and to record such impressions of the scene as may be useful to their assessment of the events surrounding the crime. For example, his experience of interpretation of the vital clues offered by the shapes and configurations of bloodstains may provide detectives with information on the logistics of the act of killing. It is customary to complete the post mortem as soon as possible after removal from the crime scene as not infrequently pathological clues fade or change if the corpse is kept in mortuary storage.
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