Crime Scene Processing Protocol (2024)

In the endeavor of completing a work task certain criteria to completethe work task is needed. Crime scene processing is no different in thatrespect than to other work related tasks such as exchanging a motor ina car, painting a landscape scene or preparing a meal. There are certaintasks related to each work objective. In the field of crime scene processingseveral books have been written on what these tasks are and how they shouldbe incorporated into the field of crime scene processing. Yet each bookvaries only in the technique used, not in a change of the basic protocolused for the processing of crime scenes.

A few years ago I attended a lecture on "25 Ways to process a crimescene." It was probably the most boring lecture I've attended in years,but it did highlight one point that most of us have taken for granted.How do you explain to someone the mechanics of thoroughly processing acrime scene? It sounds simple, but in fact crime scene processing is avery intricate and interwoven multiple task function. It is difficult toexplain to someone the exact protocol that will be used at every crimescene. Each crime scene is different and may require a different approachto processing the scene. However there is a basic crime scene protocolthat should be adhered to in all crime scenes. These basic functions ortasks are as follows:

1. INTERVIEW

2. EXAMINE

3. PHOTOGRAPH

4. SKETCH

5. PROCESS

Interview is the first step in processing a crime scene.The crime scene technician must interview the first officer at the sceneor the victim to ascertain the "theory" of the case. Basically what allegedlyhappened, what crime took place, and how was the crime committed. Thisinformation may not be factual information but it will give the crime scenetechnician a base from which to start.

Examine the crime scene as the second step in the protocol.Examine the scene for what? To ascertain if the "theory" of the case issubstantiated by what the crime scene technician observes. Examining thescene to identify possible items of evidentiary nature, identify pointof entry and point of exit, and getting the general layout of the crimescene.

Photograph the crime scene is the third step in the protocol.Photographing the crime scene to record a pictorial view of what the scenelooks like and to record items of possible evidence. Crime scene photographsare generally taken in two categories, overall views and items of evidence.

Sketch the crime scene is the fourth step in the protocol.A rough sketch is completed by the crime scene technician to demonstratethe layout of the crime scene or to identify the exact position of thedeceased victim or evidence within the crime scene. A crime scene sketchmay not be completed on every case, however some form of sketching usuallyoccurs in most cases, i.e., on a fingerprint lift card to identify exactlywhere the latent was recovered.

The last step in the protocol is to process the crimescene. Process the scene for what? The crime scene technician will processthe crime scene for evidence, both physical and testimonial evidence. Itis the crime scene technicians responsibility to identify, evaluate andcollect physical evidence from the crime scene for further analysis bya crime laboratory.

The above five steps in the protocol of crime scene processing is intermingledwith each other step. If the "theory" of the case dictates that the intruderforcibly entered the residence through a window then the crime scene technicianwill need to examine the window area for footwear patterns, toolmarks,trace evidence and latent finger prints. Upon finding such items of evidencethe technician will need to photograph their location and possibly completea sketch showing the exact location of the evidence or perhaps a sketchof the footwear pattern. This intermingling of the steps in the protocolwill continue throughout the processing of the crime scene. Of course interwoventhroughout these five steps is the recording of the crime scene by photographs,sketches, and field notes.