Task 6. Answer these questions before you read the text. Then look through the text and find out the replies.

1. How many crime scenes might there be in a crime commission?

2. What phases are there in the crime scene observation?

Task 7. Read the text “Observation of a Crime Scene” and match the headings below to paragraphs A–F.

1. Searching the scene for evidence.

2. Stages of the search.

3. Preserving and isolating the crime scene.

4. Observing and documenting the scene.

5. The source of significant intelligence.

6. Complexity of a crime scene structure.

Observation of a Crime Scene

A _____. One of the most crucial and obvious sources of vital information is the crime scene. It is the central location where an illegal act took place and usually the starting point of any investigation. The purpose of the crime scene observation is to help establish how, when, where and what type of crime occurred. The information obtained from a crime scene can afford the criminal investigator a proper direction during the overall investigative effort.

B ______. Strictly speaking, a crime scene is a location wherein physical evidence may be retrieved by law enforcement personnel, crime scene investigators (CSIs) or forensic scientists. This, however, is not to say that the crime scene is necessarily the place where the crime was committed. Indeed, there are primary, secondary and often tertiary crime scenes. For instance, the police may use a warrant to search a suspect's home. Even though the suspect did not commit the crime at that location, evidence of the crime could be found there. In another instance, an offender might kidnap at one location (primary crime scene), transport the victim (the car being a secondary crime scene), commit another crime at a distant location (murder, for instance) and then dispose of the body at a fourth scene.

C _____. Comprehensive crime scene processing consists of the following components: developing a plan of action, note taking, crime scene search, crime scene photography, sketching the crime scene, and collection of evidence. The plan of action will vary from crime to crime. It is important that an investigator should do an initial assessment of the scene to ensure that all aspects of the crime are covered. The crime scene search should cover the entire area within the crime scene boundaries, but the areas surrounding the crime scene within reasonable proximity to it should also be taken into consideration.

D ______. Note taking should be done throughout the entire process, it is the most important parts of processing the scene. Notes should detail step by step all actions that the investigator takes in the order in which they happened and may be used in court by both the prosecution and the defense.

Photographing or videotaping the crime scene with multiple views of relevant items is necessary. Photographs should be taken before the crime scene has been altered by a more detailed search. Photographs provide visuals of objects in their original states and aid in demonstrating size by means of measuring tools that are also present in the photographs. Pictures and videotapes help CSI remember details and help jury, judge and prosecutor visualize the scene.

Sketching the crime scene at the moment of the initial response is imperative because objects may be moved during the course of processing the scene. Typically a rough sketch is done at the crime scene and a final sketch, usually for use in court, is done after the scene is processed. Sometimes technological aids for computer-aided drawing are used.

E _____. Finally, collecting and packaging evidence must be done. This work requires strict adherence to procedures in order not to make a mistake and damage the evidence. Some form of physical evidence is always present at a crime scene whether it is visible to the naked eye or not. The investigator must put each item in a separate container and label it. When collecting evidence, investigators start with evidence that is fragile or that is likely to be lost, damaged, or contaminated, such as blood, fibers, hair, fingerprints, shoeprints, and tire tracks.

Nowadays in addition to physical evidence digital evidence may be left at crime scenes. Digital evidence is any data stored or transmitted using a computer that supports or refutes a theory of how an offense occurred, the intent of the offence, accomplices in crime or alibi of a suspect.

F _____. Furthermore it is imperative to maintain control of the crime scene because it is an area with the greatest potential for the destruction or contamination of evidence. It is essential that investigators should protect the integrity of the scene. It is usually achieved by taping a wide area around the place the crime was committed to prevent access by any person other than the investigators. Preserving and protecting the crime scene means keeping the site of the crime in the same physical condition as it was left by the criminal.

The conditions at the crime scene must be carefully recorded in great detail, as well as conserved. Only when recording has taken place items can be removed for laboratory analysis. It is important that the investigators should maintain the chain of custody while observing a crime scene. Chain of custody (CoC) refers to the chronological documentation, showing the seizure, custody, control, transfer, analysis, and disposition of physical or electronic evidence. Chain of custody is a documentation process that is accepted by courts and government agencies.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-26