Crime scene

From ArticleWorld

The Crime scene is the area where an unlawful act took place. It is usually the first place that will be secured by the authorities for the purpose of preserving forensic evidence.

However, the crime scene may not be the only place where the crime was committed. The authorities may look for evidence in more than one crime scene such as the home of the offender or the victim, a car used in the crime, the parking lot where the victim was last seen, and similar places.

Importance

The crime scene is very useful in the process of investigating and solving a crime. In all cases, the crime scene must be secured so as to preserve any evidence that may have been left by the offender, or that would lead to the suspect's identity.

The condition of a crime scene must be documented as soon as possible to avoid evidence from being lost or erased, and even tampered with. The documentation is made possible through the use of photographs, forensic fingerprinting and other the other forensic tools.

Classification

A crime scene may be classified as a primary or secondary crime scene. The primary crime scene is the place where the victim of the crime was found. A secondary crime scene may consist of all the other areas where the crime may have been perpetrated.

No matter what the classification is, a crime scene must be protected from the onlookers and even from insiders who may have a stake in the crime. Remember that yellow sash used by police officers in the movies whenever a crime happens, all the areas within that barrier is considered as the crime scene.

While the goal of every police officer who is in the front line of crime scene investigation is the preservation of the area, priority should also be placed in the safety of the officers as well as onlookers.