Crime Scene Evidence

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In the article "Examination and Documentation of the Crime Scene" written by George Schiro, he discusses the examination of a crime scene using photography. He states how photography can be used to compare different situations. One example he gives is how actual size photos can be used to compare shoeprints and fingerprints found at the crime scene to possible suspects. These actual size photographs are also known as one-to-one photos. Schiro states in the article that this is an advantage of photography over videography. The article goes on to say how photos should be taken at the crime scene. First shots should be taken from a wide angle of the scene and the surrounding areas. A good strategy is to shoot the crime scene from all four …show more content…
Schiro states, "Videotape can provide a perspective on the crime scene layout which cannot be as easily perceived in photographs and sketches. It is a more natural viewing medium to which people can readily relate, especially in demonstrating the structure of the crime scene and how the evidence relates to the crime." This article goes on to say how moving slowly is a major key to videotaping a crime scene. This helps to reduce the chance of a crime scene investigator to skip over key evidence due to moving too quickly (Schiro, 2016).
In the article "Written Documentation at a Crime scene" written by Mike Byrd, he discusses the importance of note taking at a crime scene. Notes initially taken at a crime scene are later turned into a final report. The notes and reports should involve no opinions, no analysis, or no conclusions. They should be done in chronological order and just include facts only. Investigators at the crime scene need to take notes on what he or she sees at the scene and leave out his or her conclusions. The final report should in the end give a detailed description of the crime scene (Byrd,
…show more content…
Boots, he writes about the use of hand and laser measurement devices used at crime scenes. One hand held measurement method that Books writes about is a rolling measurement device. This type of device should be checked against a steel tape measure to compare over various distances. Boots states, "Probably one of the most commonly used devices is a good old-fashioned tape measure. It is recommended to use steel tape measures as opposed to those made of fiberglass. Steel tape measures tend to be more durable and have a longer life expectancy than fiberglass. Additionally metal tapes will not stretch like fiberglass." (Boots, 2014). Other than a tape measurer, an investigator may use a handheld electronic measuring device (Boots,

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