How to Preserve Evidence at a Crime Scene
Advancements in forensic science have greatly increased the amount of information investigators can glean from a crime scene. But with better technology comes a greater need to protect evidence so it can be processed for clues. It takes great care to preserve crime scene evidence.
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Instructions
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Keep others out. The more people in a crime scene, the more likely some piece of evidence will get trampled or missed.
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Search the crime scene for evidence. Look for items that identify either the criminal or the crime. Search in a spiral towards the center of an area, look zone by zone or choose another method. The key is to be thorough. Collect the smallest or most fragile items first, since they're most likely to be lost without special care.
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Package carefully. Preserve all items of crime scene evidence in a separate envelope or sack, even if they are similar. If pieces of evidence are stuck together, store them together. Liquids must be placed in containers which won't leak. Label everything completely and accurately.
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Prioritize. It's difficult to go back and get more evidence after a crime scene has been released, so make sure you're getting the most important and relevant information. Fingerprints generally are at the top of the list since they positively identify a suspect.
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Take photographs. Pictures of the evidence, where and in what condition the evidence was found is crucial in reconstructing a crime scene through evidence.
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Consider everything as possible evidence. Even the most unlikely piece of crime scene evidence can provide a possible clue. Look for items that should be there but are not, such as a wallet, or items unusual or out of place, such a ski mask.
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Get out of the way of the pros. No matter how many episodes of CSI you've watched, trained professional crime scene investigators assigned to the case almost always do a better job and be more likely to solve the case and get a conviction. If you're first upon a crime scene, your best role might be to keep people away until the investigators show up.
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Tips & Warnings
Any evidence that is wet must be allowed to air dry. If it's stored damp for a long period of time it could grow mold or other microorganisms that could change the nature of the evidence.
