.

WHAT C

has bee n com mit ted or any ~

• Cri me sce ne is a loc atio n wh ere a crim e
ie is fou nd. Th us, crim e seen~
loc'atio n wh ere phy sica l evi den ce of suc h clfu
ma y or ma y not be wh ere the crim e wa
s com mit ted . It ma y ext end to one Or
crim e com mit ted .
mo re pla ces dep end ing upo n the nat ure of
a sta rtin g poi nt for the in ve s~
• In a crim ina l inv esti gat ion , crim e sce ne is
pro vid es val uab le info rma tion rela ted to the vic tim , sus pec t, and the
wh ich
n of a crim e.
ser ies of eve nts tha t sur rou nd the com mis sio
ere nt pec ulia riti es
• Eve iy crim e sce ne is diff ere nt and has diff

Typ e• of Crime Sce ne

~ tdo or Crime Sce ne

loc atio ns wh ere a cnm e has been
• Ou tdo or crim e sce nes are the out doo r
e is fou nd.
com mit ted or phy sica l evi den ce of suc h crim
fiel ds, or pla y gro und s. etc .
• Exa mp les of out doo r crim e sce nes : a roa d,
ivit y etc . ma y con tam ina te the crime
• Ele me nts like rain , win d, hea t, ani ma l act
in des tru ctio n of evi den ce. Suc h crim e sce nes are the most
sce ne res ulti ng
diff icu lt to inv esti gat e.

~d oo r Cri me Sce ne
- T - -
. . . • _, • •
~ la!P. 4 Crime·Scene l!lvestigglion _,___ ___._,_,....___,.._,......._ 15
• To prot ect the scen · 1eme n t wea ther and othe r fact ors a con vey ance
e aga in s t me
.
such . as . a veh icle may b e tran spo rted to the labo rato ry for furt her
inve stig atio n.

~m ar y and Sec ond ary Crl.me Scene.,

e may be two or mor e crim e
• Dep end ing upo n the type and plac e of crim e ther
d as eith er prim ary or
scen es of any inci den t. Suc h scen es are ' clas sifie
seco nda ry.
actu al crim e occu rred . A
• The prim ary crim e scen e is the plac e whe re the
crim e but is not whe re the
seco nda ry crim e scen e is in som e way rela ted to the
actu al crim e took plac e.
tran spo rted awa y from the
• The pote ntia l phy sica l evid ence will usua lly be
prim ary crim e scen e.
scen e, but the get- awa y
• Exa mpl e: in a ban k robb ery the ban k is the prim ary
a mur der, the hom e of the
car and the thie f s hide out are seco nda ry scen es. In
prim ary crim e scen e. If
victim who was stab bed or sho t by the offender is the
body and dum p it into a
the perp etra tor use d the vict im's van to tran spo rt the
re the victim was dum ped
near by lake , the van and the poin t at the lake whe
•
wou ld be con side red the seco nda ry crim e scen es.
ry crime scen e to star t the
• Som etim es, inve stig atin g team has only the seco nda
etra tor had dum ped the
inve stig atio n. For exam ple, fields whe re the perp
stig ator s may not lmo w
vict im's body. Und er suc h circ ums tanc es, forensic inve
y exam ine the evid ence s
the prim ary scen e whe re the mur der occu rred . The
of the offender or loca te
foun d at the seco nda ry scen es to esta blis h the iden tity

~ rwwr·!1 P'<f'uJ
the prim ary crim e scen e.

,~w .,u> tw. t. ~--:o r~

-J.f~ /
I

3 . CRIME SCE NE INVESTIGATION

ch, observation, and
• Crime scen e inve stig atio n is a syst ema tic sear
sket chin g of the scen e·
doc ume ntat ion of the crim e scen e; pho togr a h and
g, tran spor tatio n and_
the iden tific atio n, proc essi ng and co ection, pack agin
mos t imp orta nt, the
doc ume ntat ion of phy sica l evidence; and perh aps
occu rren ce of crim e by
inte rpre tatio n of the circ ums tanc es surr oun ding the
even ts.
reco nstr ucti ng the inci den t to dete rmin e a sequ ence of
scen e investigation' are
• Th~ wor ds 'crime scen e examination' and 'crime
the word_ 'crime s~ene
commonly use d inte rcha nge ablr . H~wever, us~ of
collection of obvious
exam inat ion' refe rs to the identification, reco rdin g and
tion ' not only refers to
potential evidence, and the word 'crime scen e inve stiga
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identification, recording and collection of all potential evidentiary mate~ but

also includes interpretation of the circumstances surrounding the occurrence
of crime by reconstructing the incident to determh1e a sequen_c e of events. The
purpose of crime scene investigation is to help establish how, when, where
and what !)'Ee of crime occurred (crime scene reconstruction) and ·tQ id~!ify
the offender, thus helping the law enforcement agencies . to prosecute the
crime. Crime Scene Investigation has a vital role in solving and prosecuting
--
the crime. There is no substitute for a careful and thorough approach to the
investigation. Reasonable inferences about sequence of events should be
· formed on the basis of meticulous crime scene investigation. It must also be
realized that valuable evidence could be hidden among a myriad of valueless
material. A successful crime scene investigation must be methodical, logical
and thorough and must comprehend:
- How to identify, record, collect and preserve the physical evidences?
- How to obtain information from the physical evidence?
- How to interpret the information obtained?

J!,mAGES OF CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION

The fundamental tasks involved in any crime scene investigation include
securing the crime scene, properly searching and documenting the scene, and
recognizing, collecting and packaging physical evidence. The ·re-~ognitio1;1,
documentation and collection of physical evidence are crucial steps needed to
elicit information from physical evidence. Each crime scene is unique, and the
fi.PP.r9.~~ ':1~e~dt , ~o , ~v~stig~~~'- , ~~ . ~11~~, sc~~~c.. i~. ~~f~Ir guidC;d . by ,~e
circumstances encountered ~t the c:r;une:._scede. ;A s;tstematic apprbaen'·to cnme
scene investigation con,ists Uie following stages. of
- ' , .,' ~
•·. . r ( - -

~ t t f o n o/Crtme Scene . '

• Recognition of crime scene begins with initial search of the scene. The search
is an organized examination of the crime scene to locate items of ,evidence to
the crime under investigation. ·
• On the baaia of information gathered from witnesses and •c ircumstances of the
scene, a plan of. operation is developed to decide the 'evidence-coUectiort
strat119y'. ·
•Additional reaourcea •. equtpment and other aaaiatance may_be necessatY to
®nduct the inveatip;tion.
' .
 ~•~ 4 Crime Scene lnv.HJ.lgatlon _ __ 11
• Safety of the investigating team is of utmost importance during the initial
approach to the scene, as weapons, hazardous material, and even intentional
traps could be waiting for the investigators.

~ r i n g the Crime See,.. '1 t.U.o\10 ~ --~CP-411 e. ~IA.f"

• Securing the crime scene is one of the most important tasks of the police. In
many cases the investigating officer cannot reach the scene immediately after~ '
the occurrence of crime. The first police official arriving at the scene should
secure the scene of crime by cordoning it off.
• Anyone entering the crime scene can alter the scene and its evidences, so
access to the crime scene must be restricted except for the investigating team.
To control unwanted access, the scene is cordoned off with physical barriers
like barricades, yellow crime scene tae_e, or by other means. In addition, a
common entryway is established that all the team members will use to enter
and exit the scene.
• An officer designated as a scene security officer, shall be responsible for
preventing the entry into the crime scene by any unwanted ~rson, not related
to the investigation.
• Use of multilevel security approach can effectively prevent the unwanted
entries. A register is maintained to record the entry and exit for the secure
areas of the crime scene.
• The investigating officers should not introduce any material, like cigarette
butts, fingerprints, footwear marks etc. at the crime scene. The doors,
windows, stair-cases routes of entrance or exit should be preserved in their
original condition till the examination is complete.
• At the scene of occurrence, the officer should not use the utilities like
bathroom, wash basin, lavatories, towels, phone, etc. He should not move
anything from its place. Alteration of position 9f objects is allowed only in case
of emergencies. If something is altered from its original condition, then record
the change.

~ y of Crime Scene
• When the crime scene security has been evaluated, the preliminary survey is
done. The Preliminary survey records the condition of the scene as it was first
found . It is the first examination of the crime scene to locate items of evidence
related to the crime under investigation. The preliminary survey helps in
developing a general theory of the scene.
• On the basis of information gathered during the preliminary survey, a plan of
action is developed to decide the 'evidence-collection strateWJ'.
 ___ _.. -~.. .wr---
a~~~:_~_=:--.. ~··· •-:,.¢ii.ii_$.~ziilifes'if~1g!L_ ....- · SJl!P•.i
~-~

• The survey also establishes the extent of the area that needs to be searched
and helps to determine, what type of personnel and equipment ma~ be needed
for the investigation . Safety of the investigating team is of utmost unp~rtance
during the initial approach to the scene, as weapons, hazardous matenal, and
even intentional haps-could 'befwaitin~' f~r' {h~ investigators . .
~cument ation of Crime Scene
\.Xonce the crime scene has been evaluated by a preliminary scene survey,
documentati on of the crime scene is to be done. The purpose of
documentati on is to permanently record the condition of the crime scene and
the evidences found at the scene.
• A complete and accurate record of the scene is essential for investigating the
crime and for presenting the case when it goes to court.
• Crime scene documentatio n should depict the scene as it is observed before
anything is handled, moved, or initiated into the scene. The systematic
process of crime scene documentatio n involves the following:
~ T T E N NOTES .
• The process of writing notes should be done simultaneous ly as the activities
are completed, to prevent the possibility of memory loss if notes are made at a
later time.
• The scene should be documented just as the investigator observes it. Written
notes should be legible, and identifying each page with a sequential page
number, the case number, and the notetaker's name.
•There is no fixed format for the written notes, but minimum requirement of
effective notes should include the following information:
✓- Notifica~on and arrival information.
~escripti on of the scene.
- Weather (temperature , rain, winds etc.).
- Location (interior/exte rior; first floor/second floor, car/house, etc.).
- Vehicles, buildings, or other major structures.
- Evidence identified, especially the transient (smell, sound, and sight) and
conditional evidence (light switches, taps etc.). - · ·
iii. ~escripti?n of victim(~)-In case o~ death of a. victim, dead body of the victim
t1" is the smgle most important piece of evidence. It requires significant
documentati on prior to removal from the scene. Description of victim should
include: , .
_ Position or location .
.. Clothing, footwear, jewelry
_ Identification marks
 ~ --"•~-..,;!),fll..~'3~ = - <---= &-;t~ .-,,..~.fl_!'.~~ -.,,,-..!.~...--.. ,,~ .,. . ...~ ~Qj!
· - - - - - ~-

• Body temperature
• Post mortem stainin g, Rigor rnortis,
• Wounds .
• Weapons nt the scene.
• Any physical evidence deposited on the body: pattern ed evidence, trace
evidence, etc,
iv..JCrime scene investigation team.
V • Duty assigned to team membe rs: notes, video, photography, sketching,
evidence collection, searchi ng responsibilities, etc.
- Preliminary scene survey information from the walk-th rough.
• Start and end times for the scene duties.
• Evidence searchi ng, processing, collection, packaging, and transp ortatio n/
storage . ·

B. PHOTOGRAPHY
.... .p

• The purpos e of photography is to provide a true and accura te pictorial record

of the crime scene and physical evidence present . The photog raphs allow a
visual perman ent record of the crime scene and items of evidence collected
, from the crime scene.
• In case an investigating officer overlooks any evidence at the crime scene,
proper photog raphs of the scene make these details available to him later also.
Tyre marks, Skid marks, and footwear marks found on busy roads cannot be
•picked up easily. Such evidences cannot be left undistu rbed for a long time
, without altering the traffic route. The evidence is therefore record ed by
photography.
•The perisha ble evidence like burnin g cigarette, smoke, wound s on the body,
· traces of resistan ce, strangu lation mark, is best recorde d and preserv ed
through photography.
• Photography of the crime scene should be done at the earliest, to depict the
scene as it is observed before anythin g is handle d, moved, or initiate d into the
scene. The photog raphs should include three positions or views of the crime
scene: ,.. . .
• Overall scene photog raphs showing the most view possible of the scene
. • Mid-range photog raphs showing ~e
relatlon ships of items and '
• Close up of the item of evidence.
' , .. J

~CH INO A_CRIME SCENE

• Preparation of the sketch or diagram of a·crime scene is the final component of
crime acene docum entatio n. Sketches are used along with the reports aud
The items found at the crime scene must be documented before it is moved OJ
collected.

rllection and Preservation of Evidence

• During this stage, the evidences are retrieved. The physical evidence present
at the crime scene will vary depending upon the nature of crime. Depending
upon the nature of evidence, each item is collected with the help of tools like
-
forceps, gloves, plastic containers, glass jars etc.
- -- ... ~
 ~ m e Scene Rec o~c tion v1~ -
ts that
• Crime scen e re~on_struction is the proc ess of deter mini ng the even
the
occurred at the crim e scen e by analy zing the crim e scen e ·;ppe aran ce,
on
location and posit ion of phys ical evidences, and foren sic scien ce exam inati
of the phys ical evide nce.
• St§ps of Crime Scen e Reconstruction:
on,
It involves set of steps like Data collection, conje cture , hypo thesi s form ulati
testin g and theo ry form ulati on.
nce,
~ t a ~ollection: All da~ relat ed to the cond ition of phys ical evide
or
pecu liar patte rns and impr essio ns, infor matio n obta ined from · victi m
witn esses is reviewed, organized, and studi ed.
, a
~c tur e: Before a detai led analy sis of evidence is acco mpli shed
is
possible expl anati on or conje cture of actio ns involved in crim e scen e
formulated. It is not a fixed expla natio n, and there is a poss ibilit y that more
than one expl anati on may be formulated.
nce,
- ~th esi s form ulati on: Crime scen e exam inati on, inspe ction of evide
V ~d - inter preta tion of the findings will lead to the form ulati on of
on
recon struc tion hypo thesi s. Additional accu mula tion of data is base d
exam inati on of phys ical evidence and conti nuin g inves tigat ion.
to
- Mtin g: After a hypo thesi s has be~n develop~~, addit ional tests .a re done
of the
Vco n.fir m or dispr ove the overall inter preta tion or specific aspe cts
e .f
hypo thesi s. Testing inclu des comp ariso n of samp les collected at crim e scen
with lmow n stand ards , microscopic exam inati ons, chem ical analy sis and
other tests .
 84 Ctilpe;§ C~11V f5l /ga/lOfL ~ ,
--_-rl4y formulation : When the hypothesis has been thoroughly te_s ted aJld
¼ ~~d , the recons tructio n theory can be formu lated. Detade ,d aJld
comple te inform ation acquir ed during the investi gation is very import ant
becaus e, a reconstruction can be as good as the infonn ationp rouide d.

1/ DY PRIKCIPLES OF CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATIOK

v:i:ou nderst and the proces s and purpos e of crim.e scene investi gation, it ~
essent ial to discus s the princip les of forensi c scienc e applic able to the criminal
investi gation .
(l) Princi ple of Bxcha nge
.
The key princip le underl ying crime scene investi gation is a concep t known as
Locard 's Exchan ge Princip le. The French scienti st, Edmo nd Locard first
formul ated the basic princip le of fo]iensic •scienc e, known as Locard 's pqnciplc
of exchan ge. It states that: 'Whene uei tt.uo' entitie s come in contact, there is
ex~ang_e of traces mutually:. It means that, euer:v contac t leaves a trace, i.e.,
whene ver someo ne enters or exits an enviro nment , SOQ)C physic al evidence _will
be left over and simult aneous ly some physic al eviden ce will be taken away by
the person from the scene. Thus in crime scene investi gation , if these left over
tef e~den ces are tracke d to their origina l source i.e. the crimin al, and if the picked
W up eviden ces are linked with the victim or the scene, it will establ ish the cont act
betwee n the crimin al and the crime scene. Chanc e finger prints, tool marks,
t recove ry of weapo n of offence (knife, pistol, empty cartrid ges etc.) from the ,
~ 1 crime scene clearly demon strate the princip le of exchan ge . '
(.2) Princi ple of Indivi dualit y
Accord ing to the princip le of individ uality, "Every object (natura l or man•m ade) is
unique and has an individuality, which is not duplic ated in any other object" . At
the first sight many objects may appear indisti nguish able from the other, yet
the individ uality is always there. The princip le of individ uality is of param ount
import ance in crime scene investi gation. Everyt hing involv ed in a crime viz. the
crimin al, his modus operan di, weapo n of offence , other physic al eviden ces of
crime are unique and have individ uality, which must be identif ied to link tl'1e
crime with the crimin al.
(3yl'rfnctple of Progr e••fve Chan11•
\{'ccor ding to the princip le of progre ssive change , "Every thing chang es with tile ,
passa ge of time". Howev er, the rate of progre ssive change vurica wl th differc t
11
object s. This princip le has great impact on crime scene inve stigatio 11. The
crimin al, the crime scene and eviden ces involve d in tho crim e all undergo
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chan~es, . and may becom e different with the passag e of time. Any delay in
examm~tion . of th e eviden ces may rende r the investigation a futile effort. For
illu str~tio~, if_scene of occur rence is a busy road, it will lose all evidence if the
inve sti gation lS not Carried out at once. Thus, this principle of progressiv~
change dema nds promp tness in crime scene investigatioo - •
§Pri ncip le of Compartaon
According to the Princi ple of compa rison, "Only the likes can be compared•. This
means that, it is essent ial to provide · like sampl es for compa rison with the
questioned items. By compa rison, uniqu e qualities of collected sampl es are
tested. This princi ple is amply applicable in criminal invest igatio ns. For
illustration, in a case of murde r by stabbi ng in which weapon of offence is a
sharp object, it is futile to send blunt objects like stick for compa rison.
~Principle of Analy sis . ; ., , .
According to the princi ple of analysis, •rhe analysis can be no better than the
sample on which it is performed". It emphasizes the necess ity of correc t
sampling and packin g of evidences for the analysis. This enable s the forens ic
scientist to efficiently analyze the available evidences throug h scientific
techniques. Impro per sampl ing can render the best investigation useles s.
-
~nc fple of Pro""'1.flity ·
Principle of propa bility is a mathe matica l concept. It determ ines the chanc es of
occurrence of any event in a partic ular way out of numb er of ways in which the
event can occur or fail to occur. All identifications are made on the basis of
probability. In a court ,of law, if it is opined that on the basis o~ proba bility' , a
particular event took place in a partic ular way, the d.efense couns el will make
the most of the term, 'probability' ~d plead that it is not a definite opinion.
Thus, is not custom ary to tftlk of 'prbbability' in court of law.
v(Prfndple of Circumatantial Facta
The principle of circum stanti al facts states that, •Facts do not lie, men can do•.
There is a chanc e that oral testimony of witness is modified due to variou s
reasons like, auto-s ugges tion, extern al influence, opinions of others , and
rationalization. Circum stantia l evidences are free from these infirmities.
Hawever crime scene investigator must be aware of the fact that,
drcum a~tia l facts can be manipulated. For illustration, an offender kills a
Victim by slittin g his neck and keeps the knife in right hand or the decea sed so
II ·io create the ,cene of suicide.