What Evidence Should Be Collected First at A Crime Scene?

Introduction

A wrongdoing scene is any area that might be related to a carried out crime.[1] Crime scenes contain physical proof that is appropriate to a criminal examination. This proof is gathered by wrongdoing scene examiners (CSIs) and law requirements. The area of a wrongdoing scene can be where the wrongdoing occurred or can be any territory that contains proof from the wrongdoing itself. Scenes are restricted to an area, however, can be an individual, spot, or item connected with the criminal practices that happened. After a wrongdoing scene has been found, measures must be taken to make sure about and shield the scene from pollution. To keep up the respectability of the scene, law authorization must make a move to close off the encompassing region just as monitor who comes in and goes out.[2] Everything that happens during the investigation of a wrongdoing scene must be reported.[3]

Evidence Collection

Proof comes in a wide range of structures, for example, firearms, blood on blades, and so forth. It very well may be anything from a natural example like blood or ordinary things like receipts or bank proclamations. Different kinds of proof include strands, gun buildup, photos or recordings, and fingerprints. Guaranteeing that proof is gathered in a precise and convenient way causes officials to all the more likely comprehend what occurred at the scene and helps in the examination being finished successfully.[4]

When the proof is gathered appropriately there is to a lesser degree a possibility that the things gathered will be harmed or contaminated.[5]There follows proof, for example, hairs, soil, fingerprints, impressions, shoe prints, black powder buildup, glass parts, cover strands, and comparative things that are essential to wrongdoing scene preparing. Contingent upon the wrongdoing scene figures out what experts will be expected to react to the scene Forensics utilizes a wide range of instruments and techniques.[6]

Fingerprints – the first evidence collected in crime scene

Instruments for recovering fingerprints fuse brushes, powders, tape, engineered substances, lift cards, an intensifying glass and Super Glue. An insightful lab can use fingerprints to recognize the individual being referred to or perceive or block a suspect.

At the point when wrongdoing is carried out, wrongdoing scene agents normally utilize cement powders to discover fingerprints. This is regularly called ‘cleaning for fingerprints’ since agents use brushes to tidy surfaces with powder. The powder adheres to the oils present in new fingerprints, making them obvious. In the wake of finding a print, wrongdoing scene agents photo the print and ‘lif’s it utilizing extraordinary lifting tape. They likewise compose a short depiction of where the unique mark was found and start a careful record of the people who handle or transport the proof as it advances toward the measurable lab, where finger impression ID happens.[7]

Measurable researchers who break down fingerprints in the lab are commonly called unique finger impression inspectors. The unique finger impression examiner’s work starts when print shows up at the lab from the area of the wrongdoing. A unique mark inspector should first cautiously check the distinctive highlights of the full or fractional print.

The subsequent stage is to enter the print into a unique finger impression distinguishing proof framework, for example, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). At last, the analyst should physically contrast inactive fingerprints and potential matches got by the framework so as to make a positive recognizable proof.[8]

The analyst should completely record each progression of the procedure and compose a full report about the distinguishing proof procedure and its decisions. In the event that the unique mark proof is utilized for a situation that goes to preliminary, the inspector might be required to affirm in court about the work. Unique mark proof can be basic inputting a suspect in the area of the wrongdoing!

Materials on which Fingerprints left

1. A glass or smooth metal surface (where you have permission to test for fingerprints!)
2. Raw cacao powder if your test surface is light; baby powder if it is dark
3. White paper if your test surface is light; black paper if it is dark
4. A small bowl
5. Clear tape[9]
6. A fine brush with soft bristles, such as a makeup brush
7. Dust cloth
8. Water
9. Soap
10. Hand lotion

The procedure of Collecting Fingerprint

1. Choose one finger of one of your hands and press it firmly onto the clean, smooth surface. Remember where you put it on the surface. Can you see your fingerprint?
2. Dip your brush carefully into the cacao or baby powder. (If your fingerprint is on a dark surface, use the baby powder; if on a light one, cacao.) Only the tips of the bristles should be covered with powder. Then, tap the brush to remove any excess powder.
3. Gently sweep the brush carefully over the area where you put your fingerprint. What happens when you apply the powder to the surface?
4. When you are done, gently blow off excess powder from the surface and check your result. Can you make out the fingerprint pattern?[10]
5. Use a piece of clear tape and carefully press the tape down onto the surface on top of the developed fingerprint. Peel the tape off and transfer the fingerprint onto a piece of paper. (If you used dark cacao, use white paper; for baby powder, use black.)
6. Wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and soap. Then, repeat the steps with the same finger you chose before. Did you get a fingerprint again
7. Finally, apply some hand lotion and repeat the fingerprint steps again. How does this fingerprint compare with the previous ones? Is it easier or more difficult to detect?[11]
8. Once you have transferred all your fingerprints onto a piece of paper, compare your results. Do they all look the same? Which one can you see the best, the least? Can you explain your results?

Conclusion- (Observation & Results)

On a smooth surface such as glass or metal, fingerprints tend to stick very well. With your unwashed hands, you should have been able to make your fingerprint visible with either cacao or baby powder. Just a little powder applied with a brush should be enough to reveal your fingerprint. If you apply too much powder, however, the fine details of your print might have gotten lost. When you press too hard onto the surface with the brush, the fingerprint will be wiped away—so you have to be careful when treating the surface with the powder.

Your freshly washed hands have much less skin oil and sweat because they have been washed away with soap and water. On the other hand, if you apply hand lotion, which contains lots of oil and fat, this will make your fingertips much stickier, leading to a much more pronounced print. You should have seen a big fat fingerprint once you applied the powder to the surface where had you pressed your finger.

[1] U.S. Department of Justice (2013). Crime Scene Investigation: A Guide for Law Enforcement.

[2] Curtis, Caitlin; Hereward, James (August 29, 2017). “From the crime scene to the courtroom: the journey of a DNA sample”. The Conversation. Retrieved October 14, 2017

[3]  “Evidence Packaging: A How-to Guide” (PDF).

[4] U.S. Department of Justice (2013). Crime Scene Investigation: A Guide for Law Enforcement. pp. 4, 5.

[5] Layton, Julia. “How Crime Scene Investigation Works”. How Stuff Works, Science.

[6] Fisher, Barry A. J.; Fisher, David R. (2012). Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press.

[7]  “Evidence Packaging: A How-to Guide” (PDF).

[8]  “5 Important Tools Used by Forensic Scientists”. TFOT. 2017-12-13. Retrieved 2019-11-13.

[9] “Collection and Preservation of Evidence, Part III”. www.crime-scene-investigator.net. Retrieved 2019-11-13.

[10]  “Types of Crime Scene Information Page”. www.all-about-forensic-science.com.Retrieved 2019-11-13.

[11]  “Crime Scene Reconstruction Jobs and Certification Options”. Retrieved 2019-11-13

This Article is Authored by ANKITA MISHRA, 5th Year, B.B.A.LL.B.(Hons.) Student at Indore Institute of Law.

Also Read – Forensic Significance of Physical Evidences in Crime Scene Investigation