Crime Scene Investigator - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages The ability to recognize and collect physical evidence properly is always invaluable in solving violent crimes as well as during prosecution. As a matter of fact, the role of a crime scene investigator is in most court cases very critical as he/she is the determining factor as to whether physical proof will be applied while prosecuting or solving violent criminal acts (Crime Scene Investigator Network, n.d). It is important to note that the investigation of a crime scene can either be straightforward or it can come with challenges, which would call for a multidisciplinary approach in order to resolve them. To start with, the investigator can get the wrong impression of the crime scene – for instance, a crime scene that seems to be accidental fire may have been staged to conceal further crimes. Therefore, hurried conclusions may make the investigator to miss out on important clues. The investigator should therefore know that every item that catches his/her attention is important and he/she should document it. He/she should thus be observant and diligent following standard procedures for every kind of scene response (Fish, Miller & Braswell, 2010). On arriving at the scene of crime, a crime scene-investigator must do various things and process lots of information. To start with, he/she should start by having a brief interview meeting with the first reporting officer on the scene as well as the lead detective in order to obtain information that can assist him/her comprehend what happened, when it occurred and the order of the events that took place (Domnauer, 2007). This should happen without the investigator getting too much information that is likely to taint his/her perspective. Instead, it should be sharpened in such a way that he/she is able to take the information that he/she received previously and mesh it with that which he/she gathered at the crime scene thereby enabling him/her to come to an impartial and logical determination of the events. In other words, the investigator should present the court with an accurate and true crime scene representation remaining unbiased as well as objective all through the proceedings. He/she should leave it for the court to weigh the value of the evidence and determine innocence or guilt (Fish, Miller & Braswell, 2010). Crime Scene Investigator Network (n.d) further records that a crime scene investigator has no substitute for a thoughtful and careful approach, and that he/she must not jump into making immediate conclusions regarding what happened founded on limited evidence. Instead, he/she must come up with several different theories of the crime, keeping those that incoming information at the scene do not eliminate. Rational deductions regarding what happened are generated from information from witnesses as well as the scene appearance. These theories assist in guiding the investigator in documenting specific conditions and identify valuable proof. According to Ruslander (2007), a crime scene ...Download file to see next pagesRead More