Crime scene assessment

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Crime scenes are very dramatic scenes. The CSI and always face an uphill task in assessing the crime scene and be able to solve the mystery. However, there are dangers faced in processing the crime scene, so there are safety measures to be taken to ensure that the CSI can examine the scene and safely recover the body.

CSI and detective personnel face major challenges when processing a crime scene. Crime scenes are devastating and it draws a lot of attention and in one there are many bystanders who are always curious to know what is happening and what has happened i.e who has been murdered. Some bystanders are uncontrollable and may get very close to the crime scene and tamper with the evidence. Controlling these bystanders is not easy. A CSI personnel with crisis management skills will help in managing the situation and also sealing the area to be out of bounds to all except the police. The bereaved are traumatized and will always be in an emotional state where they would want to hold the body of their beloved ones. This is another challenge as they would greatly disturb the evidence making it hard for the investigator to solve the crime as the fingerprints will be tampered with. Another challenge is, the witnesses are emotionally disturbed and at that time, they are not able to answer questions concerning the murder. Getting answers from them has proved to be a challenge and some witnesses even go numb and feel like the investigators are intruding their time of grief.

CSI personnel also face challenges from other police. Untrained police who do not know the protocol of assessing a crime scene, may mess up the evidence if they are the first to arrive at the crime scene. Collection of the evidence is intense as it involves collecting even the tiniest of evidence such as hair fiber. This could prove difficult and requires lots of experience. CSI personnel always undergo training to keep on their toes on the latest forensics.

There are safety issues that need to be into account in order not to tamper with evidence and also protect the investigator from any harm. First safety to be considered is the hands, they should always put on gloves. This helps to keep the evidence untampered with. It does not only protect the evidence from being tampered with but also it’s a safety precaution as it protects them from hazards in that, nitrile gloves do not degrade when exposed to gasoline, unlike latex gloves. Covering the feet is also necessary for it helps avoid creating footprints that might get mixed up thus making it difficult to differentiate the victim’s and the perpetrator’s. They also keep the officers safe by protecting them from falling objects. Detectives also need to cover their eyes as they are faced with dangers of getting their eyes injured. Crime scene that are of chemical exposure nay harm the eye therefore safety goggles are needed to protect them from such dangers when assessing a crime. They also face the danger of inhaling hazardous chemicals. Thus to prevent this they usually where gas masks and contamination suits when assessing a crime scene.

CSI scan the scene of the crime and take photos. Here they take photos from different angles of the scene. They make an accurate sketch of the body and any other evidence. After that they look for additional evidence using forceps and sometimes a vacuum cleaner with a bag. The evidence collected is properly sealed and labeled. They get to know witnesses of the crime and ask them a few questions. The body is safely taken to the morgue where further investigation is done.

It is evident that assessing a crime scene is not a walk in the park as we thought; we have seen that the detectives are faced with numerous challenges and dangers that put their lives at risk. Proper measures should be taken to help not cause another tragedy and also help not to ruin the evidence. Through we are able to make the work of the investigators easy and in no time the criminals are apprehended.

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