7 S's Of Crime Scene Investigation | Budding Forensic Expert

The 7 S's of Crime Scene Investigation | Budding Forensic Expert 

The 7 S's of Crime Scene Investigation

1.Securing the Crime Scene:

•The most important part of crime scene investigation is to secure the scene in order to keep the evidence uncontaminated or loss until it can be recorded and collected
•Securing of crime scene is done by the first responding Officer (eg. Police officer)

2.Securing the Witness:

•If a witness hears the testimony of others before he himself takes the stand, he will find it much easier to deliberately tailor his own story to that of other witnesses.
•Questions to ask witnesses:
       •When did the crime occurred?
       •Who is the victim?
       •What did you see happened?
       •Where were you when you observe the Crime Scene?
       •Can you identify the perpetrator?

3.Scanning the Scene:

•Observe the Crime Scene and identify the primary and secondary crime scene
        •Primary Crime Scene:
        The Place where the actual crime happened
        •Secondary Crime Scene:
        The place related to the Primary Crime Scene. Actual crime didn't took place in secondary crime scene.

4.Seeing the Scene:

•Photographs of the overall Crime Scene and close-ups (with and without measuring ruler), Photos at different angles and distance, close up phtots of evidence and bodies are taken.

5.Sketching the Scene:

•Crime scene sketch is a permanent record of the size and distance relationship of the crime scene and the physical evidence within it.
•Objects measured from a reference point which is immovable
•Indoor Crime Scene include Doors, Windows, furniture etc
•Outdoor Crime Scene includes tree, vehicles, hedges etc

Crime Scene Sketch | Budding Forensic Expert

6.Searching for Evidence:

•Different techniques are used to search for the evidences, which includes....
         •Grid Search
         •Linear Search
         •Quadrant Search
         •Spiral Search, etc.

Searching Method | Budding Forensic Expert

7.Securing and Collecting Evidence;

•Evidence must be packed properly, Labeled and Sealed.
•Different types of evidence packing methods are used for different types of evidence.
•eg. Druggist Fold is used to pack trace evidences like hair, fibres, etc.

Chain of Custody:

Chain of Custody is the process of maintaining, documenting and handling of the evidence. It involves keeping a detailed log showing who collected, handled, transferred, or analyzed evidence during an investigation.

Steps in Chain Of Custody:

1. Evidence is Packed, Sealed and Labelled
2. Next Person opens sealed bag (at a different location)
3. Performs their Examination
4. Repackages evidence in original packaging
5. Seals it in a new evidence bag
6. Signs the sealed bag and the Chain of Custody Log

(This article is Prepared by Milik Ahmed and Guided by Ms. Anjali Malik, Profesor, Forensic Science, Dept. Of Forensic Science, Sharda University)