LESSON 3

Crime Scene Investigation and Reconstruction

TOPICS
1. Procedures in Criminal Investigation
2. Crime Scene Processing
3. Reconstructing the Crime
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
a. explain the process and the responsibility of first responder in the crime
scene;
b. discuss the methods of search, proper chain of custody and transmittal
to crime laboratory; and
c. explain the purpose of reconstructing the crime and establishing the
identity of the suspect.

TOPIC 1: PROCEDURES IN CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

As a general rule, all crime scene investigation must be done by the police station who has the
territorial jurisdiction of the crime incident unless otherwise specified by higher authorities to be
investigated by some other unit or agencies and must be recorded in the official police blotter.
Territorial jurisdiction means that the crime incident happened within the area or place that a
certain police station holds or covers. Police station moreover refers to the office of local police that
has a jurisdiction within the area and exercises control over the community and persons movement
by enforcing the laws necessary for the maintenance of peace and order. The same is responsible
in providing immediate response to the community as the need arises.
Also, crime incident differs from crime scene such that crime scene again refers to the place
where crime took place and where physical evidence can be found while crime incident refers to
the occurrence of a certain crime.
Illustration: A committed murder (Crime Incident) in the house (Crime Scene) of B.

In the process of investigation, crime scene must be preserved as it contains the essential
ingredients surrounding the commission of the crime. On the other hand, crime incident must be
established as it will guide investigators in filing the proper charge.

In what way are police officers be notified in the event that a crime happened? In the event that
a crime happens, it reaches the attention of the police through:
 a concerned citizen who witnessed the crime incident;
 an accidental discovery of some citizen; or
 the action itself of the police officer in patrol.

Those who are in patrol are commonly regarded as the first responder as they are those who
are employed in the community with the end purpose of crime prevention. As part of their duties
first responder must do the following.
1. Proceed to crime scene and validate information regarding crime incident;
2. Record all relevant facts and the time of arrival at the crime scene;
3. Cordon the area, meaning isolate the place so that unauthorized persons cannot enter the
scene or the suspect cannot destroy the evidence:

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 4. Identify possible witness and do me preliminary interview if feasible.
5. Arrest suspect/s if they are around or recommend for the conduct of dragnet operation
which pertains to an operation conducted to seal off possible exits of the suspect/s.
6. Be ready to take dying declaration of injured person. A dying declaration is a statement
made by a person who is under the impending death in which such declaration is related to
the facts in which the person is competent to testify;
7. Evacuate wounded person and/or account killed, wounded or arrested person;
8. Conduct initial investigation and briefing of investigator case (IOC) upon his arrival at the
scene; and
9. Conduct initial inventory of all possible evidence at the crime scene which must be signed
by him, the SOCO; and by the investigator.

After such procedure, the investigating team will take full control of the crime scene which
includes toe conduct of crime scene search, generating sketches as well as the taking of
photograph, lifting of fingerprints, marking and tagging as well as the collection of physical
evidence and the like, investigating team refers to the group of police personnel charged with the
investigation and processing of the crime scene which includes but not limited to the search,
collection, marking, tagging, preservation, and transfer of evidence.
Further, investigating team is composed of toe following;
 The team leader,
 Investigator
 Photographer.
 Evidence custodian; and
 Artist
Upon the takeover of the Investigating team, they ensure that the investigative procedures are
followed such as:
 Record the date and time of arrival as well as all other important details in the crime scene;
 Photograph and video of the crime scene;
 Arrest of suspect/s if their identity is apparent; and
 Separate possible witness to get their individual accounts.

Further, whatever the situation in the crime scene might be, it must be noted that the
paramount concern of the investigating team should be the preservation of human life. Investigator
or any of the investigating team must be aware to know what task should be given priority in the
conduct of investigation.

TOPIC 2: CRIME SCENE PROCESSING

It is true that the investigating team must give priority to the human life, nevertheless, they
must exhaust whatever means to secure and preserve the crime scene for it contains all the
necessary ingredients for the prosecution of the case. As such, they must reconsider the
necessary steps in order to collect all available evidence and maintain the integrity of the crime
scene by remembering “MAC” rule which simply stand for:

Mutilate - meaning do not remove anything from the crime scene;

Alter-do not change anything in the crime scene; and
Contaminate - do not add anything to the crime scene.

Also, the investigating team must remember that nothing should be touched, altered or
removed unless everything is photographed, noted, measured, and indicated in the sketch as

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these are the golden rule in the processing of crime scene. They should also take into
consideration those transient evidence or fragile evidence. Transient evidence are those evidence
which when not collected at appropriate time may diminish or loss its value such as urine, blood,
semen, etc. on the other hand, fragile evidence are those evidence which may be broken if
collected inattentively.

Methods of Search

Crime is unique with respect to one another which means that the search for an individual
object should be based on the physical characteristics of the scene in order to collect all possible
evidences present in the area. Therefore, investigating team should be careful in selecting the best
method of search that will correspond to the present crime scene.
Further, Method of Search is defined as the systematic procedure employed by the
investigating team in order to recognize, collect, and preserve the evidence or any object/s found in
the crime scene that has a logical connection to the case.
In the conduct of crime scene search, the following methods may be employed based on the
physical characteristics of the place such as strip method, double strip method, spiral search
method, zone search method and wheel search method.

Strip method is done through following a straight

path in an area. Upon reaching the end, the searcher turns
and follows again a straight path but parallel to the first path
he takes. This process continues until the search of the
entire area is done.

Double strip method is almost similar with strip

method. As the term suggests, "double", meaning after the
entire area is done searching using strip method, the
searcher will again start another process but this time at the
other side at right angles from where you started.

Spiral method is
done when the area to be
searched is circular in
nature. The searcher may
start either from the center or outside although commonly
searcher usually starts from the outside following a circular shape
until they finish searching the entire area.

Wheel method is also applicable in circular areas similar to

the spiral method. However, the searcher starts in the center and is
best applied when there are plenty of searchers. From the center,
they follow a straight path toward outside unlike in radial that they
follow a circular pattern.

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 Zone method is best applicable in crime scene covering a
wider range. In this method, the crime scene is divided into four
quadrants and the searcher may select what type of search should
be done in each quadrant. It could either be strip, double strip, radial,
wheel or zone method.

Marking, Tagging and Collection of Evidence

After the search of an evidence, collection follows. However,
any object/s found must be properly marked, tagged, photographed,
measured, and indicated in the sketch before its actual collection.
Marking of evidence refers to the process of identifying and
recognizing any objects in the crime scene by way of placing the letter
symbol or number. Tagging of evidence is the process of
labelling the physical evidence by way of placing the
appropriate evidence tag containing the description of the item,
the date and the initial of the collecting officer. Collection of
evidence refers to the actual gathering and lifting of evidence
from the crime scene to the custody of the appropriate office.
Photographing the Crime Scene
In processing the crime scene, investigating team must consider the proper taking of
photographs and the making of sketch. Photographs should depict the actual scenario of the crime
scene and portray the proper placement of the individual evidence. Moreover, all individual
evidences must be shown in the sketch with precise measurement. All these procedures must be
written in the investigator’s notebook. An investigator’s notebook refers to the pad of paper such as
work pad, tickler, or notepad and the like which is used to remember the details regarding the
commission of the crime and in any manner aids the investigator in refreshing his memory to recall
matters related to the case under investigation.

In taking of photograph, investigating team

must consider the following angle/views to
properly appreciate the crime scene such as:
1. General View - these are taken outside of
the crime scene purposely to show location,
direction, and the place of crime incident;
2. Medium View - these shots are taken to
show the different divisions of the crime
scene as this view will allow investigators to
clearly see the nature of the crime
committed;
3. Close-up View - these shots are done to
individual evidence to show what
constitutes the crime and how it was
committed.
Further, gradual shots of an individual

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 evidence may be taken from a standard position in order to show the relationship of one evidence
to another or how individual evidence is close or far from one another. Technically, this is referred
to as progressive photography which include shots taken in long range, midrange, and/or close
range distance.
The following guidelines also in line with taking photographs must be noted by the
investigating team such as;
1. Take overall photos of the scene which include street signs, areas, streetlights location
near the crime scene, and any identifying objects;
2. Pictures of every room must be taken though they are not apparently connected to the
crime scene;
3. Photograph must be taken from at least 2 opposite corners but 4 corners is better;
4. If possible, take photos from above or ceiling to avoid the possibility of missing any
evidence; and
5. Keep a photo log during crime scene processing.

Sketching the Crime Scene

In line with sketch, the artist should be
able to draw and portray the crime scene. The
same must remember the elements of the sketch
which includes the following:
1. Title - this includes the basic information
regarding the case such as the nature of
the crime, the time and date of crime
incident, and the location of the crime.
2. Measurement - this pertains to the
dimension and the distance of the relative object to one another.
3. Essential items - these refers to the pieces of physical evidence found at the crime scene.
4. Legend - this refers to the use of words or numbers to represent an item in the crime
scene.
5. Compass direction - refers to the north direction from when the sketch was drawn.
6. Scale of proportion - is the representation of the sketch to the actual size of the scene.

In addition, the artist must also prepare a rough sketch and finished sketch. Rough sketch
is drawn by the artist at the crime scene containing all the necessary details regarding the crime.
Finished sketch on the other hand is drawn by the artist for court presentation and is commonly
done in the office.

Remember to keep the rough sketch even after the preparation of the finished sketch.
Sketcher must take note also the type of sketch that should be drawn such as:
1. Floor plan or birds eye view - a type of sketch drawn from above;
2. Elevation sketch - a type of sketch drawn to show the given side of an area;
3. Exploded view sketch - a type of sketch drawn to show the relationship or order of the
whole parts; and
4. Cross-projection sketch - a type of sketch wherein the ceiling and/or walls are flattened all
out in the ground.

In drawing a crime scene, floor plan or birds eye view sketch is commonly used. However,
in cases where some evidence was placed in the walls or ceiling (example: Dress was thrown and
hang on the ceiling fan) cross-projection sketch is better.
Additional guidelines on drawing the sketch includes the following:

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 1. Indicate the nature of the crime and the place of incident as well as the name of the person
who prepare and drew it. For better understanding, use of capital letters and numbers are
highly suggested such that;
 Capital letters - for basic parts or accessories of the place
 Numbers - for individual evidence
2. Indicate the position, location, and how objects relate to one another;
3. Use standard symbol while sketching;
4. Use arrow to show the direction and stairways; and
5. Be consistent with the units of measurement such as centimeter, inches, yard, meters,
feet, etc.

To aid the investigators in measuring individual evidence with respect to any other object/s in
the crime scene, the following methods should be considered and must be used based on the
physical characteristics of the crime scene;
A. Rectangular method - find fix post at a right angle to serve as the base;
B. Triangulation method - find two fix points to the evidence that must be plotted or
located.

Evaluation, Preservation, and Releasing of Evidence

Evaluation of evidence refers to the process of

assessing the significance of individual evidence that
should be subjected for further examination such as
transmittal of firearm to crime laboratory for ballistics
examination or transmittal of electronic devices such as
cellphones or laptops to Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) for
digital examination.
Preservation of evidence refers to the
measures employed in order to maintain, protect, and safeguard the original state of physical
evidence from the time it was collected up until the time that it will be released to appropriate
personnel. It must be noted that it is the primary responsibility of the investigator to preserve the
evidence until it will be transferred to the hands of the evidence custodian. Take note that evidence
custodian is the person who take charge with the responsibility and control in handling and
disposal of evidence.

Releasing of evidence on the other hand refers to the discharge of individual evidence
upon the order of the court and/or prosecutor.

Chain of Custody and Transmittal to Crime Laboratory

Chain of custody in every crime investigation

should be maintained at all cost as any inconsistencies
in the handling of evidence may result to the
incompetency of the same resulting to its inadmissibility
during court presentation. Chain of custody again is
defined as the transfer of evidence from one person
who holds supervision or care of such evidence to
another person from the time it was gathered at the
crime scene up to the time it will be presented in court. It includes the list of all personnel who
handled the evidence from collection until court presentation.
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 As part of the procedure, all physical and/or seized evidences must be in the custody of
the investigator unless a laboratory examination is needed, thereby he will transmit the evidence to
the evidence custodian only and must be placed in the evidence room for safekeeping.
Safekeeping simply refers to the security or protection of physical evidence.

In addition, the following should be noted in adherence to the standard procedures in

maintaining the chain of custody such as:
A. Proper recording of areas or location from which evidence was gathered;
B. Proper marking of evidence for accurate identification; and
C. Completing the evidence submission form for laboratory analysis.
For proper documentation, an evidence log should be maintained. Evidence log is any material
upon which the writing or note taking is done to keep and maintain the record and disposal of
evidence. This will guide investigators as to who are the persons who handle and possess
whatever physical evidence are transmitted.

Release of the Crime Scene

Release of the crime scene is defined as the discharge of the crime scene from the custody
of authorized law enforcement officer to the lawful occupant, owner, or any person who is charged
with the responsibility and management of the place where the crime happened.
In releasing the crime scene, the following should be observed:
1. All physical evidence must be properly marked, tagged, and labelled;
2. Ensure that proper inventory of all items is done;
3. Error should not be entertained as there is only one chance to process the crime scene;
and
4. Release the crime scene only after final survey and proper documentation. Final survey
refers to the action taken by the investigating team to ensure that all items have been gathered
which includes the proper documentation of all circumstances under which the physical evidence
was collected.

TOPIC 3: RECONSTRUCTING THE CRIME

Crime scene reconstruction is one of the most difficult and tiring job of investigators as this
involves the process as to how perpetrator commits the crime. Crime scene reconstruction is
defined as the scientific ability of investigators
to make useful observations of physical
evidence in the crime scene through a logical
approach in theorizing as to how the crime
was committed. This also involves systematic
methodology in incorporating all available
information gathered as well as the
arrangement of physical evidence in the crime
scene to provide a rational, reasonable, and
acceptable explanation as to how the crime
was committed.

Lesson 3.3.1: Reconstruction

To properly reconstruct the crime, the
following stages should be observed to arrive
at a more convincing explanation as to how the crime was committed:

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 a) Appreciation- is the process of recognizing the potential physical evidence that has or
may have evidential value and separate it from those items which are not significant in
the progress of the investigation;
b) Comparison-is the process of comparing groups of standards from the one collected at
the crime scene to establish its identity
c) Individualization-this involves the process of establishing the uniqueness of the
physical evidence taken from the crime scene, and
d) Reconstruction is the final stage undertaken in order to fully reconstruct the crime
considering all related factors such as crime scene evaluation, laboratory results,
individuality of physical evidence and other independent information from various
sources to provide better understanding and explanation as to how the crime was
committed.
It must also be noted however, that crime scene reconstruction is different from crime
scene reenactment and crime scene recreation such that, crime scene reenactment is the
process of reenacting and portraying the crime incident based on their previous knowledge
regarding the event by having the offender, victim or witness to play such role while crime scene
recreation is the process of substituting all necessary items or actions at the crime scene through
the use of what is documented or with the aid of investigators log.

Modus Operandi and Profiling of Suspect

One important means in order to aid the

investigators in reconstructing the crime is through the
establishment of the perpetrator's modus operandi.
Modus operandi refers to the manner and methods
employed or used as well as the sequence of various
actions taken by the perpetrator in committing the crime.
It is otherwise known as the method of operation.
On the other hand, profiling of suspects can be
very useful in determining the identity of possible
individual who may have committed the crime.

Profiling is defined as the psychological process of establishing the characteristics of the

most likely individual who might have committed the crime based on the evaluation of the crime
scene and the placement of physical evidence.
In identifying suspects, rogues gallery can also be very helpful. Rogues gallery refers to
the compilations of photographs of Known Criminals. If someone had witnessed or seen the
suspects face, cartographic sketch can be done. Cartographic sketch refers to the composite
drawing of a suspect's face done by an artist to assist police investigators in establishing the
identity of the person who might have committed the crime.
How do police investigators establish the identity of suspects?

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