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Types of Evidence at a Crime Scene Investigation

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There are numerous examples of physical and trace evidence, and although general crime scene procedures will be the same, the type of evidence will determine the specific collection procedure. Below is a list of many types of evidence that may be found at a crime scene.

- Computers
- Documents
- Drugs
- Explosives
- Fibers
- Fingerprints
- Firearms
- Glass
- Impressions
- Paint
- Petroleum products
- Plastics
- Powder residues
- Serial numbers
- Soils and minerals
- Tool marks
- Vehicles and lights
- Woods and vegetative materials

Address the following:
- Select 5 - 7 of the above types of physical evidence, and explain processes involved with the identification, collection, and preservation of each type.
- Answer the following questions for each of your selections: ◦How is it identified? Explain. What class characteristics might you find associated with the selected type of evidence?
- How difficult is the type of evidence to identify? Explain.

- What is the process for removing and collecting the evidence? Explain in detail. Your analysis must reference specific tests, histological staining, microscopes, and other equipment or techniques that should be used.
- What tools are necessary to collect the evidence? Describe.
- What challenges exist regarding the collection of the evidence? Explain.

- How is the evidence stored and preserved? Explain. How difficult is it to store and preserve the evidence? Explain.
- How might the evidence become contaminated and therefore inadmissible in court? Explain.

Be sure to reference all sources using APA style.

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Solution Summary

This is a discussion on how to handle different evidences found at a crime scene.

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I need help addressing the following in 2000 words:
•Fingerprints, Glass, Firearms

The use of glass evidence at a crime scene is an instrumental part of many investigations because of the fact that windows are frequently broken in burglaries, headlights in hit-and-run cases, as well as the bottles or other objects capable of breaking wherein suspects may leave fragments on personal belongings when involved in various types of crimes. Therefore, investigators must be capable of obtaining credible evidence in regard to glass evidence, which can be accomplished by following the following steps.

Recovery of Evidence Samples
When investigators arrive on the scene, they must ensure that they obtain any items that may have glass in them such as shoes and clothing that may have been worn by the suspect(s) as well as other objects potentially contaminated with glass. The investigators must ensure that they wrap these items in paper and submit them to the Laboratory for examination using the procedures necessary to ensure that the evidence can be documented with a paper trail wherein individuals have signed off on the information.

In certain crime scenes such as hit-and-run scenes, all glass at the crime scene should be recovered. In these types of crime scenes, investigators must ensure that they don't limit their search to the point of impact as headlight glass could potentially be dropped off at some distance away as the car leaves the crime scene. The investigators should painstakingly ensure that they keep glass recovered from different locations in different containers. The impetus is for investigators to collect more than one type of glass that may be present. This is suggested because if investigators only collected a few representative samples, individual pieces that could be physically matched with glass remaining in the headlight shell of the suspected vehicle may be overlooked.

Investigators should ensure that small glass fragments are placed in paper bindles, next in coin envelopes, pill boxes, or film cans because these containers are capable of being marked and completely sealed. Large ...

Solution provided by:
Raushaun Rigsby, MSc
Education
  • Associates of Arts , Lone Star Community College
  • Bachelor of Science , Sam Houston State University
  • Masters of Science, Kaplan University
  • Masters of Science , Kaplan University
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