Knowing How to Find Evidence at a Crime Scene Can Come in Handy at Home
Posted: Friday, April 09, 2010
by Steve Kovacs
The Kovacs Perspective
Ever wonder how those experts on crime shows find all that evidence used to arrest the villain? Most people just figure that evidence stands out at a crime scene and all someone has to do is collect it properly. Well, that is not true. First, most evidence must be located and sometimes that can be difficult.
Blatantly obvious evidence such as pools of blood or a gun in the middle of a room is a breeze to locate. However, after finding those items the investigator has to start a systematic search of the entire crime scene for other possible evidence. This is where it can get boring and actually hard. Well, hard for me because it takes patience and patience is not my strong suit.
There are five basic patterns for conducting a detailed crime scene search but I'm only going to describe two. These two are easy to understand, use, and extremely effective to help you find lost or missing items indoors or outdoors.
Circle or spiral search
You begin on the outside of the area or room and then, moving in a slow circle, search in a spiral pattern inward. The width of the search area is dependant on conditions, however, my general recommendation is to use the width of your shoulders.
Strip Search
In the strip search you simply start at the edge of the wall or search area and slowly walk down to the end searching everything in a shoulder width path. Then walk back up, abutting the area you just searched (see diagram) doing the same thing . You go up and down until you finish the area completely.
Searching areas is not as easy as it may seem. Recently, I had a class of six students search a classroom the size of about 20 feet by 40 feet. I placed two empty handgun cartridges (casings) in the room. Using the spiral technique they found one casing quickly in the center of the room under a table. However, the entire class searched three more times using both techniques without finding the other piece of evidence which was under a cabinet next to a wall.
They glanced at the correct area every time but did not look closely enough and forgot an important point when searching. The search scene is a three-dimensional process. All surfaces that come into the swath of the searcher (e.g., undersides of cabinets, ceilings, table legs, and shrubs) have to be examined. The class just looked at the area where the casing was at, they did not examine it.
Most people will never have to look for evidence but most of us will try to find something misplaced or lost in the garage or backyard. These techniques will work great for that. As a matter of fact, right now, I am trying to find some missing cable for a camera. I think it's in my cluttered garage. I know how to find it, I just wish I had the patience to do it.
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Top-level comments on this article: (7 total)Interesting article Steve. I'll put the Circle and Strip search to good use next time my husband's wallet is misplaced. Last time it went missing, we came up empty handed and assuming it was stolen, cancelled all his credit cards. He found it a week later walking home from work. He happened to look up, and there it was on the roof for all to see. He had been doing a small repair a week earlier and it had fallen out. We never would have thought to look there!Roof! How weird but that's how it is with losing stuff or finding it--they're found in places you never thought they'd be--thanks.
Good article demonstrating domestic use of professional knowledge and expertize. I'm fixin' to apply those techniques to searching for a ring I lost in this room a few days ago. Thanks a lot- Always-EllaHi Ella--thanks--please let me know if you found it!Just to let you know, I did find the ring- it was up under the keyboard- who would have thought! Evidently not I - I was mostly looking around the floor, and under the furniture and surfaces. Helpful article- EllaExcellent!!!! Hope it helped.
I actually had to testify on which pattern I used at a homicide in Twinsburg Twp. one time. I'll never forget being able to discuss a strip search having just learned it in college.Old times!!! You always knew your stuff--even back then.
Great article. Well done.Search theory has become an academic discipline. If these search methods are good enough for the police and rescue services they are bound to be good enough for you.Well put Connor--thanks.
I believe one of the laws of the universe; much like Einstein's theory of relativity; is that when you do not need something it is always there but when you do need it then you can never find it. I think that is how God gets his kicks by watching someone throw all worldly possessions around when looking for something and listening to all the swear words ever known to man when the needed item cannot be found. It is only when God stops laughing that he feels sorry for that poor person and the item somehow shows up. I know for a fact that I am God's favorite show.I wouldn't doubt you're God's favorite show but try these techniques and you won't be throwin all your stuff around!
Very interesting - might also help those of us who branch out into writing mysteries! GRINGood luck with any mystery writing!Actually my only novella to date is a sort of murder mystery complete with body and all (Good Samaritan all 7 parts are posted on SW!I'll have to read it...
Very interesting article, sir. I had a customer lose his keys yesterday and we searched high and low for them until he realized they were in his pocket the whole time. So, every search should probably start with the obvious, right?We did do the circular pattern, though. Thanks for sharing this.Good point Mike! Just started another class--Criminal Investigation and Evidence and after being instructed--(textbook and lecture) had them do a search--they all missed one obvious area to search missing crucial evidence (the obvious area was right as you walked into a room--everyone assumed that there couldn't be evidence so close to the beginning of a search area. Thanks for commenting.
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