Crime Scene Investigator (28 page)

The initial activity always involved listening, assessing the nature of the allegation and what staff resources were available to deal with the numbers of scenes (people, places, vehicles, objects) that had already been identified. My job was to ensure that these areas were addressed in order of priority. Where scene investigators were not available, clear instructions to other police personnel on how to preserve the subject until a scene investigator was available were given and they could be instructed to deal with the situation.

The actual crime scene could often wait, as it was more likely that people, and sometimes vehicles, required more immediate action.

All suspects have rights. They have a basic right to medical attention. They have a right of human dignity. In law, dependent on the jurisdiction, they have a right to refuse to be examined. In some jurisdictions (such as England and Wales) the right of the suspect to be examined can be overruled to allow the recovery of clothing and the taking of some samples, by force if necessary. These are limited to external, non-intimate areas, where it is believed that the evidence recovered has the ability to eliminate or implicate the suspect. Changes in legislation in the UK have allowed such examinations to take place. They protect the rights of the individual and also the investigator who is acting within the law.

Many years ago, before such laws were implemented I dealt with one offence which tested my morality and integrity. During a bungled armed robbery, shots were fired at police officers who had arrived quickly at the scene. A suspect was arrested in a violent struggle with the unarmed officers. Both the suspect and officers received injuries and were taken to hospital. On hearing the details of what had happened, I called a colleague to deal with the scene of the robbery. He was some way away. I made my way immediately to the hospital to deal with the suspect and hopefully undertake some examination which would eliminate or implicate his involvement in the robbery, and in particularly the discharge of a firearm. Thankfully, the firing of guns in the commission of crime was relatively rare both then and now. The particular examination I had in mind was to swab the hands and face of the suspect to recover any gunshot residues. This would indicate his proximity to a gun when it was fired. The particles in question are delicate and are quickly lost from the skin but can be retained longer on hair, such as exposed beards, moustaches and head hair.

At that time there were no rules allowing the taking of samples by force. If the suspect refused that was the end of the matter. Any evidence which would implicate or eliminate them would just be lost. On arriving at the Emergency Room of the hospital and seeing the condition of the suspect and hearing the manner of his arrest, it was clear that this man was not going to consent to any police examination. I knew some of the medical staff from previous visits. I can’t recall exactly what happened next but I take full responsibility for it. There was no way the suspect was going to allow anyone to swab his hands for evidence; a white coat was called for which I duly put on. I went into the cubicle and managed to swab one hand and was on the second before the suspect realised that this was not a normal medical procedure. Ducking a punch, I exited with what I had. It was underhand and I am neither proud nor ashamed, it just seemed the right thing to do. I was searching for the truth. I was prepared to recount my actions before a judge and take full responsibility if what I had done was deemed wrong in some aspect of the law. I was unsure whether I had broken the law. If I had I was ignorant (no defence, I know), but my goal was to seek the truth so that the court could decide. Nobody was going to get hurt (although the flailing right hand of the suspect once he realised what was going on could have injured me). The examination of the swab I had taken indicated that the suspect had been in close proximity to a gun when it was discharged. The suspect was found guilty of firing at the police officers. I was never called to give evidence, so never had to explain my actions. A few years later, after pressure from many of us, the law was changed to allow examinations such as the swabbing of external skin to take place even when the suspect refuses and even by force in the cases of serious crime such as shooting incidents.

Whether a suspect is in custody or not, some initial steps are naturally made at the scene whilst the initial confusion calms down. It helps establish order and control, so I would instruct a crime scene investigator or photographer to take external photographs of the scene.

I would begin to identify the type of search and the types of specialist who would be needed as information came to light. The very nature of investigation is that as the search takes place and other things are seen and found, further specialists may be needed. Good time management was always needed so that these specialists were called to enable them to get to the scene at a time when they were needed, otherwise there could be periods of delay with other specialists hanging around.

Part of my initial scene assessment needed to include any hazards or dangers which might affect the investigators and specialists who would go into the scene. I had to plan for this and included it in any briefing I gave. The right information and the right protective clothing and equipment are essential. Then there were the changeable conditions such as weather or lighting for the outside scene. You can’t change the weather or nightfall but you can prioritise examinations and protect key areas within the scene as well as bring in additional lighting.

Having listened to all the information available and most importantly the needs of the SIO, I had to agree the examination and search plan. The SIO always wants as much information as early as possible. This becomes more important when someone has been arrested from the outset. The clock will be ticking and there may be limits on how long the suspect can be detained before release. Any investigation of a suspected murder scene is likely to take a number of days. In any event the SIO will want to interview the suspect and will want as much information from us at the earliest opportunity so they are in a position of strength, not ignorance. If the right person has been detained they will know more about the scene than anyone else. The SIO will want to redress this balance.

I was responsible for briefing all the investigators and specialists about the scene and their role. I was always open for discussion but it is necessary to determine clear areas of responsibility and terms of reference for each member of the team.

As I said earlier, examining a whole major crime scene often takes days, so it is necessary to break it down into manageable parts and prioritise. A body is always an early and obvious priority. So a common approach path (CAP) would be cleared from the edge of the cordon to the body. The route of the CAP, however, may not be the most obvious. If it is the route any offender is known or likely to have taken, then the area and the items within in it may take a long time to clear. So, often another route, from another door or window when the scene is a building, would need to be found. This would ensure that the CAP to the body is established quickly. In woodland areas, rather than take an obvious path, it is often possible to cut a new direct path through the undergrowth, bypassing areas which will take a long time to examine.

Once a CAP was established to the body, I would ensure that an inner cordon around the body itself was made. This was not always defined with police scene tape as you might see on TV, but it may include a smaller room or defined area around the body. With the body in sight I would review with the team what examination steps would need to take place to allow the body to be removed for a post-mortem (PM) examination without jeopardising any evidence. It was common to call a specialist if something unusual was noticed. There are always time pressures: the SIO needs to know how the victim died and this may only be determined at PM. However, some things cannot be rushed and it must take whatever time it needs. The temperature close to the body will be taken and recorded at regular intervals. This is because it affects the temperature of the body, and it may be important in determining the time of death later. At this stage a medical examiner or pathologist often enters the scene to see the body where it lies. It is their job to identify the time, cause and manner of death. So their examination often starts at the scene. The steps to enable removal of the body are determined and the need to record and recover any immediately obvious material assessed. The taping for fibres or the removal of some or all items of clothing can also take place, if they are likely to be contaminated (for example with blood) when the body is placed in a body bag.

An area around the body is prepared for removal, the body placed in a bag and removed to the edge of the outer cordon. A scene investigator or other officer needs to accompany the body to the mortuary for continuity and identification.

Depending on the time pressures of the investigation, members of the crime scene team may need to accompany the body and assist the pathologist with the post-mortem examination. There is always a need for continuity of intelligence from the scene to the post mortem so at the very least the scene manager or a crime scene investigator needs to be present. Information about the time, cause and manner of death affects the remaining examination of the crime scene. Where time pressures are high or the weather at the scene is deteriorating, additional scene investigators are called to deal with the post mortem. In these cases I would ensure that one of the original scene investigators continues with the scene whilst the PM takes place.

The outcome of the time, cause and manner of death is always a milestone in the investigation. At the very least it gives the SIO and those planning to interview any suspect some important information. The SIO would often call for a ‘debrief’ on the investigation to date and I would need to be there. I would have to relay key information but it is the individual investigators who have been to the scene and seen the evidence first hand who need to communicate this personally. If at all feasible I would ensure as many as possible were present at the debrief. Information from other lines of enquiry and from other witnesses is often relayed at these debriefs, some evidence from the scene may, once relayed, identify the need for further work.

Up to that point the events have usually and adequately filled a busy day. With a suspect in custody, any current examination at the scene would have to continue no matter what the time of day or night. The original scene investigators would need to be rested and, if possible, the scene would be closed down or a small team left to undertake essential work. Whenever possible, I would allow the team to rest and return at a suitable time the following day. Before I took any break I would ensure that the investigators and specialists needed for the following day were booked and briefed so that there would be no delay when work resumed.

The next day would always start with a review and a continuation of the examination plan. Recovery and search in a planned manner would give way to sequential and possibly destructive evidence recovery techniques. The use of light sources and chemical methods ensures that all potential areas for finger marks and other evidence are examined and the search exhausted. Forensic evidence search takes in wider areas, towards the edge of the cordon. This is often undertaken by police search team officers and police dogs where the area is large. The SIO and I would need to ensure that the purpose of the search be identified, documented and communicated to all the search team members.

Once the examination plan for the scene was completed and reviewed by the team members, the final review would be undertaken by the SIO and me. This is to ensure that the investigation this far is to the SIO’s satisfaction and that nothing is missing. I would ask the SIO to sign for the completed scene and release it back to its owner. There is often a need to clean the scene of any blood, body fluids or hazardous materials used in the examination and this would now take place. In heavily contaminated scene this is best undertaken by contractors.

It is easy to get tired of the endless debriefs, but another will follow. This time it takes place where once again the available information from all the scenes, suspects, victims and vehicles is compared with any findings at the scene. The debriefings are long but are an important method of cross-reference. Each is an important milestone. The question ‘What do we have?’ must be asked.

A few days before Christmas we were confronted with a missing mother and child from a ‘safe house’. The woman had been the subject of domestic violence and was removed completely from her home area to the safety of a rural location. The fact that she was missing was concern enough. What increased the concern was that when a social worker visited the safe house, she could not get entry and noticed through the window a scene of damage. Police arrived and forced an entry. The house had few items of furniture, but what little was there was damaged. This included most of the fittings in the kitchen and bathroom, which were all heavily damaged. It looked deliberate. Concern for the woman and child continued when small amounts of blood were noticed smeared on the walls and also a small piece of bloodstained bone. I put in place a full crime scene examination from the outset. A team undertook all the steps I have already described and no time was wasted. I called a forensic scientist to interpret the blood (origin and distribution) and a pathologist to give advice on the bone. The key priorities were to identify if the blood and bone were of human origin. If they were we had a potential murder scene and two missing people. This would need large resources and probably the need for an investigation team to work through the Christmas holiday. The investigation would need lots of resources and police time and the financial bill would be high. Naturally, the cost was not important, but I hoped I could find a way of answering the question quickly so that if a full murder investigation was needed we would know by the following morning, Christmas Eve. The intense scene investigation continued late into the night before Christmas Eve. I arranged for the items to be examined overnight. It meant a trip of 150 miles to a specific laboratory by police motorcycle for the items and for the scientist to work through the night. Forensic science laboratories are not routinely open all night, so special arrangements had to be made. They promised an answer by nine am on Christmas Eve.