Innovative Evidence Identification Markers at a Crime Scene
Mike Byrd
Miami-Dade Police Department - Crime Scene Investigations
MIKE.BYRD2@gte.net
Michael Byrd is a 15 year veteran Investigator with the Miami - Dade County Police Department, assigned to the Crime Scene Investigations Bureau. Assigned to the Bureau's training staff, he has assited with presenting over fifty major schools since 1988. He has also taught more than one - hundred (8) hour workshops in scene evaluation, and latent fingerprint and impression recovery. He is a member of the Florida Division of the International Association for Identification, the South Florida Forensics Association, and has served as a member of the Miami - Dade County public school board's Criminal Justice Committee for three years.
Basic concepts relates to the standards and procedures being applied in any
field.
The success in any task begins with proper basic skills knowledge and the
application of that knowledge.
What does consistency mean to you?
In Webster’s, Consistency is defined
as the constant adhering to the same principles, course. Consistency is basically
the act of thinking or doing things in a repeated order, without compromise.
Since the beginning of the year, in more than a dozen major case trials,
successful results have been obtained in cases dating back as far as 1993,
that were processed with a step by step systematic approach.
One of the stages in that step by step
approach is “SCENE DOCUMENTATION”. Scene documentation consists
of notes/reports, sketching and photographs of the crime scene. To be effective
the information in each of these tasks has to be consistently marked and
labeled with one another. If an item of evidence is marked for
identification with a certain letter or number, it has to maintain the same
label or marking throughout the processing stage. No case is without areas
that show some need for improvement. I hope this article will be useful
to you as I describe a concept which has not been given much attention through
a basic lecture, publication, or presentation.
What is an innovative evidence identification marker?
Just about all of the forensic retailers or suppliers offers an assortment of evidence identification markers. Evidence identification markers are items that are used to mark and illustrate items of evidence at a crime scene. These are commercial products like plastic alpha-numeric stands, markers, cones, and flags. The stands and label products come in various sizes, colors and shapes. The items differ from 2-sided to 3-sided standing plastic letters or numbers, to smaller stick on type letters, rulers, arrows, portable lasers, florescent Dow rods and string. They are used to reveal evidence which may not be seen in photographs. They can be set in place to show the evidence to pathways of suspects, a trail of blood, the pathways of projectiles, and items obscured in the surface covering. By now, you are probably imagining the endless ideas you can have in revealing the relationships of evidence to the scene as well as other items of evidence. The markers can be displayed on an indoor scene, outdoor scene, as well as inside a vehicle or vessel.
What is the purpose of an innovative marking system?
The evidence marking system is used in
the field as a successful tool that will reveal, simplify, organize and identify
the numerous items of evidence found at crime scenes. When used properly
it will allow others an easy to understand assessment of the scene showing
the location, identification and relationships of the evidence presented
at a briefing or presentation. The basics of crime scene documentation have
been covered in numerous publications and presentations. The evidence marking
system has been established as a useful tool in crime scene investigations
for major cases, burial sights, even disasters.
After the crime scene investigator or
evidence recovery technician has thoroughly photographed the scene from every
angle in its original state, then a marking system can be put in place. A
series of photographs will then need to be taken from each prospective to
thoroughly document the scene with the evidence identification markers in
place. Communications with co-workers is very important at this stage. If
a co-worker is assigned to assist in an investigation by constructing a crime
scene sketch then he/she will need to be briefed to assure that all of the
items labeled on the sketch are labeled correctly with the same assigned
markings as in the photographs and in your report. The same applies to
co-worker(s) assigned to collect items of evidence. As you can see this is
a teamwork concept. Each individual has to be informed to keep the information
correct and consistent.
Why an evidence marking system?
Systems need to adapt to meet with the
trends that are occurring in the field. In the recent past the weapon of
choice for most crimes were the small caliber weapons (.22, .32, .380, .38
caliber handguns) that were readily accessible and easy to conceal. The crime
scene investigator or evidence recovery technician would respond to the scene
and usually find a limited number of evidence items.
With the trends of the new generation
of violence the weapons of criminal activities are rapid fire semi-auto weapons
and machine pistols that can carry a magazine with a higher capacity of rounds.
It is not uncommon to respond to a scene today and find as many as 100 items
of evidence.
I do not like to Monday morning quarterback
any work that is done by another investigator. I was recently asked my opinion
on an investigation. I felt it would be a good case to give as an example
as to what “ not ” to do in an evidence identification marking
system. My intent is never to embarrass or degrade another’s work, only
to assist in information sharing and consistency. The scene involved
a large area that had more than 100 items of firearms evidence alone. That
doesn’t include other pertinent items of evidence that was recognized
and later recovered. The investigators were equipped with 1 set of fifty
plastic numeric 4x8 identification marking stands, 1 set of twenty six plastic
alpha 4x8 identification marking stands, and 3 sets of ten-6 inch tall rubber
identification marking cones. During the processing stage at the scene when
the number sequence ran out, the numbered marking stands were pulled and
repeated on several occasions. This can become confusing and may open an
opportunity for mistakes to be made. At a “primary scene” I would
never feel comfortable repeating the sequence of identification markers that
have been placed and assigned to an item of evidence. However, it is acceptable
at a “secondary scene” to have the repeated sequence during a
supplemental or follow up to the original investigation where the time and
the location would become the sequence indicators. The solution to a situation
such as this would be to either use a combination of all 3 marking items
that are available. Or if the evidence is clustered or grouped in different
areas of the scene the investigator could divide and label areas making small
sectors or grids. Then the individual items could be identified as belonging
to a certain sector or grid. The limitations that an investigator/technician
has with marking and documenting the scene are endless. Just take the time
to think, be consistent!!!