Tools of Crime Scene Analysis


Crime scene investigators follow methodical approach when they attend to a crime scene. But this job consist not just the part of gathering information and evidence. There is also the interpretation and analysis part to it. Depending on the extent of the crime committed and whoever is involved, its size and structure can vary greatly. Therefore, crime investigation officials and agencies have provided tools for these investigators to be able to achieve better accuracy in analyzing evidence from a crime scene. 

Photograph

This part of gathering evidence is crucial because the crime scene will eventually be cleaned out. Then, you will never have the opportunity to recreate the crime scene to get the essential pieces of evidence that would help solve the case. 

When shooting photos at the crime scene, you need to provide four overlapping angles of the pictures you include in your collection of photographic evidence. This will help cover the basic dimensions needed to investigate the crime. There are five things you can do with the camera that will help a crime case:

*document evidence
*verification of witness testimony
*additional source of materials for crime analysis
*recording the scene
*producing a visual recreation of the crime scene

Crime Scene Diagram

Creating a sketch of the crime scene when you arrive before gathering evidence is a mandatory step. When you do this, make sure to write the sketch on a clean paper to do it legibly. When producing a rough sketch, consider the outer perimeter of the crime scene. Then, break down the entire scene into parts such as rooms, driveways, paths, or other landscaping features that contribute to the analysis of the crime. If possible, include small details that impact the whole. 

The importance of a crime scene sketch or diagram is similar to taking pictures of the crime scene, which is basically to produce a concrete idea of how the crime scene looked like. This will help the investigators properly assess the events that led up to the committing of crime. If you are not skilled at sketching, then opting to take a picture of the crime scene is a more reliable means to document evidence.

Human Models

When you take measurements of the crime scene so that you can recreate it at the crime laboratory for further analysis, it is also important to measure the victim's body and its position in relation to the crime scene. The victim's size, weight, or stature could impact how investigators analyze and recreate the scene leading up to the crime. This will also enable investigators to hypothesize on the suspect's physical dimension, which can be revealed on whether there are signs of struggle or not. Later on in the interpretation of evidence, you can compare notes and date with that of the medical examiner to see what is the real cause of death for the victim. 

Crime Analysis Software

In a modern society, software technology has provided more convenience for everyone. In the case of crime scene investigation, softwares play a crucial role in analyzing evidence that would normally take investigators lots of time to figure out. 

These are a few basic types of softwares used in analyzing crime scene evidence:

•	Image editing software – This is used for verification, alignment, and archiving of all photographic evidence gathered in relation to a crime case.
•	Drafting and modeling software – Useful in recreating the various dimensions of a crime scene so that the different angles involved can be considered.
•	Photogrammetry software – It allows investigators to come up with accurate measurements on objects or models on photographs taken at the crime scene.
•	Presentation software – This one produces the slideshow presentation for a more interactive recreation of the crime scene while highlighting the evidences found. 
