This short article is actually the first of four linked articles that guide an officer through a crime scene investigation. Beginning with Protecting the Crime Scene, it proceeds through Examination and Documentation of the Crime Scene, Collection and Preservation of Evidence, and Special Considerations for Sexual Assault Evidence.
Type of Material:
Reference material
Recommended Uses:
Class discussion, individual reading assignment.
Technical Requirements:
Browser
Identify Major Learning Goals:
• Outline responsibilities of the first officer on the crime scene.
• Describe specific steps in securing the scene.
• Describe required actions to protect evidence and the public.
• Outline interactions with other agencies.
• List proscribed behaviors which could threaten the integrity of the evidence.
Target Student Population:
• Entry level first responders, criminal justice students, support personnel.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
None
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
The article is written by an academic, is definitely information that will be useful to future law enforcement personnel, and as far as I can tell provides sound advice. It is a very succinct and thorough guide for avoiding the most common errors in crime scene investigation and evidence preservation.
Concerns:
Advice given is rather general, with few specifics about handilng particular types of evidence or unique circumstances. It would be useful to begin a preliminary discussion about the issues only.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
This article would be useful for beginning a discussion of these issues with an undergraduate population. It has a very clear purpose to provide a summary of steps to protect evidence if you are the first officer on a scene.
Concerns:
We are concerned that it is to brief and superficial a discussion of the issue to be of much utility for student learning. If you were teaching a forensics class however, we believe the series of articles would be extremely useful as supplemental reading materials.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
It is very easy to use and straightforward because it is a single page article. It has an advantage over a text book in being searchable electronically.
Concerns:
There is a link to the next article in the series but I had to move through the series before I discovered the main page where the articles are linked. There is no site map or menu on the page where the article is posted or real evidence that it is part of a larger discussion except the link at the bottom of the page for the next article in the series.
Creative Commons:
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