The role of the investigator is central to solving a crime. It is a fact that it would never be nearly as effective if not for specific techniques and skills at the investigator’s disposal. Among those crucial practices is adequate evidence documentation – which includes two main evidence-recording ways – investigator’s notes and crime scene photography. The characteristics of these criminology tools are discussed in this paper.
Note-taking is essential to crime-solving because of its ability to record any type of information, as well as the crime scene investigator’s (CSI), thought patterns that occur at first-hand experience with the scene. It is truly an integral part of scene processing because without well-recorded evidence, it is often “difficult to explain or make understandable to a jury any observation made by CSI” (Gardner & Krouskup, 2018, p. 179). Concerning the effectiveness of notes, generally, they should contain a high level of detail, and straightforwardness and cover all areas of the crime scene. They should mention the areas that were nondescript, too – to exclude the later allegations of the lack of careful inspection.
The investigator’s notes are the prime source of evidence and often contain small details that prove to be crucial later. That is why good notes should “accurately reflect action and effort,” bearing in mind that “detailed descriptions will assist the investigator in evaluating some point that may not be clear from a photograph” (Gardner & Krouskup, 2018, p. 180). Photography, however, provides information on various levels of detail, from “an overall perspective right up to specific items,” serving as a better proof sometimes than reports and notes ever can be (Gardner & Krouskup, 2018, p. 109). These evidence-bearing devices hold a lot of weight in the positive outcomes of crime-solving and corroborate each other incredibly well.
Note-taking and crime scene photography serve the same initial purpose for the investigation – they both provide sources of information collected directly from the scene. That is why they hold immense value for the CSI and the judicial authority since both forms of evidence recording tools provide a unique and accurate outlook on the crime scene, both giving a better illustration of the other.
Reference
Gardner, R. & Krouskup, D. (2018). Practical Crime Scene Processing and Investigation, (3rd ed.). Chapman & Hall/CRC Press.