One should perfectly realize the fact that the crime scene investigation is an extremely important and, at the same time, complex process that determines the success of the whole case and contributes to the improved comprehending of the main issues related to the problematic situation. For this reason, there are numerous aspects that should be taken into account to guarantee that specialists will be able to make credible conclusions using objects found in the area. There are also specific rules and regulations that should be observed to guarantee that an officer who arrives on the scene before the investigators preserve all proofs and accomplishes his/her tasks at a high level. Only under these conditions, some positive outcomes could be expected.
Nevertheless, it should be said that the first officer is responsible for a number of things and actions that should be performed in terms of the crime scene investigation. It is possible to say that he/she becomes one of the main contributors to the positive final results as in case proofs or pieces of evidence are replaced or disturbed, a specialist could hardly make a credible conclusion and restore the image of the crime in a right way. In this regard, we could assume that the first officer should possess a set of skills and deep knowledge related to the crime scene investigation to be able to provide his/her colleagues with credible and untouched materials. The complexity of this task gives rise to a number of crucial concerns that should be discussed here.
First of all, having arrived at the crime scene, an officer has to ensure that the safety and well-being of people found in the area are not endangered (“The role of the first responder,” n.d.). The fact is that there could be numerous potential hazards that resulted in the appearance of the emergent situation and their elimination is one of the most crucial tasks of the officer (Shiro, n.d.). He/she should protect himself/herself, people around, and other facilities. Having performed these actions, the officer should also help an injury if they are present in the area. These are very important tasks that guarantee that no more victims will appear. In this regard, the police officer should be ready to accomplish this task and assure that people realize the great potential danger that might come from the crime scene.
Therefore, once all people have been informed about the danger, it is crucial to prepare the crime scene for further investigation by specialists. For this reason, it should be cordoned off by using special tape which demonstrates to individuals that the area is dangerous and extremely important for the investigation (“Crime scene procedures,” n.d.). The fact is that the preservation of pieces of evidence is one of the main tasks that should be performed by the officer as it impacts the final results greatly. Only in case, the state of all proofs is preserved, an investigator could guarantee positive outcomes and determine the character of actions and other essential peculiarities (Warrington, 2006). Additionally, very often, some individuals may try to remove or alter important evidence to make an accident look in a different way. For this reason, the officer should be ready to deal with it.
The next important step is the collection of all pieces of evidence that could be found in the scene. It is recommended to record all facts and strange things found in the area. This list will obviously help investigators to work better and understand the nature of a crime. However, the officer should not touch any piece of evidence and try to collect it. In such a case, a unique picture could be destroyed (Saferstein, 2012). It is crucial for him/her to create a list of proofs to be able to assist specialists in their collection and processing. It could dictate the overall direction of the investigation and precondition its outcomes greatly. For this reason, it is crucial to be able to organize recordings in an appropriate way.
Work with witnesses is another extremely important activity that should be performed by the officer who arrives at a crime scene. The fact is that very often, individuals might forget meaningful details of the accident or consider them unimportant (Penven, n.d.). For this reason, it is extremely important to ensure that all witnesses have provided the most relevant information and it is recorded in the proper way. This data will later be used by an investigator who will try to restore the complete picture of an accident and provide credible final results.
Altogether, the work of the first officer who arrives at the crime scene becomes extremely important for the overall success of the case. He/she assures that all meaningful pieces of evidence will be preserved and collected in an appropriate way. Moreover, the information obtained from witnesses could also be used by investigators to determine the nature of an accident and make a final conclusion. In this regard, the officer performs a wide array of tasks that create the basis for the further comprehensive investigation of the case and acquisition of the appropriate final results needed to find an offender.
References
Crime scene procedures. (n.d.). Web.
Penven, D. (n.d.). Basic stages for a crime scene investigation — possible homicide. Web.
Saferstein, R. (2012). Forensic science: From the crime scene to the crime lab. New York, NY: Pearson.
Shiro, G. (n.d.).Collection and preservation of evidence. Web.
The role of the first responder. (n.d.). Web.
Warrington, D. (2006). First responding officer gives direction to crime scene. Web.