How does an investigator document physical evidence at a crime scene?
The recording of physical evidence at the crime scene is normally accomplished in three ways. The first is the note taking. The investigator will thoroughly document what he or she sees in his or her observations. This can be handwritten notes, but it also could be accomplished through a tape recorder. The second way of documenting the crime scene is through photographs. The crime scene must be thoroughly photographed. All items of evidence seen at the crime scene must be photographed, and it must be photographed in a way that shows us an overview of the item of evidence, such as a cigarette butt where it's present in relationship to the entire crime scene. There perhaps would then be a mid-range view of that item of physical evidence, the cigarette butt, in this case. Ultimately, before it's collected, a nice close-up shot of the physical evidence should be taken. Once that's accomplished, the crime scene investigator will roughly sketch the scene showing where items were found, where they were collected. Ultimately, that sketch will be brought back to the police station where an artist may finish it up and make for a nice presentable finished sketch, or the sketch may be documented through a CAD (computer aided digital system), ultimately for presentation in the courtroom.
