Physical evidence is any anything that can establish a crime has happened and anything that links the crime and the criminal. Physical evidence might include objects like weapons, fibers, and hair. In fact, virtually any object could be physical evidence under the right circumstances.
2. Describe three ways that a crime scene can be recorded. What is a benefit of each?
These include photography, drawings, note taking, and videography. Ideally, all of the techniques would be used at each crime scene. Photographs are an important record of the unaltered crime scene. Before any objects are moved from the crime scene or to a different spot, they are photographed. The notes may include a description of the crime scene, the location of pieces of evidence, and how the evidence was discovered. The notes taken should be as thorough as possible as they may have to refresh the memory of investigators before a trial or in other circumstances months or even years after the fact. In addition, the sketches should contain information such as a case identifier, the date and time, a key to identify the objects in the sketch, the orientation of the scene, and other relevant information like the weather or lighting. The recording can be useful to document the overall scene and the relation of elements to each other.
3. What is a chain of custody? Why is it important?
The chain of custody is a list of all persons who had possession of the evidence during the crime investigation. One reason why the chain of custody is important is that it shows who has had access to the evidence and indicates that it has been in the possession of law enforcement individuals from the time that it is found until the time that it is potentially used in a trial.
4. What three types of photographs are taken at crime scenes? Describe each type?
Overview photographs show the crime scene in wide angles. They are taken from