ABSTRACT
The crime scene technician has the purpose and mission of objectively identifying the nature of events that occurred at a scene. If the technician is to accurately document the condition of the scene in as pristine a condition as possible, it is imperative that narrative scene descriptions be:
• Detailed, with all pertinent facts and conditions documented • Accurate, with few inferences or subjective evaluations included • Understandable, i.e., logical and organized
Keep in mind that while creating the narrative description, rarely does the technician have any idea of the issues and alibis that may be in contention at trial. So the narrative must be completed in the hope of answering any and all questions that may ultimately be posed by the investigation or trial. Any given observation may be the critical detail that will support or refute some claim regarding what happened on scene. Besides answering investigative issues, there is another simple fact that the crime scene technician can be assured of: the report narratives are the primary document that outsiders will use to judge the overall competency of the investigation. The narrative report is viewed by counsel and other investigators, and portions often are read to the jury. Media can and will access this document as well. The narrative need not be a prize-winning piece of writing, but the professionalism of the technician will be judged based upon its content.
