ABSTRACT
Why is the order or sequence of the scene processing so important? Simply put, scene processing is a one-shot operation. You only get one chance to do it right. Once altered or damaged, you cannot put the scene back in place and try again. ere are opportunities to reenter a scene a¨er the fact, perhaps in search of some overlooked item, but even these instances are few. As the crime scene technician walks out the door and turns o® the light, the scene is irreparably changed, its content and context forever altered by the e®orts of the police. At this point the technicians either have what they need or they do not. ere are few second chances; there is no way to answer the question, “Oops, I forgot to take a picture of the chair before we moved it; was it facing east or was it facing west?” Any and all questions that might ultimately arise about the scene must be answered from the product of the crime scene examination. If a question cannot be answered from that product, then it is unlikely it will ever be answered. But what will the issues be? No one really knows. In the initial stages of an investigation, police rarely have any way to know what will be in contention at some future trial. ere is no way to know what alibis or alternative theories may be forthcoming. e technician must be prepared to answer any and all questions. Any failure in scene processing, any failure to document the condition and context of the scene can have a devastating e®ect on the ability to solve a crime or provide an answer to the judge or jury at some future hearing. As the scene processing model is introduced, many professionals may argue, “I don’t do that. I don’t need to! at is overkill.” Overkill is a truism of scene processing. ere is signicant overkill in any valid scene processing model. Given
only one chance to do something, it is always better to overkill the process than underkill it. e methods employed by the crime scene technician must be methodical, systematic, and complete in order to be e®ective. You will only get one chance!
