ABSTRACT
Sherlock Holmes, the ctional master of detectives, considered it essential to be excruciatingly disciplined in his approach to looking for evidence at a crime scene. Holmes’ assistant, Dr. Watson, and his observation of the master detective, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in A Study in Scarlet wrote, “I had imagined that Sherlock Holmes would have at once hurried into the house and plunged into a study of the mystery. Nothing appeared to be further from his attention. He lounged up and down the pavement and gazed vacantly at the ground, the sky, the opposite houses. Having nished his scrutiny, he proceeded slowly down the path, keeping his eyes riveted on the ground.” Herein lies the secret to investigating an incident scene, be it a crime or an accident scene; the investigator must be aware of everything in and around the scene. To disregard any features at or around the scene or materials that may have been taken or blown away from the immediate area is to invite possible failure through an incomplete or poorly understood investigation. In addition, the investigator must have a carefully conceived and accurately performed plan. is chapter discusses specically how to conduct an intelligent scene evaluation, assemble a plan to process the scene, and execute the plan to conduct the investigation.
