ACCIDENTAL DEATH

Consider taking the following notes:

Case number

Date/Time

Address/Location

Initial case details

Victim information

Assigned Officer/Detective

Consider the following:

What is the appropriate PPE for this scene?

Did someone start a crime scene log?

Is the scene secure and safe?

Is evidence located on the exterior/interior of the scene?

Is consent or a search warrant

needed?

What type of accident is this?  Refer

to these resources for additional 

guidance on how to proceed:

Accident involving water

Accident involving fire

Accident involving firearm

Accident involving vehicle

Accident involving knife

Accident involving ligature

Accident involving drugs

Accident involving infant/child

Overall/mid-range/close-up

 photographs of scene

Intersection/street location information

Items of evidentiary value

Overall/mid-range/close-up photographs of the victims to include:

Overall of whole body (front and back)

Mid-ranges (front and back) of upper body, abdomen, lower body

Close-ups of:

Head (front and both profiles if possible)

Arms/hands

Legs/feet

Clothing/jewelry

Tattoos/marks/scars with and without scale

Injuries with and without scale

Mark items of evidentiary value within the scene.

Re-take overall/mid-range/close-up photographs of scene, items of evidentiary value and the body with photo markers in place.

Collect swabs of any apparent body fluids within the scene.

Collect measurements to document the location of the body within the scene.

Collect any additional applicable measurements.

Collect items of evidentiary value from with the scene.

Process areas of interest within the scene using the appropriate latent print processing techniques.

Conduct a secondary walk through of the scene to ensure that all evidence was documented and collected and everything of evidentiary value was appropriately processed.