Documentation Techniques Flashcards

What is the primary purpose of a crime scene sketch?

Answer: To provide accurate measurements and spatial relationships

Crime scene sketches provide accurate measurements and spatial relationships between evidence items that photographs alone cannot convey.

Which type of crime scene sketch shows an overhead view looking straight down?

Answer: Bird's-eye (floor plan) sketch

A bird's-eye or floor plan sketch provides an overhead view that shows the layout and positions of evidence from directly above.

When documenting bloodstain patterns, which measurement is most critical to record?

Answer: The angle of impact and distance from the origin

Angle of impact and distance from the origin allow investigators to reconstruct where the blood source was located during the event.

What does 'triangulation' mean in the context of crime scene sketching?

Answer: Locating a point by measuring from two fixed reference points

Triangulation locates an evidence item by taking measurements from two known fixed points, allowing the position to be precisely re-established.

Which note-taking practice best supports courtroom testimony months after the investigation?

Answer: Taking contemporaneous, detailed notes during scene processing

Contemporaneous notes written at the scene provide the most accurate and legally defensible record for later testimony.

What is a 'rough sketch' in crime scene documentation?

Answer: A preliminary, not-to-scale drawing made at the scene for reference

A rough sketch is a preliminary, not-to-scale drawing created at the scene that will later be refined into a finished sketch.

Why should a CSI record the condition of lighting at a crime scene?

Answer: Because lighting conditions may affect what was visible to witnesses or suspects

Documenting lighting conditions helps establish what a witness or suspect could reasonably have seen at the time of the crime.