Top 8 Ways to Crack a Murder CaseFORMULATE A SEARCH See how well you can handle a crime scene with Investigation Discovery's Life of Crime Game.
By Heather Quinlan Holmes or Sipowicz? Whether your style is classic Sherlock Holmes or more modern, like Sipowicz from "NYPD Blue," cracking a murder case involves using your head. Common sense, an inquisitive mind and a lot of old-fashioned derring-do will put you ahead of the pack and might even get you bumped up to sergeant. With that in mind, step into the shoes of a police detective, and learn about eight ways these gumshoes often crack a murder case and be a local hero. No. 8 — Formulate a Search The crime scene must be secured and undisturbed by the family, the police force and the emergency medical technicians. Anything moved, cleaned or otherwise disrupted must be noted in your report. Although the crime scene unit or police photographer will take photos, you as the investigator should as well. It might prove invaluable later on. The nearer you are to where the crime occurred, the more evidence you will usually find. But don't rule out these other spots that may be related to the scene:
The way you search will usually be determined by the size and scope of the scene. There are five basic methods for searching a crime scene. The first is the strip method, which is used if the crime scene is large and open, like in a field; you travel in a straight line from one end of the scene to the other and then do the same in the opposite direction. The spiral method is useful for small areas, like a living room; here, you begin at the center and travel in a circular path around the scene. In the wheel method, you begin at the center but move out in diagonal directions, like spokes. The grid method is the best for large areas with many investigators involved; you and the investigators walk parallel to each other, covering the same area twice. Finally, there's the zone method, where the area to be searched is divided into zones and an investigator is assigned to each one. This last technique is best for indoor crime scenes. From the investigation, your goal is to find enough evidence to devise a theory of how and why the homicide occurred and the sequence of events surrounding it. |
advertisement
|
-
our sites
-
video
-
shop
-
stay connected
-
corporate
