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FIELD CRIMINALISTICS

Field Criminalistics (Crime Scene)

Members:

Jamanca Palma Mercedes Luz

Catholic University of the Angels of Chimbote

Authors' Notes:

Jamanca Palma Mercedes Luz

Professional School of Law, Catholic University of the Angels of Chimbote

This work has been funded by the student themselves.

The correspondence related to this work should be addressed to the tutor teacher.

Catholic University of the Angels of Chimbote, Picup Urbanization, Huaraz

Contact: luzjp@gmail.com
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FIELD CRIMINOLOGY
Content
INTRODUCTION

FIELD CRIMINALISTICS.............................................................................................. 5

General aspects

Definition............................................................................................................................... 6

The material evidence........................................................................................................................... 6

Most common indicators ....................................................................................... 7

The scene of the events

Types of places of the events

Field forensic science at the crime scene.......................................................... 10

The protection

The observation ..................................................................................................................... 11

The fixation ............................................................................................................................ 11

The narrative fixation

Photographic fixation...................................................................................................... 12

The planimetric fixation ................................................................................................... 12

Molding fixation ................................................................................................. 12

The collection of physical evidence....................................................................................... 12

Supply of physical evidence to the laboratory ........................................................... 13

Difference between field forensics and laboratory forensics............................ 13

CONCLUSIONS
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Field Criminalistics
Bibliography .............................................................................................................................. 15
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FIELD CRIMINALISTICS
INTRODUCTION

For operational purposes, the judicial police officer, upon becoming aware of a criminal act,

by any of the means that practice it or carry it out, will be transferred to the same, prior to

intervention of the Public Ministry and will begin with the protection of the place for

provide security to the other staff; as to himself and to the people there

They find that the most important person for the judicial police officer is the "same".

and thus be able to provide safety to others by always noting the time, day, circumstances

climatic conditions and the location of the place as well as the preservation and protection of the scene

to try to preserve the place as much as possible.

The preservation of the scene or the finding, in addition to the safety it entails,

consists of preserving the primitive form of the crime scene, or the place of the events, by

moment of arriving at the place, in order to avoid destruction, alteration, or contamination of

the evidence or indications that arise in the exchange of elements in the principle of

Edmond Locard; (To the criminal, it is impossible to act, it is understood to act with the intensity that

it assumes the criminal action, leaving no traces of its passage. These traces are, to a large extent,

various: one must keep in mind, then, that in the memory of each criminal matter they can be found.

from a different class. "There are no wrongdoings that leave behind any exploitable trace).

Protecting and preserving the scene of the crime or the discovery is the first step in

the methodology. At the scene of the events, the evidence found is the basis for the

research; their protection prevents them from being contaminated, destroyed,

modified, altered, stolen. Preserving the evidence involves various actions aimed at

to maintain the physical evidence in good condition for future studies and analyses.
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FIELD CRIMINOLOGY

FIELD CRIMINOLOGY

General aspects

It is important for the criminalist or investigator at the scene to know, protect,

observe and fix the location of the events." (Arburola, 1992, p. 54) However, knowing the

techniques for collecting material evidence are not enough. Nor is it

It is enough to know how to supply them to the various sections of the forensic laboratory.

Field criminology does not limit its activities to the mentioned phases of investigation; the

an expert that practice must apply vast and current knowledge offered by others

scientific disciplines of criminalistics in general, with the aim of having technical foundations

to apply the specific methodology and scientifically reason the value of the elements

test materials that are recorded in the allegedly criminal conduct.

The study and analysis of the material elements of evidence facilitate knowledge for

establish the form and mechanism of the facts along with all their phenomena, from the beginning of the

first maneuver to the last movement that was put into play to carry out the act.

(Arburola, 2000, p. 65) Here the ways of using the instruments or objects are included.

execution and the recording of their manifestations, movements, touches, and displacements of

bodies and objects made during the commission of the act. It can even be extensively used.

variety of mechanical, chemical, physical, and biological agents, and various ones can also arise

evidence. Its identificative, quantitative, qualitative, and comparative analysis will require

methodology, technology, and universal knowledge of the scientific disciplines that

they constitute general criminalistics, such as: forensic ballistics, explosives, and fires,
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document examination, forensic photography, traffic incidents, personal identification system

forensic laboratory techniques and others.

Definition

It is the one that is carried out in the place where any element that leads to

to think that criminal acts occurred (for example, a corpse)." (Díaz, 1987, p. 76)

It is directly linked to a meticulous and systematic inspection of the scene of the events or to

corpse, which allows us to create a criminal hypothesis based on the principle of objectivity

and observation, developed directly by the integral technician at the scene of the events or

"criminalist". (Gaspar, 1993, p. 87) The fundamental task of the field criminalist (also

forensic technical call) and consists of discovering and collecting these clues.

Field forensics is what provides or feeds evidence to the various

sections of forensic laboratory techniques (Chemistry, Physics, and Biology). There is no doubt that

talking about field forensics necessarily involves referring to the place of the

facts and material evidence.

The material evidence

The clues are physical evidence that can lead us to the discovery of a

determined punishable act, clarifying the manner or modus operandi that mediated for the

consummation and through them, the identification of the author or authors of the act is achieved.

(López, 2000, p. 143).

The meticulous observation at the scene of the facts is fundamental, as the clues do not

they are always susceptible at first glance, therefore there may be evidence as well

insignificant and small that to describe them requires patience, ability and

experience.” (Quiroz, 2001, p. 241).

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From a forensic perspective, all material evidence has a close relationship with the

allegedly criminal act.

In criminalistic investigation, the clues are known as sensitive material.

significant, physical or material evidence.

A study or scientific examination of a presumed criminal fact provides us with three

fundamental objectives pursued in any criminal investigation:

The reconstruction of the crime mechanism.

The identification of the responsible party or parties.

The evidence of the commission of the crime.

From a criminalistic point of view, any object, instrument is understood as a clue.

trace, mark, track, signal or vestige that is used and produced in the commission of an act.

(Montiel, 1984, p. 143).

Most common signs

White weapons, firearms, casings, bullets, projectile holes, traces of

impact, traces or stains of blood, etc.

In completed offenses with a knife: piercing-cutting instruments, cutting ones,

puncturing, blunt, etc.

Impressions or fingerprints, latent, positive, and negative.

Blood traces, which can appear with supporting characteristics, smudges

static, etc.

Tire tracks from displacement, acceleration, or braking.

Human footprints, negative, positive, barefoot or shod.

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In case of struggle, scuffle or defense, traces of unbuttoning are often found,

tears or rips.

In case of struggle, scuffle or defense, traces of unbuttoning are often found.

tears or rips.

Lip prints stained on cups, clothes, cigarettes, on the cheek of the

victim, role in general, etc.

In the commission of sexual crimes, fights, remnants or traces of nails can be found.

teeth, bites, hair, etc.

In suicides, the instruments or objects used for the

consummation such as knives, firearms, poisons, ropes, etc.

Some suicides leave farewell or justification letters that in most of the

Cases are due to passionate, familial, mental reasons, etc.

In traffic accidents, dragging marks, impact marks, stains of

diesel, gasoline, oil, paint, grease, etc.

In homicides where the use of drugs has intervened, residues remain.

of cocaine, marijuana, crack, heroin, etc.

Cement, sand, lime, mud, earth, etc.

Written threats or anonymous complaints, messages, writing marks about the

sheets of paper underlying the writing.

Tailoring or laundry labels that can be provided to us by

possible identity of the author of the act.

Trades on human skin or on clothing.

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Smudges of smoking, shards, tattoos, or gunpowder burns due to

deflagrations, burn marks, flashes, etc.

Fragments of clothing, hair fibers, human or animal hair, synthetic, etc.

In the crime of theft, tool marks on locks, door handles, windows,

doors, safe, etc.

Animal footprints.

Different types of fractures in vehicles due to collisions, in various objects due to

contusions or impacts, rollovers, run-overs, etc.

The place of the events

It is the site where the criminal situation to be investigated occurred. (Moreno, 1999, p. 186).

The place of the events is also referred to as the site of the incident or crime scene.

crime scene of the events.

Types of places of the facts

They are usually classified into three types:

Place of the events closed

They occur in places surrounded by an artificial structure (an office) or a natural one (a cave).

The external structure protects the scene from climatic changes and

Generally, the quantity of preserved evidence can be high, especially in very places

locked up like a basement or an attic. For the police officers, it is possible to cordon off this

Type of scenes appropriately, so that, in general, they are well preserved.

Place of the events open

It corresponds to outdoor places such as parks, sidewalks, streets, rural areas, or forests.

Here the effect of environmental conditions is noticeable and the signs can disappear very
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quickly.” (Villareal, 2000, p. 176) The worst scenario is a murder on a rainy day, because to

With the arrival of the researchers, much of the evidence will have likely been lost.

forever even if appropriate protection mechanisms are used.

Place of the mixed facts

The events take place in an open and closed setting at the same time; for example, a house that has.

an interior patio or an office that connects to the street. One could even say that most of

of the scenes are of this type, because thus the crime is committed in a closed place, it is possible

find clues exposed in the surroundings.

Field forensics at the crime scene

Taking as a starting point that field forensics has its area of action in

the place of the events, it is relevant to point out the following procedures or techniques that

they apply at the scene, which are:

The protection.

The observation.

The fixation.

The collection of physical evidence.

The supply of evidence to the laboratory.

The protection

It is one that aims to protect the scene of the events and the material evidence.

to prevent its alteration, modification, or destruction to the detriment of any investigation.

Proper protection of the scene ensures the preservation of evidence and facilitates the

work of the experts and forensic scientists, who may venture hypotheses that help them

find new evidence.

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The observation

It is the procedure applied for the search and location of material evidence in

the scene of the events.

The observation should focus on the place of the events in a direct and macroscopic way.

especially in its evidence and its particularities. It is important that the place of the events

use the four senses, of which the first order of application should be considered sight, smell,

the hearing and ultimately the touch that will play an important role in the handling and collection of

the clues prior fixation of the same.

Once the scene of the events has been observed meticulously, as well as its

physical evidence and prior selection of the same, the investigation will proceed for

determine what happened.

The fixation

In a procedure that applies to the material evidence and the objective is to show its

exact position at the scene of the events so that the relationships established from it are

truthful, as well as to register their general and particular characteristics. Their degree of

precision will depend on the quality with which researchers establish each detail.

Regarding fixation, there are the following types:

The narrative fixation

It consists of recording the chronology of the inspection in writing.

detailed and clear, as well as the start and end time of it, the outsiders to the

diligence that entered into it (relatives, police); it is the memory of the investigator.
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FIELD CRIMINALISTICS
The photographic fixation

Its purpose is to obtain images that clearly show the position of the

people, objects, and everything contained in the scene of the events.

The planimetric fixation

It consists of representing the place of the events through a plan or diagram where the

researchers will be able to objectively consult the physical characteristics of the site and of the

existing distance relationships between the different clues. Complements the narrative fixation

by providing exact distances and the shape of the site.

The fixation by molding

It is applied to many signs that are ephemeral, such as footprints,

fingerprints, tire impressions or any other object that can be destroyed by

the environmental conditions. In this case, it is necessary to establish the indications through the development

of a three-dimensional mold that preserves them, considering that this procedure does not

destroy or alter them. Subsequently, a comparison can be made between these molds and the

suspicious objects.

Finally, there is the mixed fixation which consists of using two or more described techniques.

previously to achieve a representation of the event as faithfully as possible.

The collection of physical evidence

This technique has its practical application after the crime scene has been studied.

and fixed. Subsequently, after conducting a meticulous examination and a prior selection of all the
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associative indications are proceeded to be lifted using the corresponding techniques, they

they are packaged and labeled before being sent to the laboratory.

Supply of physical evidence to the laboratory

It consists of the transportation or transfer of physical evidence from the crime scene to the laboratory.

for its respective study and scientific analysis.

Difference between field criminalistics and laboratory criminalistics.

Field criminology is the one that is applied to the material evidence at the scene of the crime.

facts and laboratory forensics is aimed at the study, analysis and

scientific processing of all those material clues provided by criminalistics

from the field.

Both have material evidence as a common core, but field criminology...

provides the evidentiary materials (material indications or physical evidence) to criminalistics

so that it can act and make its scientific contribution in the investigation of an event

presumably criminal.
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FIELD CRIMINALISTICS

CONCLUSIONS

Using current terms, we could point out that Forensics scans the

Crime Scene with the aim of reconstructing the original architectural design used by the

criminal by building his criminal act.

2. The historical necessity of administering justice with justice, to put it redundantly, has

inspired man to develop increasingly sophisticated methods and techniques that allow

to establish, without margin of error, not only the commission of a crime, but also its criminal trajectory,

in such a way that a punitive sanction can be assigned to each specific case that truly fits it.

correspond.

3. Although in the present work, due to its technical nature, it cannot be appreciated the

the real magnitude of the Public Prosecutor's Office participation in Criminal Investigation is not applicable

doubt that it is becoming increasingly important, not only for the legality that surrounds it

Inspection, otherwise because it is directed from beginning to end; being the discretionary criterion of the Prosecutor.

the compass that will take her or not, to a good port.

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FIELD CRIMINOLOGY

Bibliography

Criminalistics in Costa Rican Criminal Law

The Body of the Crime

Díaz, C. (1987). The body of the crime. Bogotá: Sigma.

Gaspar, G. (1993). Notions of criminalistics and criminal investigation. Buenos Aires: Editorial

University.

López, P. (2000). Criminal Investigation and Forensics. Bogotá: Temis S.A.

Montiel, J. (1984). Criminalistics. Mexico: Editorial Limusa-Grupo Noriega.

Introduction Manual to Criminalistics

Quiroz, A. (2001). Criminal Law. Mexico: Limusa.

Valderrama, E. (1995). The evidence of indicia in criminal investigation and criminal identification.

Bogotá: Jurídica Radar Ediciones.

Villareal, H. (2000). Notes on Criminalistics. Mexico: Porrúa.