1. AussieNick

    AussieNick Member

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    Police Procedure (In Regards to Crime Scenes)

    Discussion in 'Research' started by AussieNick, Dec 31, 2017.

    I'm working on a serial killer/crime novel which will inevitably feature details about how police act around a crime scene in which there is a dead body, such as the timeline of what happens when the body is first discovered, what happens to the body after it's removed, what the police on scene (including the first officers on the scene) do when they arrive, what they tend to look for around the area, and what they would do in events where important evidence might be exposed to the elements (one of the crime scenes in my novel is an open space where it's raining, so I want to know if the police would do anything to shield the scene from rain). My novel takes place in the Australian state of Victoria but any information on procedure is valued.
     
  2. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    In the UK the Scenes of Crime officers put a pop up gazebo tent over the body or whatever to shield it from the rain - I doubt its much different in Australia. My inclination would be to contact the relevant police dept and ask ...

    In terms of procedure I'd expect the first officers on the scene to be uniforms - they'd check that the perpetrator wasn't obviously on the scene, render first aid as appropriate to the victim, grab anything that looked like a witness, seal off the scene and call for paramedics and detectives.
     
  3. surrealscenes

    surrealscenes Senior Member

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    Check out the resource section for websites that may help with procedure.

    As for the question about rain & covering- It all depends on the crime, crime scene, etc. Usually at minimum they will erect a simple cover if they need evidence. The goal would be to contain evidence. If on a hill they would most likely lay a barrier on the ground to move water around the scene. If they are going to dig at all, a cover will be used. It really comes down to how important that scene is to them at that time. The locals may just stake a tarp down and wait for a better equipped agency to deal with it.

    One thing you may want to look into and use, or create, is the crime in that area. Is there a lot of gang violence in the area? Is there a mob war? Does the killer use that to dump bodies knowing they will be scooped up with minimum of effort, thus yielding zero external clues when someone realizes the body in the morgue is not part of gang/mob violence?
     
  4. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    you might find this handy - google is a wonderful thing - http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-16/crime-scene-investigation-specialists-reveal-gritty-side-of-jobs/6681316

    and
    http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?document_id=699

    and
    http://www.opp.vic.gov.au/Witnesses-and-Victims/The-Court-Process/Investigation

    You can also get the full vic state crime scenes manual as a word doc via google - but I'm not able to attach it here (just google victoria state crime scene procedures - its about halfway down the first page)
     
    Last edited: Dec 31, 2017

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