Joseph Vince, William Sherlock

The Evidence Collection handbook was developed with the special needs of both law enforcement officers and criminal justice students in mind.

The beginning of any successful investigation hinges on the proper collection of evidence. In many areas of the country, responding officers may have to wait hours for laboratory resources to arrive at a crime scene—or they may never have the benefit of expert assistance at all. In addition, even major metropolitan departments have limited laboratory personnel that can be sent to crime scenes. Therefore, it is essential that field personnel be prepared to competently identify and collect evidence for submission to a crime laboratory.

The handbook is designed to serve as a quick reference on effective procedures for the collection, preservation, and transmittal of evidence for examination, analysis, and presentation at the time of prosecution.

After reading this you will:

• Understand how to minimize omission or contamination of evidence.
• Learn the specific steps that should be taken at the most common crime scenes.
• Be able to make quick decisions regarding the collection and submission of evidentiary material for analysis, safekeeping, and subsequent court presentation.