NOTES

SKETCHI~rG CRIME SCENES

I. INTRODUCTION

As an aid in clarifying investigative data andto make the situation easier for everyone tounderstand, an officer should develop theability to make! good crime scene sketches.

A.

Definition of 1'ermsB.

1. Sketch, dia"gra.m, and drawing are terms usedinterchange'ably to refer to a handmadepictorial representation of conditions ata crime sce'ne .

One court d.efined a diagram as follows :2.

"A diagram is simply an illustrative outline ofa tract of land, or something else capable of linearprojection, which is not necessarily intended to beperfectly correct and accurate." (SHOOK v. PATE 50Ala. 1)

the court stated:Elaborating further,

"At best (diagram) is an approximation; and in thissense i t is indiffe'rent by whom i t is made. Awitness mayas well speak by a diagram and lineardescription, when the thing may be so described,as by words. I t is enough i-f i t serves the purposeof the witness in the explanation of the lines andlocalities he is seeking to exhibit."

NOTE: In this case the court held the diagram tobe admissible even though it had been made by theprosecuting attorney rather than by the witness inconnection with whose testimony it was introduced.

3. Chart- This term refers to a graphicillustration of statistical data, not to acrime scene sketch.

It may take several forms such as acurve, a vertical or horizontal barchart, a pie chart, etc.

a.

See illustrations beginning on page 34.b.,

t

I

I

NOTES

c. A sketch is but one of a number of standardmethods of recording investigative data.

1. Sketches, drawings, charts

2. Notes

3. Photographs

4. Moulage or plaster of Paris casts

5. Fingerprints

6. Recordings

II. LEGAL ASPECTS

A. One leading authority on evidence h~Ls thefollowing to say relative to pictorial repre-sentations made for presentation in court.

"It would be folly to deny ourselves on thewitness stand those effective media ~f communicationcommonly employed as a substitute for words. If asimple line plan of a house is more satisfactorythan a mass of words, as a method of communicatingthe relative position of the house as observed byus, then this method of communication is equallyproper to be resorted to in a witness' conversationto the jury.

"The above cannot be disputed and the onlyjudicial interpretation is that relative to theadmissibility. All cases agree on these points.

"The use of maps, modelsp diagrams and photo-graphs as testimony to the objects representedrests fundamentally on the theory that they are thepictorial communication of a witness who uses thismethod of communication instead of or in addition tosome other method. It follows, then, that the mapor photograph must first, to be admissible, bemade a par't of some qualified person's testimony.Someone must stand forth as its sponsor. In otherwords, it must be verified.

2 -

JfOTBS

"There is nothing unGCmmon or exc.eptiollal iDthis principle. It is the same principle asrequired of all witnesses. The witness must havehad observa tion of t:he da ta in question 9 properlyrecollect these data., and then correctly expressthese data. The d1agram~ map or photograph will ootstand alone. There must be a ~itness who )laScompetent knowledge, and who cao affira or swearthat the mapp diagra.m or photograph represeseotsthe facts. 'nlis principle 1s boroe out by allthe cases on the sutlject.

"Above only appl.ies to diagrams, maps, etc. ,used by the witness. Official maps of state andcounty officers :I et.c. " are submitted under adifferent rule. Verification or' authentication maybe enough in such {"8.ses. In our case the wi tnessstanding sponsor .for the map or drawing mu~;t bequalified by observation to speak of the mattersrepresented in the pic.ture. Whether this require-ment is fulfilled should be left to the determina-tion of the trial cour't."l

B. Another write.r puts it this way~

"Where it. is impossible to present the objectsthemselves into eviden~e, it is peTmissible to putbefore the court th~ map or dia,gram and photographswhich will present the appearance and co~dition ofphysical things which ma.y be material to the issues.

"The map or diagram may-have been made by thewitness or it may have been made by some otherperson. In either case the only essential is thatit be offered in conne~tion with the verbal testimon1of the witness and then stood before the jury as apart of that testimony. The function.it serves isto simply present. a condition or a group of objects,by the use of pictorial languagepmore clearly tothe jury than could be done by the wo.rds of thewitness.

1,

II,j!I

"The use of diagra,ms, pictures ~ etc.9 in thisexplanatory way is a.t,tended with little difficultyso far as the princ,iples of evidence are concerned.They are brought foJ:'w3.r'd ei ther by the wi tness orin connection with his testimony, and) if itsufficiently appears to the c.ourt that they wouldbe helpful~ they a:r'e;: ag the cases show;; generally

1Wigmore on Ev1den~e~ Vo1. 3~Sections 790~793p pp. 173-186.

Third Edition9

-3 -

NOTES

!

~'"-

admitted. The sole principle involved is that ofhelpfulness in making the testimony clear. If theyare not of vaiue in this manner and verbal testimonyis sufficiently clear, they may be excluded.

"'I11e first essential is that the map or diagramoffered be properly authenticated. 'I11e value of apiece of evidence of this character is entirelydependent upon its being a c.orrect representation orreproduction of the original, and verbal testimonymust therefore be offered by someone who knows thecircumstances under which it was produced and whocan testify that it is a correct representation ofwhat it purports to be. Such testimony is usuallygiven by the person who made the drawing ordiagram. " 1

c. Admissibility

Must be made part of some qualified person's:testimony.

1.

2. Must have competent knowledge.

(,Must have an observation of the data

in question.a.

Must properly recollect these datab.

Must correctly express these data.c.

3. In other words,or verified.

the sketch must be sponsored

4. In this connection, note that McKelveystates:

"...value ...is ..dependent upon its beingia correct representation.. of the original, andverbal testimony must ...be offered thatit is a correct representation of what itpurports to be"

,,

I

I.iIIIi

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I

1McKe1vey on Evidence, Fourth Edltion~ p. 441-444

4 -

,

NOTES

USES OR PURPOSES OF SKETCHESIII.

Record the exact location and relationsihip ofpieces of evidence and surroundings.

A.

Refresh the memory of the investigator.B.

Provide permanent record of conditionsotherwise not easily recorded.

c.

1. Distances involved in large areas

2. Topography

Paths of vehicles in accidents3.

4. Movement of suspect

5. Skid Marks

Assist prosecutor, judge, and jury to understancthe conditions at the crime scene.

Do

Help in questioning suspects and witne~;ses.E.

Plan raids and roadblocksF.

Record details of accident investigations.G.

Help correlate testimony of witnesses.H.

Portray statistics graphically.charts--not sketches)

(RefeJ:'s toI.

Eliminate unnecessary and confusing details.J.

K. Organize forces for disaster and riot (~ontrol -

also special events.

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR MAKING SKETCHESIV.

Sketches Supplement PhotographsA.

5 -

NOTES

t'

t

1. Purpose of each is to present a picture -to

portray something.

2. Photograph gives great detail.

3. Sketch eliminates unnecessary detail.

Photograph provides permanent record ofitems that may be overlooked or forgotten.

4.

5. Photograph does not always show truE~ andaccurate relationships between objects asto distance, position, etc.

Cannot determine distances in a

photograph.a.

Position of camera, tilt, type of lens,exposure, distance from object, etc.,affect photographic proportions.

b.

Frequently possible to show only a part of ascene in a photograph. Compare Figs. 1 & 2with Figs. 3 & 4.

6.

I

~Sketches combine features of both notes andpictures. In character they lie betweenword descriptions and photographs.

7.

SKETCHES ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR NOTES ORPHOTOS: they are but a SUPPLEMENT to them.

8.

Neither notes, photographs, nor sketches cancompletely substitute for any of the others.

9.

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-6 -

FIGUR~

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GENERAL VIEW OF NORT~ END OF S~ACK

FIGURE 2

-8-

I's8-

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NOTES

ll' Sketches Provide Reference or Orientation Pointsto Clarify Oral Testimony

B.

I. Such words as " long, " " far, " " sma 11, "

" in back of, " "brown, " etc. , need a point

of reference or comparison.

In the sentence, "This is a small automobile:'the word "automobile" provides the reference

point.

2.

The word "small" applied to a dog wouldproduce an entirely different concept.

3.

Descriptions must be understandable to beuseful. Reference points must be provided.

4.

If we said a man was carrying a brown suit-case and did not further qualify our meaning,there would be many different mental picturesamong the listeners as to what the brownsuitcase looked like.

5.

Crime scene sketches often provide theneeded reference points and avoid muchconfusion.

6.

.

They make it possible for the interestedpeople more nearly to arrive at the true

picture.

7.

c. Protect the Crime Scene

1. Exclude everyone who does not have anofficial function to perform, including theresidents, relatives, and even officers.

Approach scene carefully and system,a tically .2.

Have a well-organized plana.

Establish chain of commandb.

Make definite assignments.c.

.

'-.-

-9 -

NOTES

3. Preserve relationship of objects.

Do not alter the position of any objectuntil it has been properly recorded.

a.

'nle'position, location, or relationshipto other things is often as important asthe object itself.

b.

Positions and relationships may berecorded through notes, photographs,or sketches.

c.

Obtain Comprehensive View of SceneD.

1. Get over-all picture in mind.

Decide whether to make sketch.2.

Is a sketch needed?a.

b. Who will use it?

For what purpose?c.

3. Decide what kind of sketch will best servethe purpose.

Types of SketchesE.

Floor plan or "birdVs-eye view." ntis isthe simplest and the most common type.Fig. 3 illustrates this type of an outdoorscene; Fig. 4, an indoor scene.

1.

I

i\,

Elevation drawing. This type ot sketchportrays a vertical plane rather than ahorizontal plane like a plan such asdescribed above. See Fig. 50

2.

Exploded view. This 1s somewhat of acombination of the first two types. It 1s .

Is1milar to a floor plan except that the walls:have been laid out flat and objects on them ;have been shown in their relative positions. .

Bullet holest bloodstains, et~. , I:)n wallscan be shown 1n th1s manner. Fig. 6illustrates this type.

3.

!I

10

~

FIGURE 3

-11-

FIGUR~ 4

-12-

FI6URE 5

-13-

NOTES

4. Perspective drawings. Drawings of this typerequire more artistic skill. Theyaredifficult to draw to scale. Figs. 7, 8, 9,and 10 illustrate type of perspectivedrawings.

5. Most of the time the first type, the floorplan, will serve our purposes best.

F. Determine Sketch Limits.

1. Decide what to include and what ma~, beexcluded.

2. Choose fixed base line or fixed points foroutdoor sketches.

G. Don't Rely on Memory.

1. Write down all measurements.

2. Fill in all details on rough sketch whileat scene.

Ho Use Separate Paper.

1. Do not make sketch on same paper wjLth notes.

2. Separate sheet will then be available incase someone else prepares finished drawing.

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FIGURE 8

-17-

J=IGURE 10

-19-

NOTES

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MAK ING THE SKETC'Hv.

A. Personnel

1. One man can do the job, but he will havetrouble making some of the measurements byhimself.

.

.I

2. A 3-man team, if availablep can handle the

job very efficiently. Two men can take the Imeasurements under the direction of the 1sketcher who will check all measurements I

Iand plot them on the rough sketch. J

B. Equipment

I. Supply of pencils -medium or hard lead.

2. Blank paper -graph paper, while notessential, is very helpful.

It simplifies scale drawinga.

b. It provides guide lines and automaticline measures.

Various kinds available having 4,8, 16,12, or 10 lines to the inch.

c.

3. Drawing surface -it 1s helpful to have aclip board.

4. Tape measure -should be at least 50,preferably loo feet, and made of metal or

metallic cloth.

5. Folding rule -The 6-foot carpenter's ruleis more convenient than the tape for shortmeasurements.

6. Ruler -Used for drawing straight lines,drawing to scale» and making very shortmeasurements.

7. Magnetic compass -or some means ofdetermining true north, if unknown.

20 -

NOTES

Procedurec.

1. As a first step, sketcher usually makes avery rough outline while obtaining his over-allview of the scene. Two such rough sketches, indoorand outdoor, are illustrated below:

INDOOR

WI""OOW

~...,.,.-~"' ~WINOO ~ CHAI~ I-ll

CQAT

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SOFA'TABL-E.

FIGURE II

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NOTES

2. Initial rough outline serves as a guidewhile making more complete rough sketch(made at scene as compared to finishedsketch" made back at off1~e).

3. Next step is to begin taking measurementsand laying out sketch.

a. Lay down a base line. Longestuninterrupted side of room~ for example,if indoors; curb line, building line,bank of stream; or even imaginary linebetween two fixed points if outdoors.

b. Take other measurements of periphery ofscene and add them to base line, payingattention to proper angular anddirectional relationships.

c. Having thus established outer boundaries,now proceed to add various objects intheir proper positions.

D. Measurements (WRITE THEM DOWN)

1. Must be accurate -within reason.

2. Don't be overly precise. To say that thetop of the victim's -head was 14~9 & 13 32ndsinches from a telephone pole is overdoing it.

3. Long distances~ such as a quarter mile or ahalf mile, may be measured with theodometer on an automobile.

4. Cri tical measurements 5 such a.s the length of

skid marks, should be checked by two

officers.

E. Scale

1. Area being sketched must be reduced to fiton paper.

-22 -J

IiI\

NOTES

2. Measurements must be reduced in proportionso that they bear correct relationship toeach other,otherwise the users of the sketchwill ge.t a distorted view of the scene.This is what is meant by drawing to scale.

3. Sca~e is the proportion between the lengthof the lines in the drawing and that whichthey represent.

4. Select scale by fitting longest dimension incrime scene to convenient area on paperbeing used.

Example: Suppose your paper is a standard8 x 10;" sheet and the longest measurement inyour crime scene is 22;'. Obviously, youcannot use 1" to I' for your scale as that wouldrequire at least 22;" of paper. Nor can youuse ;" to I' because then you would need lli"~aper. The next most convenient unit would bei" equals I' .This will make the longestdimension of the drawing on your paper 55/8"(22; x t = 55/8), which would fit nicely onyour paper. You could use 318" to I' and yourdrawing would then be almost 8!" long, but 3/8"is not a convenient unit because it does notdivide evenly into I" making fractions of a footvery awkward to calculate.

5. TTse largest scale possible.

Example: Assume you -are using 8 x 10!"paper for outdoor scene in which the longestdimension is 190'. You can use a scale in which i!" equals 10' .In this case" your drawingwould be 19 hal!-inches (190 divided by 10) or9!" long which will fit the paper i1.icely.This size is easier to see and to work with thanthe next sma,ller convenient scale which would be ~i" equals 10' because then the drawing would be Ionly 4 314" long. !

6. Suggested convenient scales.

1" = l' -0"a.

This scale is probably the easiest one toIt makes a sketch in which small'use.

23

NOTES

distances are easy to see. However, it canbe used only" for small a.reas such as verysmall rooms. On a paper measuring 8 x loi,the longest dimension you can plot is about10' and this will not leave enough room forthe title,.!key, etc. Of course, with alarger paper such as a 30 x 40 inch boardthis scale may be excellent.

!" = I'b. -0"

Convenient for small rooms. Permitsplotting conveniently up to about 20q on8 x 10! paper.

\'?111\ t..ir\\~ ~f.

'(-'""t'\A.~ ..t.a.le

""t" .l' -0"c.

Good for larger rooms. Allows longestdimension of about 40' on 8 x 10! paper.

d. 1/8' .l' -0"

Good for apartment" small house, etc.Allows up to about 80' on 8 x 10!.

1 " = 10' -0"e.

Permits longest dimension of about 100' on8 x 10!. Good for buildings or smalloutdoor areas.

(\/1 ~ 1-01- 0")!" = 10'f. -0

Allows longest dimension of about 200'.Good for large buildingsl outdoor areas.

g. i" = 10' -0 t\" : ~o\- 0")

For large outdoor areas, 8 x 10i inchpaper will accommodate about 400 feet.

7. Use convenient units for scale.

Scales such as I" = 9! -.0" or 1/3" = 7v -0"are not easy to use because of the difficulty ofcalcula ting odd values. For example, if 1 " =9 I -0" , then 35' comes ou t. to 3 8./9 ths inches .

It is much easier for everyone if you use lv =10 I -011 as 35 I is then exactly 3!" .

8. In selecting scale9 bear in mind that the actualsketch on the finished drawing should not take upthe entire paper. There should be room left for thetitle and the explanatory legend or key.

-24 -

NOTES

Locating Points on SketchF.

I. All dimensions require Z fix points and

plot sketch should be shown.

2 . Rectangular coordinates

a. This is a s'imple system in which apoint is located by making a measurement at right

angles from each of two walls:

FIGURE 13

To locate point A, measure from the north wall andfrom the west wall thus setting up an imaginary

rectangle.

b. This system works well for rectangularor square rooms and inside measurements generally.

c. You must be sure that the measurementsare made at right angles from the walls.

Straight line measurement3.

a. These measurements are used f.or record-

ing location of objects in the crime scene area.

b. Measurements are taken from fixed pointsto either side of the object.

FIGURE 13A

25 -

~OTES

4. Coordinat~s. constructed on transectingbase line.

a. Transect crime scene by laying down tapeat some convenient point so it crosses entire areaas from A to B in: Fig. 14:

~1@ 2@, :

A '8

FIGURE 14

b. Measure distance C and record.

c. Now objects within the crime scene canbe located or plotted by measuring their distancefrom this established base line (the tape).

d. Distances from the west wall to pointsa, b, and c are automatically read from the tapewhich is now your base line.

e. Distances from points 1, 2, and 3 toyour base line are measured at -right angles to the

tape.

f. This system is particularly useful inlakge, irregularly shaped outdoor areas where nos ati s factory natural bas e 1 ine exis ts as :in Fig. 1 S .

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J'\OTES

g. System could be used in major disasterssuch as airplane crashes on farm land, desert, etc.to show location of property, bodies, parts of

plane, etc.

s . Triangulation

a. In-this system, a measurement is madefrolil each of two fixed objects to the point youdesire to plot or locate so as to form an imaginary

triangle. (See Fig. I)

b. System is simple and accurate.

Can be used indoors or outdoors.c.

d. Especially good for areas lackingstraight lines as in Fig. 16.

ACCESS ROAD

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FIGURE 16

G. Dimension Lines

Should be faint lines with arrowheads.1.

Put each one in2. on rough sketch.

3. Keep finished sketch as free as possible ofthem. This keeps from cluttering up the diagramwith extra anti unnecessary lines; makes understandingeasier. If testimony is needed as to somemeasurement, you can refer to your notes or therough sketch. Any critical or important measurementsmay be shown if desired.

27

NOTES

Techniques of Illustration11 .

1. Do not try to draw objects to look as theywould in a photograph.

2. Use standard symbols in sketching whenpossible. (Some standard symbols are shown on thelast two pages of this lecture note guide.)

3. You may use lettered or numbered squarestrectanglest circles or other figures or even pointsfor various objects and explain in the key what

theyare.

4. Use heavy lines for building walls, outdoorboundaries, etc., for clarity and emphasis.

s . Label all doors and windows clearly.

Show with curved line which way door swings.6.

~/ / / / / / / / / / /1 ~/ / / / / / / / / / / / ~

WIN DOW ,-~\,~- ;, l

~////,./,'//////f ',1 r """'v/////////~~ .

DOUBLE DOOR DOUBLE-HUNG DOORWrN DOW

FIGURE 17

7. Show with arrow the direction of "stairway.

UP-

rrFIGURE 18

28 -

NOTES

I. Labelling Objects

Use letter to label furniture and fixedarticles.

1.

Us.e number to label items of evidence .2.

3. Identify both in key.

TitleJ.

Title should be set out in a block at someconvenient place on the sketch. Ifpossible, put it at the lower right.

1.

~

Following items should appear in the title:2.

Brief descriptive statement -John Doe's

Apartment.a.

Address or locationb.

Type of casec.

Date sketch madedo

e. By whom sketch was made(Figures 19, 20, & 21 illustratesteps in making finished sketch)

K. Miscellaneous

Show direction of north with an arrow. Byconvention, north is usually shown at thetop of the paper, if possible.

1.I.

I~I&

I

Show the scale. (Frequently included in the

title block)2.

Try to approximately center drawing on paper.3.

Enlarged sections may be made as separatedrawings in order to bring out greaterdetail.

4.

Unnecessary height or length may b~ cut offwith jagged lines.

5.

6. Check finished drawing for clarity, accuracy,scale, title, key.

-29 -

FIGURE 21

-32-

NOTES

L. Statistical Charts

1. This is actually a different subject, but weare including it here briefly inasmuch as itis .a drawing technique.

2. Figures 22~ 23, 24, and 25 illustrate varioustypes of charts you may find useful inconnection with your annual report, yearbook,etc.

-33 -

FIGU RE 22

-34-

FIGURE 24

-36-

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~IGURE 25

-37-

FEDERAL BUREAU OF Il\IVESTIGATIO'"

Roads Street Light *

Foot Path Pole (Telephone or Power) -0-

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-r;;.,-.Bridge Telephone or Power Line

w~Culvert ~ ~ ~Fence

ML-DI~ Railroad 1IIIIIIIIIIIIit

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===::=C>Car Streams

6Path of Car Tree=).

Hedg"eSkid Marks

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x Marsh

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Cu Itivated FieldTraffic Signal

Traffic Sign North Arrow-&-

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House

DChurch

DSchool

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