PHYSICAL EVIDENCE MANUAL - Crime Scene Investigator Network

Physical Evidence Manual
Adopted: May 2002
Revisions: 6
Last Revision: January 31, 2008
8.0 CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATIONS
The Forensic Services Division provides crime scene assistance in cases where
our scientific expertise will assist in the investigation. Such crime scenes are
primarily death investigations. The laboratories are staffed and equipped to aid in
the recognition, recovery, and preservation of physical materials that may have
evidentiary value.
Crime scene assistance may be requested by any law enforcement agency,
District Attorney’s Office, or medical examiner. The request can be made during
normal business hours by calling your local laboratory. After hours, call your local
laboratory or your OSP Regional Dispatch Center at 541-776-6111 (Southern
Regional Dispatch Center) or 503-375-3555 (Western Regional Dispatch Center)
and they will contact the on-call forensic laboratory supervisor for you.
The supervisor or laboratory response team will need to talk with an individual
who has been at the scene to assess what the needs are and to determine if any
specialized equipment or additional personnel is required. Responding laboratory
personnel will expect that a search warrant is available upon arrival (if required
by the case circumstances) and that the crime scene to be protected and
secured by your agency for the duration of the crime scene processing.
When laboratory personnel arrive, they will coordinate with the officer in charge
on a proposed method to process the scene.
Crime Scene Services Offered
• Evidence identification, documentation, preservation, and collection
• Buried body excavation
• Crime scene photography
• Bullet trajectory determinations
• Blood spatter analysis
• Locating occult blood
• Alternate light source processing
• Impression enhancement, casting or lifting e.g., shoe or tire
• Metal detection
• Crime scene reconstruction
• Latent Print processing
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