NEW ALBANY POLICE DEPARTMENT - New Albany, Ohio

After the initial walk through is complete, a sketch of the crime scene should be drawn.
The primary investigator should make an initial “rough” sketch. Once a “rough” sketch is
drawn, a detailed, scaled sketch shall be completed as soon as practical.
The detailed sketch should include a log of who completed the sketch, when it
was made, the address of the crime scene, and the incident number of the
offense.
The detailed sketch should show the location of all relevant evidence including its
relation to landmarks which will assist in re-constructing the crime scene, if
necessary.
Upon completion of the crime scene sketch(es), the scene should be photographed
and/or video recorded.
D. Collection of Evidence
The collection of evidence is vital to investigations of criminal activity. Before evidence is
collected, the detective or supervisor on scene must determine if a search warrant is
necessary. The detective or his/her designee is responsible for the collection of all
evidence at a crime scene.
All physical evidence at a crime scene shall be collected, marked, and submitted in a
manner consistent with procedures outlined in BCI&I’s Physical Evidence Manual (on file
in the detective’s office). All evidence will be properly recorded on a Property Record
form (PD-99-163) (see Directive 13.1). When property is submitted to the crime lab, keep
in mind the different divisions of the crime lab and attempt to keep like items together.
Perishable evidence is defined as fresh blood, blood stained objects, other physiological
stains, tissue, and biological materials. When collecting perishable evidence from a
crime scene, the following procedures will be used:
1. Fresh Blood (wet specimen)
Fresh blood will be collected using distilled water and sterile cotton gauze, placed
in a sterile glass vial, capped or stopped, sealed, marked, receipted, and
refrigerated in the Property Room refrigerator.
2. Dry Blood
Whenever possible, the entire object that has the blood stain on it should be
submitted.
When the blood stain is located on a wall, floor, or other object that cannot be
submitted, one of the following procedures should be utilized:
When a large amount of stained material is present, the easiest
technique is to scrape several large flakes into a container that is not
conducive to moisture.
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