Sexual Assault Crimes Trainingfor Law Enforcement

Module 4: The Crime Scene: Effective

Investigations

What Do You Already Know?

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What You’ll Learn

• Priorities for investigative tasks• Tips for processing the crime scene• How to prepare for defense

strategies• Keys to protecting evidence

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Priorities

In your role as a first responder, try to remember to do the following:

•Ensure that the victim is safe and let them know that their safety is your top priority•Call for assistance if needed•Contact a Sexual Assault Victim Advocate•Address any specific needs of the victim•Secure and process the crime scene•Identify and locate witnesses•Transport the victim to forensic exam if appropriate

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Initial Officer Response

In addition to talking with the victim and securing the scene, remember to also: •Evaluate the scene for people, vehicles, or objects involved•Relay vital information to responding officers and supervisors; be sure to flag specific victim needs, such as translation services

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What to Say to the Victim

The rapport you build with a victim can positively impact both their experience and the

investigation. Here are some helpful phrases to remember:

•I am sorry this happened to you.•My job is to provide help and protection.•You didn’t do anything to deserve what happened to you.•Is there anyone who should be called or notified? If yes, facilitate this contact.

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Protecting the Victim

• Make sure victim is not left alone unless there is a critical threat

• Make sure their privacy and dignity is protected at all times

• Find a private place to conduct the interview

Do your best to demonstrate understanding, patience, and respect while attempting to

establish trust and rapport.

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Victim’s Rights

• Identify and address any needs related to: » Language and/or communication» Mobility or ability» Mental or physical impairment

• Notify a Sexual Assault Victim Advocate» See the CONNSACS Map in the Participant Guide

for contact information. » If a victim does not want to use an Advocate,

provide them with contact information for the local sexual assault crisis program in the event they want to seek services in the future.

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Searching for Suspect

If the sexual assault occurred recently, you might need to do the following: •Gather information from the victim to help identify and apprehend the suspect •Request additional officers to look for the suspect when appropriate

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Identify and Locate Witnesses

• Identify and isolate any potential witnesses when possible

• If there are multiple witnesses, such as at a party, utilize another officer to monitor witnesses to prevent them from talking to each other

• Get contact information from witnesses• Remember that if you wait to interview

witnesses, that gives the suspect and/or their lawyer the opportunity to get to the witness first

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Forensic Exam

It is your role as a police officer to be knowledgeable about the evidence collection

process in order to share information with victims. You should be able to:

•Explain the purpose of the exam, the importance of gathering evidence, and what will be done with the evidence after its collected•Ask the victim if they want to have the exam done and provide transportation to a medical facility if appropriate 11

Forensic Exam

• Inform the victim of their right to decline any or all steps of exam

• Notify the victim of their right to use a Sexual Assault Advocate to offer support

• Explain that they can have the exam done anonymously and make a decision about filing a police report later

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Securing the Scene

Make sure that evidence is not: »Lost

»Changed»Contaminated

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Document Scene

It is important to document the scene of the crime including:

•Taking photographs •Drawing a detailed diagram•Videotaping the scene if appropriate

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Processing the Crime Scene

When processing the crime scene, it is your job to:

•Protect the integrity of specimens•Guard chain of custody including properly marking, packaging, and labeling all evidence for future identification•Call upon a crime scene technician and/or forensic scientist when needed

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Anti-Contamination Measures• Persons handling physical evidence needs to wear

gloves, facemasks, and other appropriate attire• Change gloves often including between each

sample, after touching doors/equipment, and after touching glasses/mask

• Do not keep disposable gloves in your pockets because you will contaminate them with your DNA. Pull gloves carefully out of box, don’t touch finger areas, place in biohazard waste container after use

• Facemask must cover mouth and nose

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Anti-Contamination Measures

• Remember to clean utensils, pens, rulers, etc. between each item examined

• Clean utensils by washing with 10-20% bleach followed by an Ethanol rinse to remove the bleach

• All bleach must be removed because any residual bleach will destroy the DNA being collected

• Using disposable utensils is a best practice

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ACTIVITY

One Minute Review

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ACTIVITY

Defense Strategies•What are some common defense strategies that suspects typically use?

•Why is this important for investigating the crime scene?

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Types of Evidence That Can Be Collected

• Victim Forensic Exam & Evidence Collection kit (CT 100 Kit) including bag of clothing from victim

• Toxicology Screening Kit (CT 400)• Suspect Kit (CT 200 Kit) including bag of

clothing from suspect(s)• Condom(s)• Bedding• Other – car interiors, samples from scene

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Collecting Known Samples

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If appropriate, collect a known Buccal swab from the victim and

the suspect

If appropriate, you can use the CT 100

Kit to collect a blood sample.

Touch DNA Testing

Wet two (2) swabs with sterile water or

saline

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Swab surface where contact is suspected

DNA Testing

How sensitive is DNA testing?• For Nuclear DNA testing, roughly 20-25

cells are needed for a complete genetic profile. The nature, age, and condition of the sample may affect the DNA testing.

• Partial profiles may be obtained with fewer cells.

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ACTIVITY

Review of Learning•Compare and contrast the knowledge and assumptions you had about investigations and report writing with what you know now.

•Use the worksheet to write down some comparisons.

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Checklists to Review on Your Own

What to SAY to a Victim During First Response

What to SAY to a Victim During the Follow Up Interview

What to GIVE a VictimForensic Exams

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Special Thanks

Special thanks to Joanne Archambault, End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI). Foundational material in this module is based on concepts and information found in the Online Training Institute developed by EVAWI. For more information, please contact:

Joanne Archambault, Executive DirectorEnd Violence Against Women International (EVAWI)http://www.evawintl.org/onlinetraining.aspx

Special thanks to Joy Reho, Forensic Science Examiner II, and Anita Vailonis, Forensic Examiner, from the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory for lending their expertise in the development of this presentation.

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Citations

• International Association of Chiefs of Police: Training Key #571 - Investigating Sexual Assaults Part I: Elements of Sexual Assault & Initial Responses Model Policy

• Archambault, J. Investigating Sexual Assaults, Concepts and Issues Paper, 2005.

This module was produced by Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services, Inc. (CONNSACS) in collaboration with the Connecticut Police Officers Standards and Training Council (POSTC) and the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association (CPCA) through the support of subgrant No. 2009-WF-AX-0019 awarded by the state administrating office for the

STOP Formula Grant Program. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the state or the U.S. Department

of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.

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