Processing Vehicles Used in Violent Crimes for Forensic Evidence

Christopher D. Duncan

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781000464474
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Jura
• Subtopic: Rechtstheorie & -praxis

While there are numerous books on crime scene investigation and the processing of crime scenes, few focus on the processing of vehicles. Whether the crime took place in the car or the car was used to transport the suspect or victim—and, as such, is a secondary scene—investigating vehicles presents several unique challenges.

Processing Vehicles Used in Violent Crimes for Forensic Evidence fills this void providing the technical instruction sorely needed in this area of crime scene investigation. The book is geared not only to investigators who process vehicles involved in general crimes but also with a specific focus on violent crimes. Coverage includes details as to how investigators should document the vehicle in a logical and methodical manner that is easily understood and replicated for various scenes. By identifying the unique challenges caused by working in the tight quarters of a vehicle—especially in photographing the vehicle, the evidence within it, and how to best find, collect, document, and preserve the evidence—the author provides a unique reference for investigators. Special attention is paid to documenting shooting incidents, the proper detailing and documentation of bullet trajectories, bloodstain documentation, and processing vehicles for other biological, impression, and physical evidence.

Key Features

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• Presents crime scene collection and preservation techniques and methodology specific to vehicle-related considerations

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• Outlines the unique challenges, and step-by-step procedural requirements, necessary to conduct a vehicle or vehicle-related scene investigation

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• Addresses types of various evidence for vehicles—including fingerprint, blood, DNA, bullet and casing, and fire debris—which are common primary or secondary crime scenes

While the book is geared toward crime scene investigators and forensic technicians who process vehicles used in crimes, it will be an invaluable resource for criminal justice and forensic science students, attorneys, death investigators, fire investigators, accident scene investigators, and scene reconstructionists.

1

Introduction to Processing Vehicles Involved in Violent Crimes

DOI: 10.4324/9781003204336-1

Crime scenes come in all shapes and sizes. They involve any number of variables, including the number of involved parties, the varying amounts and types of evidence, and the variety of environments where crimes can occur. These variables do not change just because the environment centers solely around a motor vehicle. In fact, motor vehicles, of all types, are full-fledged crime scenes in themselves, and they should be treated as such by crime scene investigators and forensic practitioners. Any single piece of evidence that can be found at a typical crime scene can be found on or in a motor vehicle. In addition, vehicles are the most common form of transportation to and from the scenes of criminal acts. Therefore, even if the vehicle is not directly involved with a criminal offense, it still may possess evidence related to that criminal act. As a result, the processing of all vehicles related to criminal investigations should be taken seriously and with an eye toward a detailed examination of said vehicle.

Automobiles offer a variety of challenges or variables to the forensic examiner that a crime scene investigator in the field may not have to routinely deal with. One of the more major variables involves the general construction of a motor vehicle. Even large motor vehicles are compact by design, because the manufacturers put as many features into the vehicle’s construction as possible, causing all vehicles to generally possess tight confines. Furthermore, motor vehicles have natural contours, crevices, and compartments that can be difficult to reach into or gain access to, whether it be a hand, flashlight, or camera lens. Motor vehicles are also designed to move, which makes them a challenge to find or capture immediately after a crime has occurred. This freedom of movement provides the opportunity for suspects to clean, wipe, or remove evidence from motor vehicles. The sooner a vehicle is recovered the better, but those quick vehicle recoveries do not always happen. Like crime scenes found in the field, vehicles come in all shapes and sizes. Small vehicles can be difficult to physically maneuver around during the vehicle’s examination and evidence collection. Although larger vehicles may be more spacious, they have more areas to hide evidence and may even have secret or clandestine compartments built into the vehicle.

Gaining legal access to vehicles is no different than dealing with crime scenes. Law enforcement officers have a little more freedom to conduct warrantless searches of vehicles in the field, but investigators must remember that once a vehicle is secured inside a vehicle processing facility, then the exceptions to the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment’s warrant requirement are terminated and investigators must obtain the vehicle owner’s consent or follow through with a court-issued search warrant. Gaining physical access to motor vehicles can also be difficult. Automobiles are routinely equipped with anti-theft devices, alarms, and other features that make them a challenge to enter when locked, especially without causing unnecessary damage. Alarms, kill switches, and the like just offer another challenge to investigators attempting to process a vehicle for evidence. Obviously, these variables and challenges are not the only impediments to investigators working on motor vehicles. Difficulties and challenges that crime scene investigators will face are discussed throughout this book, as well as insights into the way one looks at, evaluates, and processes motor vehicles for physical evidence.

Every crime scene is different in some aspect, whether it is found in the field or in a vehicle. As a result, anything found in the field can also be found contained within or on a motor vehicle. An automobile is simply a crime scene on wheels. This concept is a theme that will be repeated. The repetition is necessary because some investigators may incorrectly view vehicles as just a checkmark on some arbitrary investigator’s “to-do list.” This minimalizing attitude is inconsistent with best practices or a productive work ethic when processing automobiles used in a crime, but especially in violent crimes. Suspects routinely use vehicles to facilitate their crimes. Even if the vehicle is not directly involved in the actual criminal act, it can still possess evidence from the crime. Furthermore, processing a suspect’s vehicle can assist in identifying passengers who may eventually turn into suspects during an investigation. In fact, the processing of a vehicle may end up being for the sole purpose of developing a list of potential suspects by identifying who had access to a vehicle or whose fingerprints or DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) were found on a vehicle.

Most investigators and evidence processors have heard of the evidence linkage triangle (Figure 1.1). Physical evidence creates the links in the evidence linkage triangle and is what evidence technicians are striving to locate, document, and process. The key to any investigation is locating and identifying these evidentiary links between the crime scene, the complainant (victim), and the suspect. This link is made through the physical evidence that must be properly documented, handled, and stored or processed so that it is admissible in a court of law. These connective links between a suspect, victim, and crime scene were embodied by Edmond Locard with his “Principle of Exchange.” This Principle of Exchange states that “Every Contact Leaves a Trace.” This concept has become the guiding precept for all crime scene investigators. The Principle of Exchange means that when any two objects come into contact, there is a transfer of matter between the two objects. This transfer or “exchange” of the matter is what the crime scene investigator is searching for in order to make that connective link between the suspect, victim, and/or the crime scene.

Figure 1.1 The evidence linkage triangle illustrates the crime scene investigator’s goal of finding physical evidence that will link the suspect or victim to the crime scene or to each other. Vehicles are often used to transport suspects and victims to and from the scenes of criminality, and therefore, they potentially possess items of physical evidence that can establish a connection between the victim, suspect, and the motor vehicle.

Because the automobile is often a key piece of evidence that provides the link between the crime scene, the victim, and/or the suspect, the importance of processing a vehicle for those tangible pieces of evidence is vitally important. The investigator is tasked with establishing or finding the “matter” exchanged between the two or three corners of the evidence linkage triangle. This matter is most often found in the form of fingerprints and DNA. However, evidence can literally be any tangible object that one may possibly think of. Because automobiles are frequently used in some fashion or manner in the commission of a crime, they are oftentimes a great source of valuable evidence. Even beyond the standard fingerprint and DNA identification of passengers, vehicles may be found to possess tools of the crime, stolen property, and numerous other items of physical evidence. The myriad of possibilities regarding potential evidence that can be found inside a motor vehicle illustrates the value vehicles have to many criminal investigations. Consequently, it is imperative that vehicles are processed just as thoroughly and meticulously as any other crime scene would be and possibly even more so because the evidence used to identify a vehicle’s occupant will likely be very small and unseen to the naked eye. Crime scenes are often littered with an abundance of visible evidence, but identifying a vehicle’s occupants will generally come down to the unseen evidence, such as DNA and fingerprint evidence. Therefore, attention to detail and a commitment to the vehicle’s examination is a necessity.

Before an investigator can begin a vehicle’s examination, they must have the resources to complete the job. Examinations are more effectively accomplished in the controlled environment of a vehicle examination facility. Having a quality workspace can make the examination of any vehicle much easier. In addition, it gives the investigator the freedom to work without any time constraints on them. When processing vehicles in the field, there always seems to be a push, even if unsaid, to hurry the examination along. Having vehicles moved from the field to a processing facility eliminates any time concerns. This book will address the tools and equipment one might find useful while working in such a vehicle examination facility. In addition, the general operation and the tracking of vehicles through the facility will be discussed in the chapters that follow. A well-equipped vehicle examination facility can be invaluable to all kinds of investigations, everything from auto theft to homicide and vehicular crashes to sexual assaults. Processing Motor Vehicles Involved in Violent Crimes will address all these investigations and discuss the search for, documentation of, and the processing of evidence specific to the different types of crimes an examiner may encounter.

Investigators will process many vehicles belonging to victims, but they will also have to deal with suspect vehicles. In addition, suspects do not always use their own vehicles during the commission of a crime, they have been known to steal vehicles for the sole purpose of furthering the commission of another criminal offense. Consequently, not all stolen vehicles are just juveniles going for a “joy-ride.” These stolen vehicles are used to commit numerous other, more serious, offenses, including burglaries, robberies, and murders. For example, one of the more popular crimes currently being committed is “smash and grab” burglaries, where the suspect(s) steal a pair of vehicles, driving one into a business, breaching the business’ exterior, and using the second vehicle to haul away the stolen merchandise. The first vehicle can become so damaged by its impact with the building that a second vehicle is needed to make the getaway. Larger and more rugged pick-up trucks are typically used to create the opening into a business’ exterior wall, while minivans with sliding side doors are often preferred as getaway vehicles [Figure 1.2(a) and (b)].

(a)

(b)

Figure 1.2 (a) Large size pick-up trucks are popular vehicles to steal and then use in smash and grab burglaries. Because these vehicles are often disabled in the furtherance of the crime, a second stolen vehicle is often used to carry away the ill-gotten gains. (b) The getaway vehicle is frequently a minivan that is equipped with sliding side doors. The sliding doors offer an easier way to load the stolen goods into the van.

Suspects use stolen vehicles to further their criminal endeavors more frequently during planned and/or organized criminal acts. Other crimes are more spontaneous or disorganized. Crimes that occur in the heat of the moment or as the result of a perceived opportunity to commit and get away with a crime often offer a greater likelihood for investigators to locate evidence within a vehicle. This is understandable because there was no planning that took place prior to the crime’s commission. Although suspects may attempt to conceal evidence, those actions are more likely to be done hastily and, therefore, less thoroughly. Unorganized crimes include a variety of assaultive crimes and other crimes of opportunity, such as robberies and assaults [Figure 1.3(a) and (b)]. These types of crimes frequently involve the shedding of blood. Sometimes, the blood is clearly visible to the naked eye, and other times, the blood has been cleaned up by the suspects and, therefore, requires the use of chemical enhancements to visualize the blood. Consequently, the proper search, documentation, and collection of bloodstains are vital to any criminal investigation, and as such, bloodstain documentation will be discussed in detail within this body of work. Anyone routinely working on vehicles should become extremely comfortable and proficient with investigating bloodletting events.

(a)

(b)

Figure 1.3 Unorganized crimes, such as assaults, routinely result in bloodshed. (a) Sometimes blood is easily visible, while at other times. (b) Bloodstains have been cleaned and their detection requires chemical enhancement, like luminol or Bluestar^®.

Beyond investigations involving organized and disorganized crimes, investigators may become involved in vehicle crashes, accidents, or assaults. Dealing with these types of incidents can become problematic because of the condition the vehicle may be in after a serious crash (Figure 1.4). Investigators may be called upon to recover paint transfers between vehicles, as well as to identify who was driving a vehicle at the time of a crash. In vehicle-pedestrian accidents, vehicles that have been repaired or cleaned after the accident can make the search for evidence more difficult. For this reason, investigators must be extremely diligent and meticulous in their examinations.

Figure 1.4 Investigators may have to deal with vehicles that have been severely damaged due to a crash. Regardless of the vehicle’s condition, investigators will still need to process these vehicle for evidence.

This book will cover how to conduct a legal and productive search, how to document a vehicle through measurements, photographs, and quality note-taking, as well as a host of evidence search and collection techniques. The complete documentation of a vehicle is the most challenging part of processing an automobile used in violent crimes or any crime for that matter. The documentation of vehicles is critical to any criminal investigation involving automobiles and requires specialized knowledge in proper note-taking, photography, and the measuring and diagramming of vehicles. For example, using proper terminology in ballistic and bloodstain case reports is vital so that investigators who are the readers of any police report have a clear and definitive understanding of what was found or determined by a vehicle’s examination. The writing of clear reports and the creating of valuable vehicle diagrams will be addressed and cannot be overvalued.

Once a crime scene investigator or evidence technician has been assigned a motor vehicle to process, regardless of the exact nature of the crime, the investigator must complete some background work before diving directly into the processing of the vehicle. First and foremost, the investigator needs to establish the legal authority to search the automobile for evidence. Most often, this will involve a “Consent to Search” for the vehicle. On other occasions, it may r...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents Page
• Preface Page
• Acknowledgments Page
• Author Page
• 1 Introduction to Processing Vehicles Involved in Violent Crimes
• 2 Vehicle Examination Facility and Processing Equipment
• 3 General Guidelines and Strategies for Processing Vehicles
• 4 The Documentation of Motor Vehicles
• 5 The Photographic Documentation of Vehicles
• 6 Advanced Photography Techniques of Challenging Subjects
• 7 Deoxyribonucleic Acid Evidence
• 8 Fingerprint and Impression Evidence Involving Motor Vehicles
• 9 Processing Vehicles Involved in Shootings
• 10 Bloodstain Documentation and Processing
• Review Question Answer Keys
• Index