The Responsibilities of the First Officer on the Scene of a Reported Crime - Term Paper Example

? First Responding Officer While gathering and preserving evidence from a crime scene, protecting the crime scene is a fundamental aspect. The condition of the physical evidence during its collection time is critical since the successful prosecution of a case largely depends on it. It is therefore important for the crime scene to remain under the constant surveillance of a first responding officer from his/her arrival at the scene until the crime scene-investigation team collects and documents the relevant proof. This paper delves into the responsibilities of the first responding officer on the scene of a reported crime. Introduction The primary call to a police officer regarding a crime scene usually comes in different forms: a crime that has already taken place and has just been discovered, a crime in progress, or a crime that just occurred. The way in which the officer responds depends on how he/she receives the call. For instance, he/she can proceed quickly and directly to the scene. When a law-enforcing officer receives a call to respond to a scene of crime, he/she must always follow a logical series of events in order to ascertain everyone’s safety as well as appropriate investigation of the incident. He or she must treat all responses to crime scenes the same way, with expectations that the case under investigation will proceed to trial and be subjected to the criminal justice system’s procedures and policies (Buckles, 2007 and Dale & Becker, 2007). Since a first responder acts in response to all sorts of crimes as well as possible crime scenes, he or she should always act under the assumption that the suspects are still in the crime scene or in its surroundings. Is it therefore critical for him/her to make keen observations on the way to the scene of crime – should be very alert and should constantly make mental notes. With the assumption that suspects may be fleeing from the crime scene, he/she should take note of suspicious vehicles details such as color, make, model and license plates, as well as pedestrians’ descriptions. Better still, he/she can record all these information on a tape, which can be transcribed later to act as leads for law officers as they follow up on a crime after the initial response (Dale & Becker, 2007). Upon arrival, the officer will make use of tactical measures of safely approaching the scene and looking for suspects, victims, and witnesses. Again, depending on the type of crime, the presupposition is that there is a suspect at the crime scene and that there may be victims requiring emergency care. It is therefore worthy emphasizing that the focus of the first officer on the scene of a reported crime is on his own safety as well as that of other individuals at the crime scene, including the victims, other officers taking care of the victims, and those pursuing/ looking for the suspect. It is also worth noting and emphasizing that how to approach a crime scene and what to do are vital as the first responding officer enters and examines the crime scene. What to examine and note include whether or not there is a suspect at the scene, whether or not there is a victim who is being held hostage or who needs emergency care and what safety issues or environmental conditions need to be dealt with (Buckles, 2007). The initial response to a crime is supposed to be expeditious and systematic. On arriving at a crime scene, the first responding officer/the first officer to arrive on the scene of a crime should perform his first responsibility of assessing the scene. It is important for him/her to approach and enter crime scenes as soon as possible, yet carefully, while at the same time exploring any potential events, evidence, vehicles, individuals as well as any environmental conditions that may be linked to the crime. He should keep a record of information such as the location /address of the crime, the exact date and time, the type of call that he/she received, and anything else that might have a bearing on the crime/the scene of crime. He or she should also examine and keep a record of the conditions upon arrival for example if the lights were on or off, weather, visibility, his or her own actions as well as those of other parties involved (Travis et al., 2000 & Buckles, 2007). A major responsibility of the first responding officer is to conduct safety procedures. His/her first priority should be his/her physical well-being and safety over and above that of other individuals within/around the crime scene. He/she should do this by seeing to it that there is no instantaneous peril – he/she should scan the area for sounds, sights and smells that may expose people to danger. The officer should also examine the area for hazardous individuals/armed suspects; he/she should take control of the situation, inform the relevant personnel and ask for backup – he/she may need the assistance of special units to secure the safety of the crime scene. In the event that there is possibility of chemical, electric or even fire hazards that may require to be controlled prior to processing the crime scene, it would be imperative for the responders to put on personal protective equipment in addition to calling for specialized/professional assistance from respective units for their own safety as well as that of others. An example of dangerous materials is natural gas or gasoline. In case there are concealed biological or radiological weapons, chemical threats or drugs, the officer should also contact the proper personnel before getting into the scene (Travis, 2000 and Dale & Becker, 2007). Coupled to a first responding officer’s safety assessment is evaluation – he/she should always establish the kind of crime that has taken place, which could range from a lesser offense such as burglary to a more serious assault or even murder. The first responder need therefore to be keen on this determination, and if need be consult with investigative detectives as well as the prosecutor to define the offense. While conducting his/her own evaluation, it is important to take note of victims, witnesses and bystanders who he should later interview after securing the scene of crime, and should ask for assistance with interviewing them if the number of witnesses is large. This is especially putting into consideration the fact that it may be difficult to locate witnesses after the leave the crime scene (Dale & Becker, 2007). It is also the duty of the first responding officer to identify people such as medical and other supporting team, witnesses, and suspects at the scene of crime. He/she should control their movement and secure the scene in order to protect physical evidence and to minimize contamination. He/she can do this by defining and controlling boundaries. Securing the scene can be as effortless as closing a door or as complex as closing a whole building for business until the completion of the preliminary investigations. As far as outdoor crime scenes are concerned, the officer usually establishes physical barriers by barricading or roping off the scene using crime-scene barrier tape, ropes among others to. He should prevent contamination by letting in only persons with official responsibilities of investigating or processing the crime scene. The officer should also document the exit or entry of all everyone in the crime scene. It is important for him/her to keep unauthorized individuals and unnecessary people such as the media out of the crime scene (Hess & Orthmann, 2010). The first responding officer should also be cognizant of any vehicles or individuals leaving the crime scene. He/she should carefully scan the scene entirely in order to have a thorough evaluation of it, taking note of any likely secondary crime scenes. While carrying out initial observations, it is also crucial for him/her to inspect the scene, and ensure his/her safety – he/she can do this by listening, looking, and smelling. The officer is supposed to treat the scene as a crime scene and consequently, he/she should remain attentive and alert with the supposition that the crime is continuing until the evaluation is complete and established to be otherwise (Schiro, 2008). The first responding officer also has the responsibility of seeing to it that the victims receive emergency care. He/she should watch out for signs of life and medical requirements that the victims may require – it is his/her duty to contact health personnel and make sure that they provide immediate medical attention with least contamination of the scene. He/she should avoid any alteration or removal of anything from the scene and if there is any inevitable movement of persons or items that the health personnel need to make, the officer should document it. In the event that the health personnel arrived first, the first responding officer should take note of their names, addresses as well as where they have taken the victim(s). He/she should document any statements or remarks that the witnesses, victims, or suspects make and if there is a likelihood that the victim may die, the officer should try to obtain dying declaration (Travis, et al., 2000). The first responding officer should also ensure that he/she carefully hands over the control of the crime scene to the investigators taking charge. He/she should supply them with a detailed briefing of the crime scene. However, he/she ought not to leave the crime scene until relieved of duty (Travis, 2000). Further investigations of the crime scene begin following the arrival of the crime scene-investigation unit, and after they receive a briefing about what happened and what the first responding officer found (Horswell, 2004). Conclusion Apparently, the role of first responding officer is invaluable in the process of justice and in the determination of the facts of a crime to be used in the court of law – the officer’s role supplies the primary avenue of determining the relationship between the suspect and the victim the or suspect and the crime scene. In other words, his/her actions lay the base for the rest of the investigation. Moreover, vital evidence can be lost because of his improper actions. It is imperative for the officer to remain objective and unbiased (professionally impartial) and his/her aim should be to build accurate/perfect representation of the crime scene. It is also very important for other law enforcement officers to be aware of the roles of the first responding officer at a crime scene. References Buckles, T. (2007). Crime scene investigation, criminalistics, and the law. Stamford, Connecticut: Cengage Learning. Dale, M. W. & Becker, W. S. (2007). The crime scene: how forensic science works. New York : Kaplan Publishers. Hess, K. M. & Orthmann, C. M. (2010). Police operations: Theory and practice. Stamford, Connecticut: Cengage Learning. Horswell, J. (2004). The practice of crime scene investigation. London: CRC press. Schiro, G. (2008). Protecting the crime scene. Retrieved from http://www.crime-scene-investigator.net/evidenc1.html Travis, J.D. et al. (2000). Crime scene investigation: a guide for law enforcement. Retrieved from http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/178280.pdf. Read More