Picking Up The Pieces: Crime Scene Clean Up

Cleaning up after CSI

 

Police officers and other emergency response personnel have the unpleasant task of working with the dead. They’re the first responders—the life-savers and the crime-solvers. But when their job is done they go about their duties of finding new lives to save, and new criminals to apprehend. The crime scenes, however, are left behind, as is, with blood, tissue, brain matter, and other such macabre tid-bits left lying around. Someone has to clean up the mess, and the police certainly aren’t going to do it. That’s where companies like AFTERMATH, INC. of Oswego, Illinois, and Crime Scene Steri-Clean of Southern California come in.

Crime scene clean-up companies employ teams of highly trained employees who come to the scene of a homicide, suicide, etc., and clean up and decontaminate every single surface in the affected areas. They completely remove all body matter from the scene. They’re also trained to clean up fingerprint powder, tear gas residue, and odors associated with decomposition.

All body fluids are considered biohazard waste and must be treated accordingly, as potential sources of infection. Crime scene clean up companies must have all the required permits required by law to transport and dispose of hazardous waste.

These companies have on-call staff members who are required to respond to a scene within a reasonable amount of time, usually within minutes if the scene is located in the company’s home territory.

The costs associated with cleaning up a crime scene can be costly, but many homeowner’s policies will cover much of the expense. Some states will absorb some of the clean up costs for homicide cases. Crime Scene Steri-Clean promises to work with any budget, stating they’ll accept payments as little as one dollar per month if that’s all the victim’s family can afford.

All of AFTERMATH’s vehicles (they have offices all across the country) are certified by the EPA to haul medical waste. Their technicians are all blood-born pathogen certified. FYI – Many police academies require police officers to undergo blood-born pathogen training.

Some of the equipment used by crime scene clean up companies:

– non-porous disposable suits, gloves, respirators, and spill proof boots

– ozone machines for odor removal

– bleach and other disinfectants

– deodorizoers

– enzyme solvents to kill bacteria and viruses

– wet vac

– scrapers for removal of brain matter and tissue

– steam injection systems to soften dried matter

– standard tools, such as hammer, screwdrivers, shovels (snow shovels for large amounts of wet tissue)

– camera

 

* For an interesting read about crime scene cleanup, I recommend:

AFTERMATH, INC

Cleaning Up After CSI Goes Home

by my friend, Gil Reavill

Some of you who attended this year’s NoirCon in Philadelphia may have met Gil. He was a panelist at the conference.

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Jurisdiction: Who Can Go Where, When?

Winslow Arizona

 

Jurisdictional issues come up all the time for police officers. Criminals are extremely mobile, and unfortunately for local cops, they simply don’t stay put waiting for detectives to come and get them.

Jurisdiction (according to Blacks Law Dictionary) is a geographic area in which a court has power or types of cases it has power to hear. For law enforcement officers, that jurisdictional boundary covers the area where they are sworn to protect and serve as police officers.

City officers are sworn (raise their right hand and repeat an oath to protect, serve, and enforce all laws) to protect and enforce the laws of the city where they’re employed. County officers are sworn to protect and enforce the laws of the counties where they’re employed. State officers are sworn to enforce laws in their state, and federal officers are sworn to enforce laws throughout the country.

In most cases, police officers aren’t allowed to conduct an arrest in any area that’s outside their jurisdiction. In fact, some arrests conducted outside an officer’s jurisdiction are considered illegal.

Unfortunately, bad guys aren’t held to such standards. Why, they’ve even been known to kill somebody in Florida and flee all the way to Washington state. The nerve of those guys. They just don’t abide by the rules. When bad guys do flee the scene of a crime, officers issue warrants for their arrest, and they issue a BOLO (Be On The Lookout). Now, when the crooks are spotted in Washington state, the Northwestern cops can make a legal arrest based on the information they’ve received from the authorities in Florida.

 

There are exceptions to the jurisdictional restrictions for police officers. When can they go outside their home territory to apprehend a criminal?

1) During a hot pursuit. Officers can legally pursue a fleeing felon across jurisdictional boundaries as long as they maintain visual contact with the suspect. However, if the officer ever loses sight of the suspect the pursuit is no longer considered fresh, and must terminate the chase (There are always exceptions. Remember, we’re talking about the law).

2) An officer can make a legal arrest outside his jurisdiction if she was responding to a request for assistance from another agency.

3) In some areas, as long as an officer has possession of a legal arrest warrant, she can serve it on the suspect anywhere in her state. (again, check local laws).

4) Many jurisdictions have a specified allowance of distance their officers may travel to make an arrest. This provision in the law is because there is no physical line drawn on the ground to determine the actual city limits. Officers acting in good faith may make an arrest within these provisional boundaries.

However, in Limestone County, Alabama, this law is in effect:

In Limestone, no police jurisdiction of a municipality located wholly or partially within Limestone county shall extend beyond the corporate limits of the municipality. (Amendment 499; Proposed by Act 88-306, submitted at the Nov. 8, 1988, election, and proclaimed ratified Nov. 23, 1988, Proclamation Register No. 6, p. 56).

5) Officers can make a citizens arrest anywhere in the country, just like any other person in the same situation.

 

6) Interestingly, Ohio state patrol officers have no jurisdiction on private property. Their arrest powers cover only roadway patrol and public land. (Please correct me if I’m wrong, Lt. Swords).

And, I feel compelled to answer the question I see asked almost every single day. Here goes:

NO, the FBI does not ride into town and take over cases from local police departments. They have other things to do.

 

Besides, as a rule, the FBI doesn’t work murder cases. Local police departments, sheriffs offices, and state police are more than capable of handling their own cases. And they do.

 

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Friday’s Heroes: Remembering The Fallen

Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

 

Correctional Officer Donna Fitzgerald, 51

Florida Department of Corrections

 

On June 25, 2008, Officer Fitzgerald, a 13 year DOC veteran, was ambushed and sexually assaulted by an inmate at the Tomoka Correctional Institution. The officer was killed during the brutal assault.

Police Officer Nicholas Heine, 30

Pueblo Colorado Police Department

 

On Saturday June 21, 2008, Officer Heine was engaged in a foot pursuit after breaking up several bar fights when he suddenly collapsed. Efforts by fellow officers to revive Heine were not successful. He died a short time later at the hospital. It’s believed he had suffered a heart attack.

The officer was a nine year veteran, and leaves behind a wife and two daughters. Officer Heine’s mother is also employed by the Pueblo PD.

Correctional Officer Jose Rivera, 22

Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Department of Justice

On June 20, 2008, Officer Rivera was conducting the 4:00pm count at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atwater, California when he was stabbed to death by two inmates. The prisoners used homemade knives (shanks) to commit the horrific murder. Rivera had only worked for the BOP for approximately ten months.

Officer Rivera was also a veteran of the U.S. Navy.

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Police Officer Hiring Process

Name that author

 

Applying for the job of police officer is a bit different than trying to land any other job. In fact, the process a police applicant must undergo can be quite challenging. To qualify for one of these coveted positions (there’s often a several month waiting list), an applicant must be a U.S. citizen, have a high school diploma or equivalent (many departments now require all applicants to have an associates degree or higher), and be at least 21 years old on their hire date. And there’s normally a height and weight requirement.

There are several steps in the hiring process (this varies in every area), beginning with a written application. Those who do not satisfactorily complete the written application will not be considered for a position.

The next step is usually a written test consisting of :

1) Written communication skills

1) Ability to remember intricate details

 

3) Spelling

4) Effective report writing

 

5) Use of judgment and logic

 

Bringing a knife to a gunfight – poor judgment.

6) Grammar

 

“You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.”

  • Source: United Press International, “Bush Proposes Increase in Education Funds,” Mark Kukis, Feb. 21, 2001

7) Following written directions

8. Neatness

 

9) Listening skills

Those applicants who pass the written portion of the exam will be asked to participate in the next step of the process, the physical fitness assessment. The PT assessment consists of a 1.5 mile run, push ups, and sit ups. Some departments also require the successful completion of agility testing.

 

Agility testing

 

Push ups

The next stage of the pre-employment screening is an oral exam/questioning period where applicants meet with a panel consisting of ranking officers from the department.

 

Sometimes, members of the community are asked to participate as panel members. Candidates are asked questions, such as their reasons for wanting to become a police officer. They’re also given various scenarios and are asked what they would do if they found themselves in those situations.

Candidates who’ve made it to this stage in the process are required to submit to a background examination. Sometimes even a polygraph examination is administered. The focus of this portion of the procedure is on past and current drug use and abuse, criminal activity, past employment problems, honesty, and discrepancies in other portions of the application process.

 

Final contenders must undergo psychological testing to determine if they’re mentally fit for a career in law enforcement.

Needless to say, anyone who makes it through this grueling process has earned the job. Little do they know, the worst is yet to come. Police academy training is no picnic!

* * *

* BREAKING NEWS *

POLICE PROCEDURE AND INVESTIGATION has been nominated for a prestigious Macavity Award! I’m truly thrilled and humbled to be included with such a star-studded group of authors. What an incredible honor. Thanks so much!

Here’ the list of this year’s Macavity Award nominees:

Best Mystery Novel:

  • Reed Farrel Coleman: Soul Patch (Bleak House)
  • John Connolly: The Unquiet (Hodder & Stoughton*/Atria)
  • David Corbett: Blood of Paradise (Ballantine Mortalis)
  • Deborah Crombie: Water Like a Stone (Morrow)
  • Laura Lippman: What the Dead Know (Morrow)

Best First Mystery:

  • Tana French: In the Woods (Hodder & Stoughton*/Viking)
  • Joe Hill: Heart-Shaped Box (William Morrow)
  • Lisa Lutz: The Spellman Files (Simon & Schuster)
  • Tim Maleeny: Stealing the Dragon (Midnight Ink)
  • Matt Beynon Rees: The Collaborator of Bethlehem (Soho)

Best Mystery Short Story:

Best Mystery Non-Fiction:

  • Barry Forshaw: Rough Guide to Crime Fiction (Penguin Rough Guides)
  • Jean Gould O’Connell: Chester Gould: A Daughter’s Biography of the Creator of Dick Tracy (McFarland & Company)
  • Jon Lellenberg, Daniel Stashower & Charles Foley, editors: Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters (HarperPress*/Penguin)
  • Lee Lofland: Police Procedure and Investigation: A Guide for Writers (Howdunit Series, Writers Digest Books)
  • Roger Sobin, editor/compiler: The Essential Mystery Lists: For Readers, Collectors, and Librarians (Poisoned Pen Press)

Sue Feder Memorial Historical Mystery:

  • Rhys Bowen: Her Royal Spyness (Penguin)
  • Ariana Franklin: Mistress of the Art of Death (Putnam)
  • Jason Goodwin: The Snake Stone (Faber & Faber*/ Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
  • Clare Langley-Hawthorne: Consequences of Sin (Viking*/Penguin)
  • Joyce Carol Oates: The Gravedigger’s Daughter (HarperCollins Ecco)

*UK publisher (first edition)

Congratulations to each of you!

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Crime Scenes: Picking Up The Tab

Crime Scene: Picking up the tab

 

Have you ever wondered about the costs associated with criminal investigations? Well, you’d better believe the suits keep tabs of where public dollars are going. Here’s a rundown of expenses associated with materials used in crime-solving.

Crime scene tape (actually it’s called barrier tape)

$15.50 per roll

 

Crime scene sketch kit

$109.00

 

Crime scene DNA kit

$20.00

 

Locater cones

$27.95 for 8

 

Photo evidence and crime scene markers

$350.00

Arson investigation kit

$440.00

Laser trajectory finder (determines the path of bullets)

$340.00

Traffic investigation kit

$600.00

 

Alternate light sources

$10.00 – $6000.00

 

Fingerprinting Kit

$300.00

 

Wet Powder Processing Kit (for processing prints on adhesives, such as duct tape).

$75.00

 

Red evidence tape with writing line

$12.00

 

Body Bag

$244.00 for a package of 24

 

Tyvek shoe covers

$12.00 for 10 pair

Tyvek coveralls

$11.75 per pair

 

Paper evidence bags

$21.00 for 100 bags

 

Chain of custody labels

$10.00 per 100 labels

 

Blood spatter kit

$200.00

 

4 Cell Maglite – $32.00

Belt holder – $8.00

Handy guide to police procedure and investigation

$19.95

Cop fuel

Priceless…

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Weekend Road Trip: Beaches

Beaches

 

Long Wharf, Cambridge, Maryland

This week our Weekend Road Trip takes us on a journey to both U.S. coasts.

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

Bethany Beach, Delaware

Bethany Beach, Delaware

Hoopers Island, Maryland

Coastline north of Boston

Massachusetts coast

Just north of Boston

Near Santa Barbara, California

The boardwalk at Santa Cruz, California

California coastline

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Friday’s Heroes: Remembering the Fallen

Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

 

Sgt. Robert Deichman

Youngstown Ohio Police Department

 

Sergeant Deichman was killed on June 19, 2008 when his unmarked police car collided with a tractor-trailer truck. He leaves behind a wife, two daughters and his parents. Sgt. Deichman was a nine year veteran.

Trooper David Shawn Blanton, Jr.

North Carolina Highway Patrol

 

Trooper Blanton was shot and killed with his own weapon during a traffic stop on June 17, 2008. The suspect has been arrested and charge with capital murder. Trooper Blanton proudly served his department for two years. He leaves behind a wife and two-week old son.

Deputy Jose Antonio (Tony) Diaz

Yolo County California Sheriffs Department

 

Deputy Diaz was shot and killed during a traffic stop on June 15, 2008. The suspect fired at the officer, striking him in th shoulder area. Deputy Diaz had been wearing his vest, but the round penetrated it causing the fatal wound. The deputy was a ten year veteran. He leaves behind three children.

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Trace Evidence Collection

Detectives

 

Trace evidence is left at a crime scene when one object touches another. This type of evidence is quite small, but large enough to measure. Some examples of trace evidence are, scrape marks, fingerprints, hair, fibers, soil, tool marks, paint chips, glass fragments, etc.

Investigators must use caution when entering crime scenes to avoid disturbing or destroying trace evidence. They must also take steps to avoid contaminating the crime scene by accidentally depositing things that could be mistaken for evidence, such as cigarette butts, hairs, and chewing gum.

Professor Edmond Locard certainly hit the nail on the head when he said,

“Wherever he steps, whatever he touches, whatever he leaves, even unconsciously, will serve as a silent witness against him. Not only his fingerprints or his footprints, but his hair, the fibers from his clothes, the glass he breaks, the tool mark he leaves, the paint he scratches, the blood or semen he deposits or collects. All of these and more, bear mute witness against him. This is evidence that does not forget. It is not confused by the excitement of the moment. It is not absent because human witnesses are. It is factual evidence. Physical evidence cannot be wrong, it cannot perjure itself, it cannot be wholly absent. Only human failure to find it, study and understand it, can diminish its value.”

Since trace evidence can be so tiny, investigators often have to rely all special detection devices, such as alternate light sources (ALS) and magnification instruments, to help locate the items.

Once the evidence has been found investigators must then collect it in a manner that both preserves the integrity of the item and prevents contamination. They must also record the methods they used for later testimony.

Methods of trace evidence collection

Scraping – Sometimes, investigators use flat objects such as a spatula to scrape items from flat surfaces. The evidence is then transferred from the spatula to an evidence bag or other approved container.

Picking – Tools, such as forceps or needle-nose pliers are used to collect evidence. A good example is the removal of a single hair from a shirt collar.

 

Vacuuming – Special vacuum cleaners (usually hand-held) are quite effective for collecting several items at once. These vacuums are equipped with filter traps that catch the trace evidence.

 

Lifting – This process is similar to lifting fingerprints. Investigators use the sticky side of special tape to collect evidence.

Combing – This technique is used to comb the hair of an individual to collect any debris or other foreign objects, such as hair or dandruff deposited by a killer, or rapist.

Clipping – Clipping normally refers to the trimming of a victim’s fingernails to retrieve tissue and DNA of an attacker. (If the victim struggled with his attacker, he may have scratched the killer).

 

Collected items should be packaged in clean, dry, paper containers, such as envelopes or paper bags. Petri dishes may also be used in some cases.

Trace evidence collection kit

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The Language of Cops and Robbers

The Language of Cops and Robbers

 

Cop, Crook, and Street Slang

The world of cops and robbers is an entity all its own. It’s a culture that lives and breathes in every neighborhood of every city. With each individual society comes a set of traditions, rules, regulations, and language. To survive in these various social orders, members must learn to walk the walk and talk the talk. For example, the word cop might conjure up images of a burly police officer to you, but to a criminal, cop means to take plea agreement offered by the DA (“I’m not going to take a chance with a jury trial. I’m going to cop a plea.”).

Let’s take a peek at a few of the slang terms used by cops and robbers.

Jailing (jailin”) – Wearing pants with the waistband so low that the underwear/boxer shorts are exposed. This style actually began in prisons and jails because inmates are issued ill-fitting clothing. Their jail-issued pants are often much too big causing them to ride low on the hips.

Chicken head – Someone who gives oral sex in exchange for drugs.

Shorty – a nickname for girls. “Shorty sure looked fine last night.”

Bullet – A one year prison sentence.

Ink – Tattoo

Pruno – Alcohol made in jail or prison by inmates. Also known as hooch.

Five-O – The police

Catch a ride – Share someone’s drugs. “Hey, Dude. Can I catch a ride?”

Now, what are some of your favorite slang terms?

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Weekend Road Trip: Writers Conferences

Writers Conference

 

Mock trial of Jacker Reacher (Lee Child) at Crime Bake 2007 in Boston.

l-r Michele Martinez (prosecutor), Judge Ken Freeman (judge), Lee Lofland (DEA agent), and Lee Child (Jack Reacher).

Murder Really Bugs Me panel. Bouchercon Madison, Wi.

l-r Hallie Ephron, Jan Burke, Lee Lofland

Bouchercon Madison, Wi.

Lee Lofland and author Lori L. Lake.

2008 Pikes Peak Writers Conference Colorado Springs, Colorado

Colorado Deputy Sheriffs Mark Ortler and Gordon Carroll.

Southern California’s East of Eden Writers Conference mystery writing panel.

l-r Lee Lofland, Christopher Reich. D.P. Lyle, and Tod Goldberg

2008 Pikes Peak Writers Conference

Author Terry Odell takes aim.

2008 Scene of the Crime Conference Wichita, Kansas

K-9s were the star of the show on Saturday.

2008 Scene of the Crime Conference Wichita, Kansas

Conference attendees were given the opportunity to view a mock murder scene. Then, they wrote a short story about what they’d seen. The entries were judged and prizes were awarded. The stories were fantastic.

Dr. Katherine Ramsland, world renowned expert on forensic psychology, and Lee Lofland compared notes about serial killers and mass murderers.

(Notice the book in Dr. Ramsland’s hand. The person next to her had also just purchased a copy and couldn’t wait to take a peek. They just happen to be copies of my book Police Procedure and Investigation. Of course, the book I’m holding is The Human Predator by Dr. Ramsland).

Dr. Denene Lofland and SJ Rozan during the Yosemite Writers Conference in Yosemite, California.

SJ Rozan and Lee Lofland. Yosemite Writers Conference Yosemite, California.

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