Forensic Investigation: Evidence Collection

Lab for Technical and Scientific Police

• Crimes, offences, and misdemeanors are investigated, evidence is gathered, and perpetrators are handed over to the Court of First Instance for sentencing.
• Collecting evidence requires a high-quality approach to securing traces
• A "one-shot" event means there is only ever one chance to secure traces without compromising them

Forensic Investigation

• Locard's principle states every contact between objects or persons leaves traces.
• LTWP (Laboratories for Technical & Scientific Police), NICC (National Institute of Criminalistics & Criminology), DNA laboratories, forensic doctors, fire experts, ballistics experts, forensic anthropologists, odontologists, DOVO (Demining Service), traffic experts, civil protection, and customs are involved in forensic investigations
• The LTWP handles dactyloscopy, shoeprint examinations, ear print examinations, tool examinations, burglary trace examinations, fire investigations, death investigations, document examinations, and drug tests.
• Experts conduct hair and fiber examinations, glass and paint examinations, ballistic examinations, DNA examinations, drug analyses, and toxicology.

Taskforce Technical and Scientific Police

• Analysis is time-consuming, involving various actors and expert fragmentation.
• Processing traces take much longer than recording them.
• Police officers and civilian personnel with scientific or technical training are included
• The new function for LTWP officers is "Forensic Incident Commander (FIC)", an officer of judicial police (OGP) of the federal police who is responsible for LTWP during major incidents.
• The FIC's tasks include consulting with other disciplines, conducting risk analysis of judicial police (PD) for police personnel, and coordinating lab-related tasks.
• It is a myth that immediate results are given, everything happens in-house, there is a specialist in every field and that everyone is polyvalent (tactical and technical)

Urgent intervention

• Urgent intervention (24/7) occurs when physical integrity is compromised
• Examples of violent crimes include armed robbery, violence, threats, carjacking, home invasion, intentional assault and battery, shootings/stabbings, hostage-taking/kidnapping, rape, fire with fatalities, bomb threats/explosions, suspicious packages with powder, deadly VKO (traffic accidents with hit-and-run), clothing, vehicle parts, and other factors such as mud.
• In cases of suspected death, suicide, or manslaughter (even if the cause of death is known), hanging, drowning, or electrocution may be involved
• Procedures for apprehending suspects include searching for weapons, protecting hands for trace evidence using bags, not allowing hand washing or clothing changes
• The individual may put on a Tyvek suit after handcuffing and no toilet visits are permitted.
• During office hours, assistance is provided for regular thefts, burglaries, break-ins, and garage entries etc.

Additional Investigation

• It is relevant when fire does not result in death, intentional or accidental cause is investigated, a search is made for the source, and samples and break-in traces are collected.
• It is relevant when vehicles are inspected after they are ordered to be removed to a lab with a field supporter when stolen vehicles are recovered or when a vehicle is used in serious crimes
• Burned-out vehicles are an exception and are not removed
• Objects are examined objects for trace evidence by PACOS (if LTWP intervention is not useful at local police department)
• Reference prints of ears and shoes are taken when plantations and synthetic drug labs are investigated for their dangerous conditions.
• Reconstructions can be made at different times of the day to produce truthful results
• Strive to search visible traces, to photograph them, record them and wrap them. Analyse and link in the lab, communicate and record observations

Forensic Incident commander

• The attacks in Brussels and Maalbeek resulted in LTWP establishing a new role: the Forensic Incident Commander (FIC).
• The main function of the FIC is a judicial police officer (OGP) from the federal police responsible for CSI and major incidents.
• Responsibilities include communication between different disciplines, creating a FIC logbook, risk analysis, giving feedback Laboratory coordination tasks involve adjusting exclusion perimeters, dividing zones/sectors, collecting Urgent Traces
• Tasks also include evaluating facts, consulting the Operations Command Center (OCC) and coordinating a CSI team.
• FIC is in charge of reviewing the execution of anti-contamination measures, delegating laboratory coordination, advising experts and handling victims and suspects while collecting evidence.
• Other actions would include checking chain of custody and writing reports

Crime Scene

• A crime scene (PD) is the source of physical evidence that can make confessions unnecessary
• The "primary PD" is the location where the crime occurred
• The "secondary PD" includes locations associated with the crime (vehicles, forest, etc.)
• Securing and keeping a PD safe requires help (contact SLAZO) with perimeter, SLO, entry and being conscious of spore transfers
• You should set up perimeters, walking paths and logs,. Keep people out and do not interrogate people but write things down
• Be aware of tunnel vision (tunnel view) and do not overlook things but medical support goes before all else unless deceased!

General guidance

• Remember which steps you take
• Do not change anything or manipulate heaters, windows, or doors
• Search for identifications or not, take RIZIV number of the corpse so they can match it
• Use no electronic devices and manipulate no surfaces, do not use toilet or wash your hands
• Also do not discard of your rubbish here, let the victim uncovered and cover if outside: use a tent or blanket and tell police about any broken doors
• Close any gas, water or electricity and give nothing outside, note pieces of rubble in vehicles

Spore recognition

• Valuable sampling follows the evaluation of 1st and 2nd first aiders, spore transfers or labs, lab calls for investigation
• Deploy the lab (PZA) and contact them but do not remove anything without advice and make no appointments with victims
• Tell them the phonenumber, avoid cleaning and wait so spore investigation happens between 8-17h and call when necessary
• In apartment buildings, if the apartments are covered, contact labs, check if the suspect has already been identified

Dactyloscopy

• Fingerprints are unique and can be classified
• Grooves and papillary lines have pores that let sweat pass and can be affected by moisture, warmth and manipulations
• Each fingerprint you generate at the moment you take someone in has an unique number to classify and compare
• They can be recorded from waterways and compared with those already at the residence if necessary.
• LTWP needs to capture the marks to give a result that you want to use

Ear prints

• Earprints change over life and need a typical classification and are an impression of an ear when listening at doors
• Surface changes and needs special powder, can also be recorded as reference when suspect is nearby
• Shoe prints are unique in classification, can also be an indiction of soil when shoe made the print

Shoe prints

• These are affected by the weather and can be best found on hard floors. Should be photographed as one would with a white background.
• Info to extract from shoes: company, size, material, profile and imperfections the shoe could bear

Tool prints

• Are identifiable but may be affected by the weather.
• Can be found on doors and windows and are basically impressions or damage made by tools such as screws and shovels

Biological traces

• DNA is unique and is found in every cell. There are various cells in the body, these must be approached carefully
• Biological stains can be: fluids (saliva) but no faces can b examined from this

Invisible samples

• Samples with tape from lifting but are hard to prove, this is something to give to special labs or when you want to check the DNA

DNA

• Goal: is to see if suspect DNA sample lines up
• Samples should be collected by the LTWP but can be from swab with suspects

Security images /Video surveillance

• You must know where from image came!
• Tell them, describe what you want to happen. Remember to note quality and software too

Research dead people

• When die do not manipulate and use worst case
• Keep spore samples intact

Operations way / how does suspect operates

• Should be kept in mind

MO sorts

• Thefts include cylinder and window breaking, opening, and stolen trucks. Not included are thefts while asleep, petty theft and racketeering. Included are armed crimes, tiger kidnapping and home/fort Chabrol
• Cylinders can be breached using IBN tools and fake keys
• Robberies when people use tricks/list such as faking status of an official, gas inspector, charity and worker

Causes:

• Fire requires oxygen, flame material and energy
• Usually from accidents, nature, or human intent
• After fire, the air gets a flame usually from combining these.
• Indicators includes colour in water and fire marks. Statisc apparati as well

1st interventions with fire:

• First gather info form other interventions. Try to enter but protect and create a safe parameter

• Biometric Identification Service helps connect spores and take new ones like shoe, hand and tire spores

Crime analysis

• If things have been separated, try to look where they were
• NICCS has criminal and criminalistics analysis services
• Anayliss services
• Nnicc does crime and criminalists analuyss that can check dnas and data banks
• They also have other units that helps with all sorts of crimes like missing and drowning people.

Causes of Death and Wounds

• Must consider if the death was death caused by internal or external reasons/ what the position of death was
• Strangulation can result in blueing and if so, you should check if there was a death or damage during death or what was caused by some drug
• Body will undergo certain phase after death. Note how temp and wounds tell a lot (sharp vs bump)
• In toxicology, you must evaluate the circumstances and then test with water
• Asphyxia and drowning looks at body for damages