Crime Scene Investigation
Any location in which a crime has been committed is referred to as a crime scene. Crime scenes are important to crime scene investigators (CSIs) and law enforcement because physical evidence that can lead to solving the crime may be found in the scene. Note that one crime can have more than one crime scene. Upon the identification of a crime scene, crime detectives immediately cordon off the scene to avoid crime scene contamination. This is necessary because allowing movement around the scene may compromise the integrity of the scene which can nullify the acceptance of any evidence obtained from the compromised scene in court.
During crime scene investigations, CSIs carefully gather evidence which is subsequently analyzed at a crime laboratory. There have been several cases where evidence gathered by CSIs and analyzed by forensic experts leads to a conviction. In some ways, crime scenes involving digital evidence are similar to conventional ones. In both scenarios, the investigation requires planning, preparation, a methodical approach, and a set of specific skills. While digital investigations are a more recent phenomenon, physical investigations have been around for thousands of years and the experience from them can be applied to digital investigations.
Many criminal investigations will include computers at some point in the case. Murder and rape suspects may, through a search warrant, have their email and Internet activities analyzed to find evidence about their motives or hiding locations. Corporations investigate computers when an employee is suspected of unauthorized actions. Fraud investigations collect transaction history evidence from servers. It is therefore important that a process model for the digital investigation exists and that it easily interacts with the physical investigations that have long existed.
A computer itself is, typically, only one piece of physical evidence, but it can be processed to identify thousands of pieces of digital evidence, and each piece of digital evidence can be analyzed to identify ownership, location, and timing. The digital evidence can be analyzed to produce similar characteristics as physical evidence. Therefore, the investigation of billions of bytes of digital data is similar to the investigation of a house where an investigator must look at thousands of objects, fibers, and surface areas and use his experience to identify potential evidence that should be sent to a lab for analysis.
Whether digital or conventional, the need for a well-trained CSI cannot be emphasized. At BLD Forensics, we offer you CSIs that have been specially trained to professionally investigate either conventional or digital crime scenes.
Crime Scene Investigation FAQs
Whether physical or digital, investigating crime is a very demanding (and sometimes dangerous) job that requires specialist training and equipment such as those offered by us.
Forensic science and technology have always been the cornerstone of physical investigations. In the virtual world, digital forensics has also assumed a similar role.
Digital evidence is more fragile and volatile than physical evidence meaning that it can easily be altered, damaged, or destroyed. Hence, it requires well standardized and scrutinized methods for collecting, searching, examining, and analysing. These methods should also preserve the integrity and authenticity of digital evidence. At Digisec, we have great expertise in the preservation of digital evidence so they can be accepted at any court.