By D.H. Garrison, Jr.
Forensic Services Unit
Grand Rapids, Michigan, Police Department
This Article Originally Appeared in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, September 1994.
Ask crime scene technicians to name the biggest problem that they encounter on the job and you will consistently hear the same response--crime scene contamination by curious officers, detectives, and supervisors. Whether called evidence technicians, identification bureau officers, or laboratory specialists, either civilian or sworn, most personnel responsible for the processing of crime scene evidence find the same problems repeated by the same "offenders."1 The unintentional contamination of crime scenes appears to be a problem that will not go away without written departmental policies reinforced by a strong foundation in training.
