csi: investigating a crime scene · crime scene investigation, or csi, is the term for the series...

CSI: Investigating a crime scene

Image 1. Police tape indicating the edge of a crime scene. Only the members of the investigative team are allowed to cross it.

Photo by: Yumi Kimura/Wikimedia.

Crime scene investigation, or CSI, is the term for the series of steps taken to investigate a crime

scene. Different experts play different roles in the investigation, but their goals are the same. One

major goal is to reconstruct the circumstances of the crime as accurately as possible by

identifying the sequence of events. Another is to gather physical evidence that can lead to the

identification of the perpetrators.

First Steps In CSI

Crime scene investigations usually start where the crime happened. The area must be isolated

and secured so as to stop the destruction of important physical evidence. The first police officer

on the scene is responsible for marking the crime scene with ropes or tape. The officer has to

make sure that civilians don't enter the crime scene, and that only police who need to be there

have access.

By Gale, Cengage Learning, adapted by Newsela staff on 12.21.17

Word Count 897

Level 1040L

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1

The area of a crime scene is always larger than the actual site where the crime happened. That's

why the first officer on the scene must be trained to identify and isolate the primary and secondary

areas of the scene. If a body was found indoors, the crime scene primary area is the room where

it was found. The secondary area could be the rest of the house or building.

Secondary crime scene areas may contain important evidence. In death investigations, that

evidence could include the following: signs of a fight, footwear prints, fingerprints, broken

windows or doors, tire prints or bloodstains.


Police also try to identify witnesses who are near the crime scene. Witnesses are kept outside the

scene, so they can wait to be questioned by the investigation team.


If a death has occurred, certain experts might be called to help police at the scene. The following

are some of the experts who take part in the investigation.

The Crime Scene Technician

The crime scene technician's job is to find and identify physical evidence. Examples of physical

evidence are hairs, empty bullet casings, bloodstained objects and body fluids. The scene and

each piece of evidence are carefully photographed. The evidence is then gathered and taken to a

crime laboratory for a closer look. The technician also writes reports about the scene and

describes the evidence found.

The Criminalist

The main goal of the criminalist is to use the principles of science to examine the evidence. This

is to help the justice system understand if a crime has been committed. The criminalist helps

identify the victims and perpetrators, find out what happened during the incident and, finally,

determine the modus operandi. Modus operandi is a Latin term that means method of operation.

Criminal investigators use the term to describe the particular way in which a perpetrator commits

a crime.

The Detective Or Investigator

The detective, or investigator, interviews witnesses and gathers information from other members

of the investigation team. The investigator also talks to the prosecutor's office, which is

responsible for bringing a criminal court case against the perpetrator of a crime. The

investigator provides the prosecutor with information about the case. They work together to figure

out which direction the investigation should take.

The Coroner Or Medical Examiner And Pathologist

The medical examiner is a doctor who tells the pathologist what physical evidence should be

collected from the dead body. This role can also be carried out by an official called the coroner.

The coroner or medical examiner has to figure out how the victim was killed.

The pathologist collects physical evidence from the body, like hairs and body fluids. Evidence like

this may be used to figure out if the evidence comes from a known criminal or any suspects.


The Forensic Anthropologist

Anthropology is the study of human beings. Forensics is the use of scientific methods to

investigate a crime. A forensic anthropologist is an expert who uses scientific methods and an

understanding of anthropology for investigation.

A big part of this job is examining the remains of bodies. For example, the services of a forensic

anthropologist are requested when highly decomposed or charred human remains are found.

These services are also requested when gathering physical evidence is difficult, or when it's hard

to figure out who the victim was or what caused their death. When humans are buried, their

bodies change due to bacteria, bugs and animals. A forensic anthropologist can do tests on hair,

bones and other parts of the body to discover facts about the victim. This includes how old the

victim was and what race or gender they were.

Forensic anthropologists are often consulted for cold case investigations when human remains

are found unexpectedly. They may also gather evidence in ways that crime scene technicians

aren't usually familiar with. Forensic anthropology may provide not only physical evidence but


also information about the circumstances of death. For example, one technique is to create a 3-D

map of the scene. Forensic anthropologists can also study the geological characteristics of the

soil, or how the physical evidence is scattered throughout the scene.


Quiz

1 Read the selection from the first paragraph of the article.

Different experts play different roles in the investigation, but their goalsare the same. One major goal is to reconstruct the circumstances of thecrime as accurately as possible by identifying the sequence of events.

Which two words would BEST replace "reconstruct" and "sequence" in the selection above?

(A) reproduce; series

(B) restore; category

(C) reorganize; system

(D) reassemble; cycle

2 Read the selection from the section "The Criminalist."

The criminalist helps identify the victims and perpetrators, find out whathappened during the incident and, finally, determine the modus operandi.Modus operandi is a Latin term that means method of operation. Criminalinvestigators use the term to describe the particular way in which aperpetrator commits a crime.

Which word from the selection helps the reader understand that the way perpetrators commit crimes

is unique and specific to them?

(A) identify

(B) incident

(C) determine

(D) particular


3 Which selection from the section "First Steps In CSI" represents a major shift in the article's

development?

(A) If a body was found indoors, the crime scene primary area is the room where it

was found. The secondary area could be the rest of the house or building.

(B) In death investigations, that evidence could include the following: signs of a fight,

footwear prints, fingerprints, broken windows or doors, tire prints or bloodstains.

(C) Police also try to identify witnesses who are near the crime scene. Witnesses are

kept outside the scene, so they can wait to be questioned by the investigation

team.

(D) If a death has occurred, certain experts might be called to help police at the scene.

The following are some of the experts who take part in the investigation.

4 Read the section "The Detective Or Investigator."

What does this section explain that other sections do NOT?

(A) the fact that investigations can lead to legal charges in court

(B) the role of witnesses in providing information about a crime

(C) the importance of working with other members of the investigation team

(D) the investigation of physical evidence in order to identify a perpetrator


csi: investigating a crime scene · crime scene investigation, or csi, is the term for the series...

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